In many ways, this style of offense is the polar opposite of the methods the Steelers used to win six Super Bowls. In '94, he ran for 851 yards despite missing five games. His rookie contract was voided after his fourth season, after just one in Pittsburgh, and there were opportunities to leave. Some readers are probably going to argue this is too high for Forte. Willie Parker: Fast Willie Parker actually lands in third place all-time among Pittsburgh rushers. The number of games they started during the season is listed to the right of their name: These quarterbacks have the most starts for the Steelers in regular season games. Those three men will be bypassed for this article despite Johnson ranking third in the all-time rushing yardage for the Black and Gold. This led to fans chanting Hey Diddle Diddle, Rogel Up the Middle. There was just one occasion that the Steelers failed to use Rogel on the games first play. In 2015 he finished second in the league in rushing and earned a spot on the All-Pro Team. Bleier only ranks ninth in all-time rushing yards for the franchise, and he never made the Pro Bowl, but there is no denying the impact this gutsy running back had in winning four Steelers' Super Bowl championships. Today, Abercrombie spends his days atsthe Executive Director for his alma mater leading the Baylor B Association which is an organization of previous letter winners for the university. Najee Harris warming to Steelers' running back-by-committee approach. Allain died on February 21, 2023, following a . steelers running backs last 10 years More like he will get exposed yet again as being the most overrated running back in the league . 2. Barry Foster: Unfortunately for Barry Foster, his career was short in the Burgh. In 2011 Jones-Drew led the league with 1,606 rushing yards and 386 touches. In the second concussion he encountered, it resulted in Hoge having to be resuscitated when he stopped breathing. During his career, he's averaged 128.9 yards from scrimmage per game. Bam Morris: Morris story is a sad, tragic, and unfulfilled one. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. Including last season when Bell sat out because of a contract dispute, the two-time All-Pro has missed 34 games in his six-year career. He also earned the first of two consecutive First-Team All-Pro selections. Last season he was in the top five among running backs in several categories. He's posted 2,987 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns over the last three years. But it was his story of injury during the war that gave him notoriety at the start of his career. In 1982, he was Pittsburghs first overall pick in the draft coming in at number 12. These quarterbacks have started at least one game for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Le'Veon Bell was one of the best Steelers running backs of all time. The former Heisman Trophy winner is another example of a highly regarded college back getting off to a slow start in the NFL. His performance in the 1989 playoffs, when he turned in back-to-back 100-yard games against Houston and Denver, is the stuff of Steelers' legend. Dudley could do it all on the field as he was just not a back but a defensive back, punter, and place kicker. Harris was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990. Great Pittsburgh Steelers players such as Heath Miller, Bennie Cunningham, and Eric Green, who could count among the best NFL players ever, have gone down as some of the best tight ends in Steelers franchise history. He joins Franco Harris and John Henry Johnson. The Senate passed the bill . To no ones surprise, Art Rooney Sr. mailed a post card to his running back while in recovery that said, Rock We need you. That was the kind of man The Chief was. Both men had the unfortunate circumstance of being behind other great players on the roster, Franco Harris and Terry Bradshaw. He finished his career in Pittsburgh with 3,115 rushing yards, 241 receptions, and 34 total touchdowns. Sowhos the greatest tight end in Pittsburgh Steelers history? Joey Porter. Franco Harris is not only the best Steelers running back in franchise history, but one of the greatest Steelers of all time. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Just look back to last year when he was able to make cuts and find holes. Cameron Heyward (2011), T.J. Watt (2017), Terrell Edmunds (2018), Devin Bush Jr. (2019), and Najee Harris (2022) are the five remaining first-rounders still on the Steelers roster. Bleier was injured during his tour of duty and told he would never play football again, but he returned to the Steelers and fought his way back into football shape, eventually playing 10 more seasons in the NFL. 6:02; See All. Of course we are talking about the Immaculate Reception. Everything in the NFL goes in cycles. Pittsburgh Steelers Stats: The official source for Pittsburgh Steelers game statistics . When running the ball, they often do so out of one-back sets and shotgun and pistol formations. From 2010-13, Johnson rushed for 4,731 yards and 27 touchdowns. The speedy running backs, the classic old power running back, and the mixed, well-rounded, good running back. Looking at an NFL game today, something seems to be missing. But during the Super Bowl seasons of 1978 and 1979, Sidney Thornton played a significant role in the Steelers' rushing attack. He made the Pro Bowl three times, from 2014-16. The controversy surrounds what is called by many as the Greatest play in NFL history. Mendenhall is currently No. All-time Rushing Leader: Franco Harris 2,881 att, 11,950 yds, 91 TD . Born in the Ivory Coast, Zereoue played his high school football in Long Island, New York and then went on to be a star running back for the Mountaineers. Gordon averaged a career-best 5.1 yards per carry in 2018. Unfortunately, his tenure with the Steelers came to a dramatic end with a contract dispute in 2018, but during his time with the team, he was one of the greatest. Seasons: 90 (1933 to 2022) Record (W-L-T): 666-585-23 Playoff Record: 36-27 Super Bowls Won: 6 (8 Appearances) Championships Won *: 6 . Despite suffering continuing pain and losing weight down to 180 pounds, Rocky spent the next two years putting on weight and fighting for a roster spot. