Former Steelers running back Willie Parker (39) acknowledges the crowd during a 2018 against the Chargers at Heinz Field. Since there are only 11 players on offense, the running backs have to be able to function as a unit, and Le'Veon Bell could play halfback to Bettis' fullback. He also made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and 2016, the last of which with the Titans. 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. As an undrafted rookie in 2004, Bill Cowher took a chance on the 5-foot-10, 209-pound first-year player and Parker impressed sharing time with The Bus, Jerome Bettis. Other teams (like the Steelers) have one but rarely use him. Charles also ran for 1,509 yards in 2012 and 1,033 yards in 2014. The Tigers picked up their sixth commitment for the 2024 recruiting cycle - and their first running back - Wednesday with the public . name the pittsburgh steelers running back to the last 10 years. Others were blocking fullbacks who spent their careers opening holes for star backs. (Note: The Steelers signed Derek Watt during the 2020 offseason and released Nix, who signed with Indianapolis. 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. Everything in the NFL goes in cycles. Harris is my fourth-ranked running back for the 2022 season. With the Redskins, Cowboys and 49ers, Morris has 5,931 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns in the 2010s. Lucrative opportunities to leave. If it was Fuqua who the ball last touched, it would not be a legal catch by Harris according to the rules in 1972. Meanwhile, at No. In Pittsburgh, he was everything but. As a rookie, on a terrible offense, he finished as a top 24 running back in 93% of his games last year. PITTSBURGH (AP) Mike Tomlin wasn't ready to go there, with all due respect. Pittsburgh Steelers player information and depth chart order. If Lions general manager Brad Holmes follows that plan exactly, Minnesota Golden Gophers' Mohamed Ibrahim would be a great late-round running back prospect for Detroit to target. 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. I could be wrong. 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 . Still, Johnson's All-Pro 2016 season was enough to land him on the list. From '61 to '64, he was part of a powerful rushing attack along with Hall of Famer John Henry Johnson. Williams had his first 1,000-yard season and averaged 13.3 ppg. The Steelers have had some incredibly talented players over the years . Still, I think he is deserving of the number 16 spot on this list of all-time great Steelers backs. John Fuqua ( 1970-76) Before Franco Harris, there was John "Frenchy" Fuqua. Chances are it is an announcer who remembers some of the great backs in Steelers history and how they dominated the game. Today he is 68 and still colorful. 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. 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. Pittsburgh Steelers Draft History. By the time the fourth quarter rolls around, it is easy to see why opposing defenses would wish they were somewhere else. In nine seasons all as a Steeler, Pollard scored 20 touchdowns. 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. Read on to find out why. Let us know your thoughts down in the comments!For Business Inquiries: insid. Is the fullback truly gone, banished into the deep recesses of pro football history? . 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. During the decade, he has 8,834 rushing yards five 1,000-yard seasons and 71 touchdowns. The speedy running backs, the classic old power running back, and the mixed, well-rounded, good running back. Ingram's best season came in 2017 when he posted 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns. Harris was a part of four championship team and would be named to the Pro Bowl nine times. Franco Harris arrives during the 2019 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The stud running back finished with 3,943 yards which lands him seventh on Pittsburghs all-time list. 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. Yes, that was his average. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Abercrombie played one more season in 1988 with the cross state Philadelphia Eagles before retiring. Yes, the Pittsburgh Steelers coach understands the symmetry between Saturday night's 13-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and a playoff victory over the same franchise 50 years ago, the one that ended with Steelers running back Franco Harris snagging a deflected . 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. Trump can be sued by cops United States 11:10 am - 10,090 views; Train crash toll now 57 Greece 9:38 am - 3,746 views; Snow, rain end drought California 9:32 am - 1,290 views; More World News Chubb is not the most dangerous or highly . He joins Franco Harris and John Henry Johnson. Jerome "The Bus" Bettis tops our list as the Steelers best running back of all time. The 30-year-old has failed to rush for 500 yards in four of his seven seasons in the NFL. This list of past Steelers tight ends features former greats, current impact players, and even future stars. Hoak made a Pro Bowl in 1968 and is currently ranked seventh in Steelers' history for all-time rushing yards with 3,965. Bettis was team-first through some questionable demotions and worse decisions as to the direction of the offense, and he welcomed Duce Staley and mentored Willie Parker along the way to a Super Bowl championship to complete a quest his teammates had dedicated to him. But during the Super Bowl seasons of 1978 and 1979, Sidney Thornton played a significant role in the Steelers' rushing attack. More like he will get exposed yet again as being the most overrated running back in the league . For years, the Pittsburgh Steelers were considered a team that dominated with the run. Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports. Or write about sports? The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some great tight ends throughout the franchise's history. Mendenhall spent five seasons in Pittsburgh and was a member of two Super Bowl teams. 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. He spent his first year in the NFL with the Giants before coming to the Steelers in 1970. Dave Holcomb began working as a sports writer in 2013 after graduating from Syracuse University. Hunt only played eight games with the Browns last season after serving an eight-game suspension. In just a three-year period, from 2010-12, he posted 5,702 yards from scrimmage and 47 touchdowns. The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2020 running back room has the assortments of all the skillsets you could find around the NFL. The quick-footed big guy ran over, through and around defenders for nine years with the Steelers. name the pittsburgh steelers running back to the last 10 years. 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. The move closes the latest chapter of Wentz's career after just one season in Washington. Time to profile some of the outstanding and popular running backs to suit up for the Steelers. The next ingredient is a tough, hard-nosed rushing attack that controls the ball and methodically plows through opposing defenses. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long history of smash-mouth football dating back to before they ever won their first Super Bowl. During this decade, he earned two Pro Bowl nominations and an All-Pro bid. He was an example of how great players can not only break the rules and succeed, but sometimes even make up their own rules. Many argued that when Gore suffered a season-ending injury at the beginning of December in 2010, his best days were behind him. Current team members are listed in bold. He'll go down as one of the best power backs in history, and in this decade Lynch has carried the ball 1,791 times for 7,778 yards. Overall, Charles recorded 8,110 yards from scrimmage during the decade with the Chiefs, Broncos and Jaguars from 2010-18. 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. 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. 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 led the Steelers in rushing from 1961 to 1964 and made three straight Pro Bowls from 1962 to '64. 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. Unfortunately for Johnson, his 2,000-yard season came in 2009, so it just missed the cut for counting on this list. 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. 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. That couldn't have been further from the truth. Keep in mind that accomplishments made only during this decade were considered for these rankings. He never made a Pro Bowl and never had a 1,000-yard season, but he appeared in 111 games over nine seasons and managed to rack up 3,989 career rushing yards. During his career, he's averaged 128.9 yards from scrimmage per game. 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. The only exception in madden 22 was a glitched out ray Lewis that was 97 at mlb but 99 at r/lolb. Feeling he had to listen to his boss, Kiesling had quarterback Jack Scarbath toss the ball which resulted in a touchdown to Goose McClairen. . Who Is The Best Wide Receiver In The NFL Right Now? 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. March 1, 2023 2:19 pm PT. While those numbers may not seem impressive by todays standards, they were good enough to earn Tracy Pro Bowl appearances with the Steelers in 1958 and 1960. 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. Last year's offensive rookie of the year award winner, Barkley was close to perfect for fantasy owners. In an era that de-emphasizes the workhorse back, McCoy has nearly amassed 10,000 rushing yards and more than 13,000 yards from scrimmage this decade. Williams recorded at least 730 rushing yards in a season four times during the 2010s, and he ended the decade with 4,246 rushing yards. The Steelers will win 5 games this year, Canada will be fired, and Tomlin will "resign." . He finished with 585 yards and scored six touchdowns including a 75-yard run. 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. LeVeon Bell: Finally we have our current star in the making. This was the age of the feature back, when one superstar halfback got most of the carries. That's the equivalent of more than two seasons. Frank Pollard: In the mid-1980s, a stout Frank Pollard became the Steelers primary running back. Nick Chubb finished first the AFC North in 2021 with 1,259 rushing yards, despite finishing third with 228 carries. 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.. Emmitt Smith leads with 18,365 yards and is also the postseason leader with 1,586. Despite the occurrences of injury, Hoge ran for 3,115 yards as a Steeler and rushed for 21 touchdowns. Le'veon Bell also earned a reputation as one of the most patient RBs in the NFL. 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. February 27, 2023 3 min Watch. Merril Hoge was a versatile fullback who could carry the ball, catch passes, and block. Fuqua would have to be the most colorful player in Steelers history as well as the most controversial. Murray rushed for 7,174 yards and 49 touchdowns with the Cowboys, Eagles and Titans in the 2010s. A fullback is not required in this type of offensive game plan. 1. 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 . 