While that trio may be the best-best-of-the best to run behind Pittsburghs all-time offensive lines, there have been more than a handful of outstanding running backs for Pittsburgh since they began play in 1933. Johnson was a bruising fullback who spent time in San Francisco and Detroit before coming to Pittsburgh in 1960. Even putting a left end at right end can cause a drop. In a move many in the NFL community felt was inevitable, the Washington Commanders released quarterback Carson Wentz on Monday in a move that will save the team $26.12 million against their 2023 salary cap. In both seasons, he made All-Pro. It's hard to rank Sproles. Postseason. The 30-year-old has failed to rush for 500 yards in four of his seven seasons in the NFL. Really, he will just be doing what teams like the Steelers did for decades. 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. I want to travel the world and write. If that wasnt strange enough, Mendenhall got himself into hot water in 2011 as a Steeler when he tweeted a controversial reaction to the United States elimination of Osama bin Laden. It wasn't too long ago that Freeman was regarded as a top-five back in the league. He made another Pro Bowl in 1993 but only rushed for half as many yards due to injuries. The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. Hopefully the Christmas edition of DraftKings top performers and busts finds you warm among family and friends as we unwrap the matchups in daily fantasy football for Week 16.The difficulty and uneasiness of lineup construction is increasing as more and more players we havent heard of become viable DFS starters in 2015s closing act.Use the list below to fill your roster with glad tidings while . Those three men will be bypassed for this article despite Johnson ranking third in the all-time rushing yardage for the Black and Gold. All Rights Reserved. For his service in the war, Bleier received the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He has six 1,000-yard seasons and six Pro Bowl nominations with the Eagles and Bills during the 2010s. Still, I think he is deserving of the number 16 spot on this list of all-time great Steelers backs. The Steelers will win 5 games this year, Canada will be fired, and Tomlin will "resign." . 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. Bullet Bill Dudley is also in the record books for the National Football League as the only man to run for a touchdown, catch a touchdown pass, return a punt for a score, run to the end zone on a kickoff return, intercept a pass for a pick-six, pick up a fumble and reach pay dirt, and throw a touchdown pass. It was a hard task to actually rank all of the great running backs . He ranks fourth all-time in franchise history for rushing yards and eighth all-time in receptions. In the following AFC title game against Miami, Pollard was held to just 48 yards rushing. One return went to the house. Matte took over for another fantastic white running back, former Heisman Trophy winner and 1958 NFL Championship Game hero Alan Ameche. Merril Hoge was a versatile fullback who could carry the ball, catch passes, and block. Peterson then signed with the . Former season 27 " Dancing With the Stars " competitor John Schneider has returned to social media following the death of his wife, Alicia Allain. It's Le'Veon Bell because there is thought given to picking players who could function as a unit if the position require that. Unfortunately for Johnson, his 2,000-yard season came in 2009, so it just missed the cut for counting on this list. Walter Abercrombie: To this day, Abercrombie is Baylor Universitys all-time leading rusher with 3,674 yards while scoring 22 touchdowns. Once the Steelers free up a considerable amount of cap space, are eight free agents who could reinvigorate the roster in the 2023 season. But Jackson was still one of the best runners of the 2010s. NICK CHUBB, CLEVELAND BROWNS. Only stats for Regular Season Games have been included. 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. For the Steelers he would rush for 2,243 yards five seasons. Murray is another back who put together three strong seasons during his career and led the league in rushing once. The mid-'80s were a tough time for Steeler Nation. He was cut twice but kept up his persistence. During this decade, he earned two Pro Bowl nominations and an All-Pro bid. Over the past six years, he has covered the NFL, NHL, MLB, fantasy sports, college football and basketball, and New Jersey high school sports for numerous print and online publications. Jerome "The Bus" Bettis tops our list as the Steelers best running back of all time. Murray made the All-Pro team and Pro Bowl that year. Playing players out of position in mut will make there overall go down now. | Drafted in the third round by the Steelers, Zereoue would play from 1999 to 2003 in Black and Gold before finishing his career in Oakland for one season and another in New England. Emmitt Smith leads with 18,365 yards and is also the postseason leader with 1,586. Outside linebacker Joey Porter came to Pittsburgh in 1999. Hunt offers some stability in the pass-game as he had 44 . Fullback Franco Harris came to the Steelers in the 1972 draft and made an immediate impact. Lists that rank the greatest players and coaches in the history of the NFL franchise. The 2016 All-Pro had his own issue staying on the field because of a suspension in 2017, but despite that Elliott has 4,048 rushing yards and led the league in rushing twice in three years. 