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. Dick Hoak: The running backs coach for the Steelers for an incredible 35 years, Hoak was also an excellent player at the position he would spend so many years coaching up. To prepare, we at Chargers Wire are previewing players from every position. In addition, he got 52 receiving yards, with an average of 10.4. Before Franco Harris, there was John Frenchy Fuqua. Emmitt Smith has held the record since surpassing Walter Payton's long-standing total in 2002. Franco Harris arrives during the 2019 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Who should be on top of the Steelers NFL Free Agency board? Over the past 50 years, the Steelers have tallied 36 winning seasons . He also posted many of his best seasons in the previous decade, which robbed him of a chance at the top 10 on this list. For his service in the war, Bleier received the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. Merril Hoge was a versatile fullback who could carry the ball, catch passes, and block. In 2005, speedy Willie Parker took advantage of paths cleared by Kreider, and the Steelers won the Super Bowl. LeVeon Bell got off to a late start in his rookie season due to injuries but then proved he was worthy of his second round draft selection. Outside linebacker Joey Porter came to Pittsburgh in 1999. The days of Jim Brown or John Riggins getting 40 carries a game are gone. Today we ranked the Pittsburgh Steeler Running Backs throughout their franchise! Parker was perhaps the fastest running back ever to play for the Steelers. He sill holds the single season record for rushing for Pittsburgh with 1,690 yards gained in 1992. 'Top 10, he would not get laughs' Thirty-five picks elapsed before a team drafted a running back last year. Rashard Mendenhall only played five seasons with the Steelers but rushed for a respectable 3,549 yards in 57 games. Ranking the AFC North running backs. Still, I think he is deserving of the number 16 spot on this list of all-time great Steelers backs. While Gore has never led the league in rushing or made All-Pro, his consistency lands him at No. He made four Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team as a Steeler and inspired a Pittsburgh Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl XLone of the greatest wins in Steelers history. Teams run RPOs, or run-pass option plays, where the quarterback decides after the snap whether he will hand the ball off or throw a pass. Follow Holcomb on Twitter at @dmholcomb. But Foster ended up as a one-hit wonder because when he was at peak ability he really didn't love the game, and then it became too late. Included are players that played for the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) from 1945-2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) from 1940-1942 and the Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL) from 1933-1939. It's a smaller sample size, but Elliott has also posted 131.2 yards from scrimmage per game in his three seasons. Williams recorded at least 730 rushing yards in a season four times . The only exception in madden 22 was a glitched out ray Lewis that was 97 at mlb but 99 at r/lolb. He's been named All-Pro and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns during each of the last two years too. All-time Receiving Leader: Hines Ward 1,000 rec, 12,083 yds, 85 TD . The Pittsburgh Steelers are loaded with high-end fantasy talent, and Mike Tomlin's team has been producing every week.The Steelers have scored 30 or more points in six straight games, and they are in a position to earn a spot in the AFC playoffs if they can win their final two games of the season.It's all lining up to be a happy holiday season in Pittsburgh because they close the year with . Last season he rushed for only 885 yards, but that came in 12 games. A fullback is not required in this type of offensive game plan. Clemson running backs coach CJ Spiller got his man. In his first three seasons, Ingram ran for more than 600 yards in a season just once. In 1979, he started 10 games in place of Bleier and ran for 585 yards and six touchdowns. The real results of who touched it first is still undetermined to this day. 2. But Jackson was still one of the best runners of the 2010s. Wanting the jersey number 26 which he wore at Notre Dame, Preston Pearson held those digits so Rocky settled for No. Franco Harris was the man during The Renaissance, and Jerome Bettis was the man in The Modern Era. The intent is to lean the offensive game plan toward the passing game and open up the defense with complex formations and plays. Damien Harris (New England Patriots) The 2021 season will only be Damien Harris' second full season with the Patriots as a running back, but he's shown his level of skill. does st martin parish have school tomorrow. No matter what happens with the evolution of this position, these Pittsburgh tight ends have left a legacy for this that cant be taken away. The Steelers won a lot of games in the late-90s to mid-2000s by lining up 250-pound running back Jerome Bettis behind 250-pound fullback Dan Kreider and bulldozing any defense that came before them. He would end up moving to the Dallas Cowboys where he would get a chance to face off against his former team in two more Super Bowls (X and XIII). No NFL team has enjoyed the consistent level of success the Pittsburgh Steelers have enjoyed since the AFL-NFL merger of 1970. James Conner was thrust into the spotlight in 2018 when halfback LeVeon Bell held out for the entire season. name the pittsburgh steelers running back to the last 10 years. He came to the Steelers after three seasons with the Rams which had earned him a reputation as a problem player. PITTSBURGH (AP) Mike Tomlin wasn't ready to go there, with all due respect. Last year's offensive rookie of the year award winner, Barkley was close to perfect for fantasy owners. When a running back like Jerome Bettis, Franco Harris, or John Henry Johnson tramples linebackers and safeties all game, it grinds opponents down and destroys their will to compete. Players active with the Pittsburgh . Dave Holcomb began working as a sports writer in 2013 after graduating from Syracuse University. Postseason. Regular