He'll likely end up with a good chunk of dough in free agency, but it's hard to believe . 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. In later years Bleier helped pen a book about himself and a movie was made about his story titled Fighting Back.. TODAY: Running backs. Read on to find out why. 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. Harris disputed that and said he was 240 pounds as a rookie. Teams like the 49ers, Packers, and Chargers still have plenty of use for thembut many organizations dont carry a fullback on their roster at all. As it is, he has 5,336 rushing yards and nearly 8,000 yards from scrimmage since coming into the league in 2013. It's hard to believe, but the second decade of the 21st century is nearly complete. Fuqua led the Steelers in rushing in 1970 and 1971 and totaled 2,942 yards on the ground during his time in Pittsburgh. 6:02; See All. Advertisement In some form or fashion, the Steelers will need to add quality depth to . Foster timed his career perfectly for this list, breaking out with 1,616 yards, leading the league in rushing, in 2010. All Rights Reserved. But during the Super Bowl seasons of 1978 and 1979, Sidney Thornton played a significant role in the Steelers' rushing attack. Overall, he ran for 4,731 yards and 28 touchdowns playing for the Rams, Falcons and Patriots from 2010-15. Dudley owns 44 touchdowns to his credit. Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. 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 . 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. Watt is a fullback who saw a lot of snaps during his time with the Chargers.). Bleier starred in Super Bowl XIII with a touchdown reception and a recovered onside kick to seal Pittsburghs third NFL title. LeVeon Bell: Finally we have our current star in the making. John Fuqua ( 1970-76) Before Franco Harris, there was John "Frenchy" Fuqua. 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. And that's with missing the 2016 season because of retirement. All-time Receiving Leader: Hines Ward 1,000 rec, 12,083 yds, 85 TD . Le'Veon Bell was one of the best Steelers running backs of all time. By 1995, Foster was out of Pittsburgh and out of the NFL, thus ending his short, dramatic, and bizarre pro football career. He peculiarly retired after that one campaign with the Cardinals. Abercrombie played one more season in 1988 with the cross state Philadelphia Eagles before retiring. In Dick Hoak's 10 years as a Steeler, he only saw two winning seasons. Amos Zereoue: Another fan favorite was West Virginia University product, Famous Amos Zereoue. Still, I think he is deserving of the number 16 spot on this list of all-time great Steelers backs. Morris peaked as a rookie, rushing for 1,613 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2012. In 2006 he tried to make a comeback in the Arena Football League and the National Indoor Football League but that last just part of one season. Eight players have been recognized as having held the career rushing yards record in the NFL. Preston Pearson: Pearson wore Rocky Bleiers college number of 26 and was a solid football player who was a member of the Steelers first Super Bowl winning team in 1975 when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 16-6 in Super Bowl IX. He ran for over 1,000 yards in his first season and scored 10 rushing touchdowns on his way to winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Despite the occurrences of injury, Hoge ran for 3,115 yards as a Steeler and rushed for 21 touchdowns. Photos from the career of former Steelers running back and Hall of Fame finalist Jerome Bettis. Year Top Defense. He led the Steelers in rushing from 1961 to 1964 and made three straight Pro Bowls from 1962 to '64. That's Steelers football. 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 best season came in 2015, which was the year after Williams departed, when he rushed for 989 yards and six touchdowns for the 15-1 Panthers. During the 2021 offseason, Pittsburgh declined to re-sign Conner, making him a free agent and creating an opportunity for the Arizona Cardinals to scoop him up. Winning three Super Bowls helps earn you a spot on this list too. 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 . He was intensive care for 48 hours and this forced his retirement. Overall, Foster registered 6,270 rushing yards and 8,523 yards from scrimmage playing for the Texans and Dolphins from 2010-16. 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. Just look back to last year when he was able to make cuts and find holes. John Fuqua: How could any Steelers fan in the Nation of Black and Gold not smile when speaking of John Frenchy Fuqua. 