Regarding Willie Parker, he consistenly gained every available yard on any given carry last year (for a runner with his size and technique). In many cases he gained yardage my making defenders miss, by breaking tackles, or forging ahead for an extra yard or two after stopped. In short, he performed at a high professional level despite having virtually no running room throughout several games.

Unfortunately, the same “look out” blocking technique displayed by the offensive line (truly a well-named unit) that led to Parker being stuffed in the backfield repeatedly also permitted Ray Lewis to enter the same time-space continuum as R. Mendenhall’s shoulder blade and put Big Ben on his back fifty-some times.

The Steelers can draft running backs until the cows come home. But until their offensive line can open holes consistently, or knock defenders aside like bowling pins when they lead a power sweep, quality defensive opponents (like the Ravens, Giants, Cowboys, Eagles, Patriots, Colts, Titans, Vikings, etc.) will continue to dare them to run while stacking the deck against the pass, or blitzing (like the Eagles) to stop the pass before it’s thrown.