season. The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. TODAY: Running backs. Without further ado, here are the best 25 NFL running backs of this decade: It will be surprising to some that Johnson isn't a little higher on this list. As the tight end position increasingly becomes more of a focal point in offensive schemes , one can only imagine what this list will look like in years down the road. Conner responded with a Pro Bowl performance and gave Steeler Nation hope that hed become the next great Pittsburgh running back. Tackles. Fran Rogel was also a local product having grown up in North Braddock, Pennsylvania. The Steelers haven't shied away from targeting lesser-valued positions by the modern standard early in recent drafts, such as running back, linebacker and maybe to a lesser degree, safety. Bettis came to the team at a time of free agency where the franchise didn't have the financial wherewithal that since has been created by Heinz Field, and yet he stayed. 8. He's another back who never led the league in rushing and never made All-Pro. TEAM SEASON GP REC W% W L T TD PTS PPG OPP PTS OPP PPG 1DWN 3DWN% 4DWN% Pittsburgh Steelers: 2013: 16: 8-8.500: 8: 8: 0: 41: 379 . It was thought by the Steelers coaching staff and fans alike that Pittsburgh had found their new star running back. Vote below for who you think is the best Pittsburgh Steelers tight end of all time, then head over and check out the top Pittsburgh Steelers players ever. Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Pro Football Reference Database. He's rushed for only 2,599 yards this decade, but everyone knows he's far more than just a running back. Morris signed with Baltimore Ravens where he lasted just two seasons before the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs took a chance on him in 1998. In just a three-year period, from 2010-12, he posted 5,702 yards from scrimmage and 47 touchdowns. Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports. This means two backs in the backfield, usually lined up side by side. Over the past 50 years, the Steelers have had three coaches, and each has used a different style of offense. In nine seasons all as a Steeler, Pollard scored 20 touchdowns. Rob Burns / AP Photo. I enjoy the passing game, and I love that Ben Roethlisberger has matured into an elite quarterback, but it is hard for me to imagine there is a better way to play football than Steelers Football. The trend in the modern NFL is to run the ball out of single-back sets, often from a shotgun or pistol formation. RASHARD MENDENHALL came to the Steelers as a first-round pick in 2008, and after spending the bulk of his rookie season on the injured reserve list, he rushed for 3,309 yards on 812 carries (4.1 average) and 29 touchdowns from 2009-11. A bruising Hall of Famer running back, Franco Harris was the perfect embodiment of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense during their championship runs in the 1970s. This is a list of National Football League running backs by total career rushing yards, and includes the 31 running backs who have rushed for at least 10,000 yards, for which sixteen of them have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Franco Harris gets most of the credit for that infamous incident, but Terry Bradshaws passing attempt on that play was originally intended for Fuqua who was decleated by Jack Tatum. He will be called an innovator or maybe even a genius when his team wins a Super Bowl by smashing its way through flimsy NFL defenses that are designed to stop passing attacks. Once the Steelers free up a considerable amount of cap space, are eight free agents who could reinvigorate the roster in the 2023 season. Foster timed his career perfectly for this list, breaking out with 1,616 yards, leading the league in rushing, in 2010. In 2012, the Steelers found themselves with JONATHAN DWYER as their leading rusher, which is what led to the spending of a second-round pick in the following draft on Le'Veon Bell. Reportedly, a local sportswriter told Rooney that Kiesling purposely made his lineman jump offsides so they could run their bread-and-butter Rogel running play first. He was an example of how great players can not only break the rules and succeed, but sometimes even make up their own rules. He'll continue to split time with Nick Chubb in the backfield, but the Browns are a run-first team that will use the talents of both. In his rookie season, Morris rushed for 836 yards and a 4.2 yards-per-carry average. Overall, Foster registered 6,270 rushing yards and 8,523 yards from scrimmage playing for the Texans and Dolphins from 2010-16. Lists that rank the greatest players and coaches in the history of the NFL franchise. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Eight players have been recognized as having held the career rushing yards record in the NFL. He only spent six seasons with the Steelers, but it was enough to rack up 4,381 rushing yards and land him at number five for all-time leading rushers in Pittsburgh history. LeVeon Bell made his mark with the Steelers running in this kind of offense. Unfortunately, injuries have slowed him over the last couple of years and prevented him from running for more than 865 yards in a season. Dudley also scored on a lateraled pass and has kicked point-after-touchdowns as well as making successful field goals. He would retire with 3,965 yards on the ground, second best in history for the Steelers at that time. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Matte took over for another fantastic white running back, former Heisman Trophy winner and 1958 NFL Championship Game hero Alan Ameche. Christian McCaffrey (2019) This past season, McCaffrey became the third running back in NFL history to generate over 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in a single season. Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. Charles also ran for 1,509 yards in 2012 and 1,033 yards in 2014. Bell rushed for 1,361 yards in 2014, but what turned that into first-team All-Pro recognition were his 83 catches for 854 yards. During the decade, he has 8,834 rushing yards five 1,000-yard seasons and 71 touchdowns. 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