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 . 22. Or write about sports? Having gone through a tough contract negotiation in 1995, the Steelers instead of trying to settle traded Foster over to the Carolina Panthers who then cut the running back in training camp due to a failed physical. As a Steeler, Bettis crashed his way for 10,571 rushing yards and 78 rushing touchdowns, both second-best in team history. In the second concussion he encountered, it resulted in Hoge having to be resuscitated when he stopped breathing. In many ways, this style of offense is the polar opposite of the methods the Steelers used to win six Super Bowls. In the end Rocky Bleier rushed for 3,865 yards, 1,294 yards receiving on 136 catches and scored 25 times. Beast Mode's freakish combination of power and finesse was unlike any running back that came before him. The next ingredient is a tough, hard-nosed rushing attack that controls the ball and methodically plows through opposing defenses. Which of these tight ends has left a lasting legacy in the city of Pittsburgh? In 2012 he was just a mere few yards away from the single-season rushing record with 2,097 yards. Visit ESPN to view the Pittsburgh Steelers team depth chart for the current season Do you have a sports website? Parker set the record for longest rushing touchdown from scrimmage in a Super Bowl (XL) with a romp of 75 yards which still stands today. Landry Jones (2015-2017) Tommy Maddox (2002-2005) Terry Bradshaw (1970-1983) The number of games they started during the season is listed to the right of their name: Season. Williams led the NFL in touchdowns last season with 17. name the pittsburgh steelers running back to the last 10 years. During that year, Peterson won league MVP the last running back to do so. As the tight end position increasingly becomes more of a focal point in offensive schemes , one. While Gore has never led the league in rushing or made All-Pro, his consistency lands him at No. CHARLESTON, W.Va. . Pittsburgh Steelers Career Rushing Leaders. Other teams (like the Steelers) have one but rarely use him. Some readers are probably going to argue this is too high for Forte. With teams shifting more to the passing game, these old-school running backs are becoming obsolete. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. While the team continued to utilize the same rushing attack that had earned them four Lombardi Trophies in the '70s, the cast of characters and the results were not the same. With the 2019 season, there is still time to influence who lands where among a list of the best running backs of the decade. The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2020 running back room has the assortments of all the skillsets you could find around the NFL. The running back said that he was only trying to stimulate conversation about the topic but because of it he lost an endorsement deal with Champion Sports. Today we ranked the Pittsburgh Steeler Running Backs throughout their franchise! Rocky Bleier: For some Steelers fans it might be hard to believe that Robert Patrick Bleier, known best in Steelers Nation as Rocky turned 69 years of age this year. Advertisement In some form or fashion, the Steelers will need to add quality depth to . Tracy ran for 2,717 yards and 15 touchdowns in his time with Pittsburgh and caught 96 passes for 1,322 yards and 14 touchdowns. The running back ran for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns on 307 carries, and caught 74 passes for 467 yards and three touchdowns. 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. Greatest Power Backs in NFL History. The following is the Pittsburgh Steelers all-time roster, browsable by last name or position. He also made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and 2016, the last of which with the Titans. He joins Franco Harris and John Henry Johnson. But he still turned in two more 1,000-yard seasons and recorded at least 800 yards from scrimmage in four seasons this decade. That couldn't have been further from the truth. All-time Scoring Leader: Gary Anderson 1,343 points Overall, Foster registered 6,270 rushing yards and 8,523 yards from scrimmage playing for the Texans and Dolphins from 2010-16. Still, Johnson's All-Pro 2016 season was enough to land him on the list. This was the age of the feature back, when one