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. If I were to ask you to name the sixth-leading rusher in Steelers history, I bet youd say a lot of names before you got to Frank Pollard. Since reliable yardage statistics were not recorded prior to 1932, the first NFL player recognized as the career leader in rushing yards was Cliff Battles, who played from 1932 to 1937 for the Boston Braves / Boston Redskins / Washington Redskins. James Conner is at the forefront . PITTSBURGH (AP) Mike Tomlin wasn't ready to go there, with all due respect. From the time Fran Rogel became the teams starting running back in 1950 until his retirement in 1957, Pittsburghs first play from scrimmage in every game Rogel was in the backfield began with a handoff to the California State Teachers College and Penn State University product with a rush into the middle of the offensive line. He started alongside Franco Harris in four Super Bowl victories and both backs ran for over 1,000 yards in 1976. Fuqua led the . He joins Franco Harris and John Henry Johnson. The only exception in madden 22 was a glitched out ray Lewis that was 97 at mlb but 99 at r/lolb. Lynch was an underrated pass-catcher in his prime too. There have been some running backs in Steelers history who had one or two good seasons in Pittsburgh, then went on their way. Thornton was also a member of the Super Bowl winning teams for Pittsburgh in 1979 and 1980. does st martin parish have school tomorrow. Here's the final tally of Steelers Now's consensus preseason 2022 power rankings of AFC North running backs. 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 . The team has selected second overall once, and third overall four times. 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. 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. He ranks fourth all-time in franchise history for rushing yards and eighth all-time in receptions. During the decade, he has posted 9,187 yards five 1,000-yard seasons and 56 touchdowns. But it was his story of injury during the war that gave him notoriety at the start of his career. Jerome Bettis is the latest Steelers running back to become a member in Canton, Ohio. 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. That meant Bell joined Marshall Faulk as the only players in NFL history with 1,350-plus yards rushing and 850-plus yards receiving in the same season. But since then injuries have slowed him, and he's averaging 3.6 yards per attempt. More like he will get exposed yet again as being the most overrated running back in the league . [2] He led the NFL with 576 yards in 1932 and held on to the record throughout his career. (Note: The Steelers signed Derek Watt during the 2020 offseason and released Nix, who signed with Indianapolis. In 2015 Williams rejuvenated his career with the Steelers, filling in for the suspended and injured Le'Veon Bell for 10 games. Jerome Bettis (1996-2005). Peterson then signed with the . 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. 12. Bleier was an outstanding lead blocker as well as being able to run the ball well and also had solid hands as a receiver. Another big bruising back that also has surprising quickness, Bell at 244 pounds is turning into a super star in the NFL. After five seasons of never finishing higher than RB34, Williams had a career year in 2022, finishing as the overall RB18. TODAY: Running backs Since the merger in 1970, the Pittsburgh Steelers have rushed for more yards than any other team in the National Football League, and this commitment got two of their running backs elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bettis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. 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. There was a time when almost every NFL offense was predicated on a feature back that got most of the carries and earned a big paycheck. Bleier believed the doctors were wrong and reported to Steelers training camp a year after he left the war. Franco Harris is not only the best Steelers running back in franchise history, but one of the greatest Steelers of all time. But he stayed. The next season, he racked up 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns on the way to an AFC Championship win. Mendenhall is currently No. The running back ran for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns on 307 carries, and caught 74 passes for 467 yards and three touchdowns. All rights reserved. Emmitt Smith has held the record since surpassing Walter Payton's long-standing total in 2002. He spent much of 2019 injured, and team injuries across the board made it difficult to judge his performance fairly. Harris was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990. Let's take a look back at the rest of the Steelers picks since the 2000 season. The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some great tight ends throughout the franchise's history. 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. That couldn't have been further from the truth. [3], List of National Football League career rushing yards leaders, Players with at least 10,000 rushing yards, Players with at least 1,000 postseason rushing yards. The 34-year-old made All-Pro twice, in 2008 and 2009, but he added two more All-Pro nominations during 2012 and 2015. Willie Parker: Fast Willie Parker actually lands in third place all-time among Pittsburgh rushers. Johnson was a bruising fullback who spent time in San Francisco and Detroit before coming to Pittsburgh in 1960. The next ingredient is a tough, hard-nosed rushing attack that controls the ball and methodically plows through opposing defenses. Gordon averaged a career-best 5.1 yards per carry in 2018. His rookie contract was voided after his fourth season, after just one in Pittsburgh, and there were opportunities to leave. He finished his career in Pittsburgh with 3,115 rushing yards, 241 receptions, and 34 total touchdowns. 