superstar halfback got most of the carries. But during the Super Bowl seasons of 1978 and 1979, Sidney Thornton played a significant role in the Steelers' rushing attack. Today's NFL teams do not use fullbacks as often as they once did, instead favoring spread offenses and dynamic passing attacks featuring three or more wide receivers and multiple tight ends. Picking Le'Veon Bell here might be one of those choices that spurs debate among fans, but it comes down to the belief he's going to become the Steelers' version of Marshall Faulk. In the I-formation, the fullback lines up behind the quarterback, and the halfback (tailback) lines up behind the fullback. But since then injuries have slowed him, and he's averaging 3.6 yards per attempt. Four of those were LeVeon Bell, but three were different players who stepped up in those seasons: Mendenhall (Pittsburgh's last first-round running back), Williams, Conner. Find out more. 8. Bill Dudley also played with the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins after leaving the Steelers, and finished his career with 3,057 yards rushing, 1,383 yards receiving, punted the ball for a total of 7,304 yards, and on defense intercepted 23 passes. Bleier starred in Super Bowl XIII with a touchdown reception and a recovered onside kick to seal Pittsburghs third NFL title. The Steelers have always had great defensive playersand that hasn't changedbut the Steelers of today have fallen into the trendy traps of modern offenses with little use for a fullback. That lands him in the top five during the decade. Year Top Defense. And that's with missing the 2016 season because of retirement. That's the equivalent of more than two seasons. Fuqua was not an original Steelers having been drafted by the New York Giants and then traded to Pittsburgh. Franco Harris was a fullback, as was Merril Hoge and John Henry Johnson. In just a three-year period, from 2010-12, he posted 5,702 yards from scrimmage and 47 touchdowns. Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports. Quite a contrast to kick off this list. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. As a Steelers, he was occasionally brilliant but more often disappointing. (Fullback Roosevelt Nix spent most of 2019 injured and did not appear to have a viable replacement.) His professional career started in 2007 when he decided to skip the last year of college and enter the NFL Draft. 1. He holds the team record for most rushing yards in a career (11,950) as well as most rushing touchdowns (91) and total touchdowns (100). It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. . Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, injured during his tour of duty and told he would never play football again. BAM MORRIS followed Foster, but after a couple of promising seasons, he was released after pleading guilty to felony possession of marijuana in June 1996. NFL Top 10 Best Running Backs of the 2010s - #8 Arian Foster. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. . Sep 20, 1992; San Diego, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Barry Foster (29) in action against San Diego Chargers defenders Junior Seau (55) and George Thornton (93) at Jack . Regular season. If it was Fuqua who the ball last touched, it would not be a legal catch by Harris according to the rules in 1972. Jerome Bettis was a 250-pound battering ram with incredible quickness for a man his size. Hoak's record as the team's running backs coach was 149-90-1, making him the third-most successful running backs coach in Pittsburgh Steelers history. Franco Harris is the Pittsburgh Steelers career leader in rushing yards with 11,950. In three of his four NFL seasons, Gurley has rushed for more than 1,100 yards and at least 10 touchdowns. But from 2010-17, Forte averaged 1,419 yards from scrimmage per season. Bettis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. 7. See the full player roster for the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers. He also was a punt returner, bringing back 20 punts with a 14.0 average per return. Always free! But from 2015-16, he posted more than 1,000 rushing yards, 1,500 yards from scrimmage and at least 13 touchdowns each season. Many argued that when Gore suffered a season-ending injury at the beginning of December in 2010, his best days were behind him. We present them here for purely educational purposes. The following is another in a series that picks a Steelers All-Modern Era Team. A bullet pierced his left thigh in Vietnam and further injuries occurred when a grenade exploded near him putting shrapnel in his lower right leg. His 6-foot-2, 230 pound frame made it virtually impossible for one defender to take him down. As a punter, he kicked the ball 18 times during his career and averaged 32 yards per punt. He's averaged 101.2 rushing yards per game during his career and led the NFL in that category each of the last three years. In Dick Hoak's 10 years as a Steeler, he only saw two winning seasons. Over the past 50 years, the Steelers have had three coaches, and each has used a different style of offense. On a better team, Jones-Drew may have been able to flourish for longer than three seasons, but from 2009-11, he was one of the best backs in the league. 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. All-time Rushing Leader: Franco Harris 2,881 att, 11,950 yds, 91 TD . He would eventually become the feature back, but in 2009 he suffered Jack Lamberts injury, turf toe and was replaced by Rashard Mendenhall in the process. Dudley could do it all on the field as he was just not a back but a defensive back, punter, and place kicker. Wanting the jersey number 26 which he wore at Notre Dame, Preston Pearson held those digits so Rocky settled for No. Foster's 1,690 yards set a team record that season and earned him Pro Bowl and All-Pro nominations. The team has selected second overall once, and third overall four times. With a 3.5 yards per carry average and zero touchdowns, his rookie season was a major disappointment, but Gordon has answered all his doubters since then. He is currently the third leading rusher in Steelers history. He led the Steelers in rushing from 1961 to 1964 and made three straight Pro Bowls from 1962 to '64. 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. In 1999 the Chiefs cut him and his life spiraled out of control with drug problems and jail time. Prior to being drafted by the Army for service, Bleier was a University of Notre Dame product graduating in 1968 earning a degree in Business Management. Gurley has rushed for 4,547 rushing yards and recorded 6,430 yards from scrimmage with 56 touchdowns. Ingram's best season came in 2017 when he posted 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Senate passed the bill . These quarterbacks have started at least one game for the Pittsburgh Steelers. John Fuqua: How could any Steelers fan in the Nation of Black and Gold not smile when speaking of John Frenchy Fuqua. Fran Rogel was also a local product having grown up in North Braddock, Pennsylvania. But Harris and the Steelers' rushing attack were just getting started. The controversy arose when the ball deflected off of Tatum or Frenchy. He was intensive care for 48 hours and this forced his retirement. He would retire with 3,965 yards on the ground, second best in history for the Steelers at that time. Parker never regained his starting job and was released only to make on attempt at staying in the NFL with the Washington Redskins in 2010 where he spent his time on the practice squad before retiring. Williams recorded at least 730 rushing yards in a season four times . Near the end of an uneventful rookie season, he was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. 9, we . Fran Rogel: For Steelers fans who watched the team in the 1950s they would be familiar with a famous nursery rhyme with a Pittsburgh Steelers twist. In addition, he got 52 receiving yards, with an average of 10.4. Bettis will be inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2015 in August, and the accomplishments to be praised that day are only part of why he was the man during his 10 seasons with the Steelers. Gordon averaged a career-best 5.1 yards per carry in 2018. How an 8-year-old inspired Najee Harris' 5-TD performance vs. Ole Miss. Who Is The Best Wide Receiver In The NFL Right Now? The concussion was so bad that Hoge had to learn to read again and suffered from memory loss as well as encountering headaches and confusion. He ran for 5,378 yards while playing at Heinz Field. Starters per season [ edit] These quarterbacks have started at least one game for the Pittsburgh Steelers . Bill Dudley was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966 and 10 year prior was inducted into College Footballs Hall of Fame. Allain died on February 21, 2023, following a . 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. Many NFL teams used a pro-style offense during the same period, and this was an age when the fullback was a vital ball carrier. 9-Rocky Bleier. However, it's not too early to break down the best from the 2010s either. But Hoak is probably best remembered for his ever-so-long tenure as the Running Backs coach with Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. 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. Despite the occurrences of injury, Hoge ran for 3,115 yards as a Steeler and rushed for 21 touchdowns. The Best Pittsburgh Steelers Tight Ends Of All Time, Vote up the players who had the most success playing tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rashard Mendenhall only played five seasons with the Steelers but rushed for a respectable 3,549 yards in 57 games. 