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. Former Steelers running back Willie Parker (39) acknowledges the crowd during a 2018 against the Chargers at Heinz Field. Overall, Charles recorded 8,110 yards from scrimmage during the decade with the Chiefs, Broncos and Jaguars from 2010-18. Meanwhile, Myles Jack's cap hit grows significantly from $4.75 million last year to $11.25 million in 2023. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. 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. 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. The trend in the modern NFL is to run the ball out of single-back sets, often from a shotgun or pistol formation. Not entirely. Jerome Bettis was a 250-pound battering ram with incredible quickness for a man his size. 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. Gurley led the NFL in yards from scrimmage and won the Offensive Player of the Year award. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Current team members are listed in bold. Really, he will just be doing what teams like the Steelers did for decades. One of the best free agent signings of the Mike Tomlin era, DeAngelo Williams was never thought to be more than a top backup running back. The mid-'80s were a tough time for Steeler Nation. He's posted 2,987 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns over the last three years. All-time Passing Leader: Ben Roethlisberger 5,440/8,443, 64,088 yds, 418 TD, All-time Rushing Leader: Franco Harris 2,881 att, 11,950 yds, 91 TD, All-time Receiving Leader: Hines Ward 1,000 rec, 12,083 yds, 85 TD, All-time Scoring Leader: Gary Anderson 1,343 points, All-time AV Leader: Ben Roethlisberger 208 AV, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Friday, March 3, 2:32PM. WILLIE PARKER had difference-making speed at the NFL level, but because he wasn't built physically to withstand the 913 carries he got from 2005-07, he got worn down and then his speed wasn't as difference-making at the NFL level. Dickerson was traded mid-season in 1987; he played three games for the Rams and nine for the Colts. Do you have a blog? Running backs are not the commodities they once were. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Bell made three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams as a Steeler. Most Steelers fans think of Rocky Bleier as Franco Harris running mate throughout the 70s, and rightly so. 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. The Senate passed the bill . 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? 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. Murray rushed for 7,174 yards and 49 touchdowns with the Cowboys, Eagles and Titans in the 2010s. . He is currently the third leading rusher in Steelers history. Last season he rushed for only 885 yards, but that came in 12 games. From '61 to '64, he was part of a powerful rushing attack along with Hall of Famer John Henry Johnson. In just a three-year period, from 2010-12, he posted 5,702 yards from scrimmage and 47 touchdowns. He spent his first year in the NFL with the Giants before coming to the Steelers in 1970. While Gore has never led the league in rushing or made All-Pro, his consistency lands him at No. 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. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Even putting a left end at right end can cause a drop. Over the past 50 years, the Steelers have tallied 36 winning seasons . Conner responded with a Pro Bowl performance and gave Steeler Nation hope that hed become the next great Pittsburgh running back. Perhaps one of the most popular and beloved Steelers players of all-time, Bleier became famous before he ever established himself as Franco Harriss partner in crime based on his experiences in the Vietnam War. The last Steelers running back taken in the first round before Najee Harris, Mendenhall won a Super Bowl as a rookie despite spending most of the season on injured reserve. 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. Merril Hoge: Lasting until the 10th round in the 1987 NFL draft, Merril Hoge was a tough as nails runner for the Steelers who suffered a rash of concussion injuries that would cost him his career. Dave Holcomb began working as a sports writer in 2013 after graduating from Syracuse University. LeVeon Bell made his mark with the Steelers running in this kind of offense. 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. The stud running back finished with 3,943 yards which lands him seventh on Pittsburghs all-time list. 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. By his second season as a Steeler, he had become the heir apparent to Jerome Bettis. 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. Or write about sports? Posted August 12, 2019 Le'veon Bell also earned a reputation as one of the most patient RBs in the NFL. Postseason. He was also an excellent receiver, both out of the backfield and split out as a wide receiver. March 1, 2023 2:19 pm PT. 