5. He would play six seasons in Three Rivers Stadium when the Steelers were home and finish with 3,343 yards rushing. With the Redskins, Cowboys and 49ers, Morris has 5,931 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns in the 2010s. He sill holds the single season record for rushing for Pittsburgh with 1,690 yards gained in 1992. Tackles. He already has as many touchdowns rushing as Bam Morris Unfortunately, before the season began last year, Bell was arrested with LeGarrette Blount for a DWI and possession of marijuana. NAME GP RUSH YDS ATT YPC RUSH YDS/G RUSH TD REC YDS REC TRG AVG REC YDS/G REC TD; Felix Jones: 16: 184: 48: 3.8: 11.5: 0: 63: 9: 13: 7.0: 3.9: 0: Isaac Redman: 3: 12: 10: 1.2 . Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. From 1974 to 1979, Harris topped the 1,000-yard milestone every season and carried the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories. He's been named All-Pro and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns during each of the last two years too. James Conner finished his career in Pittsburgh as the #17 ranked rusher in Steelers history. But Stewart posted 5,366 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns in the decade. I predict that sometime in the next decade, an offensive coordinator will go back to power football and line up with a tight end, a fullback, and a tailback in an I-formation for most of the game. Drafted by the Steelers in 1942 and in his rookie season led the NFL in rushing with 696 yards. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long history of smash-mouth football dating back to before they ever won their first Super Bowl. Born Byron Morris, drafted in the third round of the 1994 draft, Morris immediately made an impact with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to them from Texas Tech University. He'll get the chance to continue his career with the Browns, but he'll miss the first eight games of 2019 because of a suspension. Copyright 2023 YB Media, LLC. He is more famously known for his post-retirement with ESPN as an analyst which he has excelled at and has become one of that networks finest announcers. Barkley reminded the NFL world this past season that he's one of the best running backs in the league by rushing for a career-high 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns. Today, with the explosion of the passing game, a star running back is a helpful asset but no longer a requirement. Weve reviewed the most popular quarterbacks to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but among those signal callers, who are some of the players they were handing the ball off to when not throwing the rock? 6:02; See All. The stud running back finished with 3,943 yards which lands him seventh on Pittsburghs all-time list. Harris managed to get 691 rushing yards, with an average of five yards. He posted more than 1,900 yards from scrimmage twice, in 2010 and 2013. DeAngelo Williams Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images. Le'Veon Bell was one of the best Steelers running backs of all time. He is currently a free agent and the third oldest running back in the NFL, as well as the second oldest active running back. The last two seasons, with now-departed James Conner the No. Many teams even rotate three or more backs throughout the game, with all getting an equal number of carries. The quick-footed big guy ran over, through and around defenders for nine years with the Steelers. But he's rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a season twice, and he led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016. In 2011 Jones-Drew led the league with 1,606 rushing yards and 386 touches. 1. All-time Receiving Leader: Hines Ward 1,000 rec, 12,083 yds, 85 TD . A good scoring drive based on running plays eats up the clock and keeps the ball out of the hands of the other team's offense. Harris is my fourth-ranked running back for the 2022 season. John Fuqua ( 1970-76) Before Franco Harris, there was John "Frenchy" Fuqua. The former Titan had only 28 catches for 294 yards last year . March 1, 2023 2:19 pm PT. The Steelers had jumped offsides on the play and it was called back. In '94, he ran for 851 yards despite missing five games. The Steelers have had some incredibly talented players over the years . He was Le'Veon Bell when Bell was at Michigan State. These honorable mentions may not have a place on this list of all-time best Steelers running backs, but if you are a Steelers fan, there is a good chance you'll remember them fondly. In later years Bleier helped pen a book about himself and a movie was made about his story titled Fighting Back.. The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some great tight ends throughout the franchise's history. Photos from the career of former Steelers running back and Hall of Fame finalist Jerome Bettis. Foster made one attempt to come out of retirement with the Cincinnati Bengals that same year but after just a few days with the club he decided on retirement at the tender age of 26.
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