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. His 6-foot-2, 230 pound frame made it virtually impossible for one defender to take him down. Pittsburgh has fielded plenty of those defensive units over the years, and there are more than a few Steelers defenders in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sidney Thornton: Another stout running back for Pittsburgh was the bullish Thornton who weighed in at 230 pounds during his play days in Pittsburgh from 1977 to 1982. 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. The Pittsburgh Steelers Hall-of-Fame running back Franco Harris died Wednesday, just before the 50-year anniversary of his "Immaculate Reception" play. How an 8-year-old inspired Najee Harris' 5-TD performance vs. Ole Miss. Over the entire decade, he posted 6,417 rushing yards and 7,909 yards from scrimmage with the Titans, Jets and Cardinals from 2010-17. 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. 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. 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. He ran for 5,378 yards while playing at Heinz Field. For years, the Pittsburgh Steelers were considered a team that dominated with the run. 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. He signed as an undrafted free agent who had run a 4.23-second 40 at the Scouting Combine the previous spring. 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. In one of his final interviews before his . Harris played 980 offensive snaps during the regular season . NICK CHUBB, CLEVELAND BROWNS. It's an inspiring story, but if Bleier wasn't one of the best running backs in Steelers' history, he wouldn't have made this list. 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. Emmitt Smith leads with 18,365 yards and is also the postseason leader with 1,586. In 1944 he led Army to an undefeated record with 12 victories and was named the teams Most Valuable Player. He ranks 23rd all-time among Pittsburgh rushers having gained 1,504 yards as a Steeler. Pittsburgh Steelers Draft History. 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. Find out more. He led the Steelers in rushing in 1965, 1968, and 1969. 22. 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. He seemed to violate every rule young players are taught about playing running back, yet he thrived. Fuqua would have to be the most colorful player in Steelers history as well as the most controversial. All of that, plus the fact Bettis averaged over 1,000 yards per season with the Steelers (10,571) and scored 78 touchdowns, puts him on the All-Modern Era team, and his partner in the backfield is Le'Veon Bell. In fact, no back has even finished top-two in consecutive years, and only Adrian Peterson (second in 2009 and 2015; first in 2012) and Le'Veon Bell (first in 2014; second in 2017) have even had more than one top-two year in a decade. His career ended on a sad note in Minnesota, but Peterson regained his form with another 1,000-yard season with Washington in 2018. Chubb is not the most dangerous or highly . He made another Pro Bowl in 1993 but only rushed for half as many yards due to injuries. This was the age of the feature back, when one superstar halfback got most of the carries. Fuqua to this day refuses to give his take on what actually took place. 3 in NFL history. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. During his career, he's averaged 128.9 yards from scrimmage per game. Who Is The Best Running Back In The NFL Right Now? Only other is safeties at sub lb and doesn't change their ratings just where they are on the field. Lucrative opportunities to leave. The power running back is a dying breed in football. 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. 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. When running the ball, they often do so out of one-back sets and shotgun and pistol formations. 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. What those teams dont have is a legacy of bullying and dominating opponents, and that is what brought the Steelers six Super Bowl championships. Reports this off-season show he weighed in at 244 pounds from 232 last season. He was an example of how great players can not only break the rules and succeed, but sometimes even make up their own rules. Included are player stats for the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) from 1945-2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) from 1940-1942 and the Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL) from 1933-1939. Best: Franco Harris. 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 a Steeler running back, Hoak would spend his entire career with Pittsburgh that began in 1961 as a seventh round draft pick after running for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Of course we are talking about the Immaculate Reception. He ended his career with only 1,512 rushing yards, but with two Super Bowl rings. In 79 games with the Steelers, he carried the ball for 3,343 yards and 22 touchdowns. All-time Rushing Leader: Franco Harris 2,881 att, 11,950 yds, 91 TD . Bill Dudley: Bullet Bill was his nickname and a great running back he was. However, from 2010-14 he was the best all-purpose back in the league. If he had played in those games, Bell is easily in the top five on this list and maybe close to the top. Yes, that was his average. They will be joined by this year's selection, making six for the 2022 season.
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