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. The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. Barkley was a huge reason why the Giants returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Overall, he ran for 4,731 yards and 28 touchdowns playing for the Rams, Falcons and Patriots from 2010-15. 12. Really, he will just be doing what teams like the Steelers did for decades. They got a lot of carries in an era when both the fullback and halfback needed to contribute to the running game. Dudley could do it all on the field as he was just not a back but a defensive back, punter, and place kicker. 2013 Steelers 2014 Steelers 2015 Steelers 2016 Steelers 2017 Steelers 2018 Steelers 2019 Steelers 2020 Steelers 2021 Steelers 2022 Steelers 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 8-8 11-5 10-6 11-5 13-3 9-6-1 8-8 12-4 9-7-1 9-8. The following is another in a series that picks a Steelers All-Modern Era Team. Johnson was a bruising fullback who spent time in San Francisco and Detroit before coming to Pittsburgh in 1960. He sill holds the single season record for rushing for Pittsburgh with 1,690 yards gained in 1992. Meanwhile, Myles Jack's cap hit grows significantly from $4.75 million last year to $11.25 million in 2023. Parker was perhaps the fastest running back ever to play for the Steelers. For the Steelers he would rush for 2,243 yards five seasons. 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. Draft Henry with absolute confidence this season if you have a top-five pick. Adrian Peterson is a running back with over thirteen years in the NFL. But Jackson was still one of the best runners of the 2010s. Parker ran for 1,200 yards or better in three straight seasons and led the Steelers to two Super Bowl wins. Best: Franco Harris. Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. But he still turned in two more 1,000-yard seasons and recorded at least 800 yards from scrimmage in four seasons this decade. Dudley also served his country during World War II as a member of the Army and played for that team while away from the NFL. 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. However, from 2010-14 he was the best all-purpose back in the league. In his rookie season, Morris rushed for 836 yards and a 4.2 yards-per-carry average. In 2015 Williams rejuvenated his career with the Steelers, filling in for the suspended and injured Le'Veon Bell for 10 games. He came to the Steelers after three seasons with the Rams which had earned him a reputation as a problem player. Charles may have to wait awhile to get into the Hall of Fame because despite an 11-year career, his prime was rather short. He had the highest usage rate among running backs at 35.8% and was third in red-zone touches with 61. 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. NFL Top 10 Best Running Backs of the 2010s - #8 Arian Foster. Outside linebacker Joey Porter came to Pittsburgh in 1999. The Pittsburgh Steelers Hall-of-Fame running back Franco Harris died Wednesday, just before the 50-year anniversary of his "Immaculate Reception" play. The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some great tight ends throughout the franchises history. Ranking the AFC North running backs. 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. 3 in NFL history. Lists that rank the greatest players and coaches in the history of the NFL franchise. Only other is safeties at sub lb and doesn't change their ratings just where they are on the field. In 1966 when the Fighting Irish won the national title, Rocky was a member of that team. Player Team Age Total Value Avg./Year Total Guaranteed Fully Guaranteed Free Agency; Christian McCaffrey: 49ers: 27: $64,063,412: $16,015,853: $36,346,412: $30,062,500 Fuqua led the Steelers in rushing in 1970 and 1971 and totaled 2,942 yards on the ground during his time in Pittsburgh. He amassed an incredible 449 touches in 2014 on his way to 1,845 rushing yards and 2,261 yards from scrimmage. With the Bears and Jets, Forte posted 7,629 rushing yards and 11,353 yards from scrimmage from 2010-17. Anderson was traded mid-season in 1986; he played four games for the Cardinals and eight for the Giants. Buffalo 2007-10; Seattle 2010-15, '19; Oakland 2017-18. The former Heisman Trophy winner is another example of a highly regarded college back getting off to a slow start in the NFL. Well, he's worth a lot more now. Still, Bleier became a starter in the backfield with Harris and shined. Twenty-three slots went by before the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Najee Harris in 2021. 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. Overall contributions to the Steelers franchise. Fuqua will be forever remembered by Steelers fans as the intended receiver of Terry Bradshaws Immaculate Reception pass, which ricocheted into the arms of Franco Harris. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Joey Porter. All Rights Reserved. Sutton not only enjoyed the best year of his career, but he also arguably played like a top-10 cornerback. Today, with the explosion of the passing game, a star running back is a helpful asset but no longer a requirement. First running back gets drafted in the seventh round. By 1974, Bleier was weighing in at 212 pounds and he made the team to stay. Greatest Power Backs in NFL History. 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. Before Franco Harris, there was John Frenchy Fuqua. Unfortunately, injuries have slowed him over the last couple of years and prevented him from running for more than 865 yards in a season. 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. Postseason. As it is, he has 5,336 rushing yards and nearly 8,000 yards from scrimmage since coming into the league in 2013. Photos from the career of former Steelers running back and Hall of Fame finalist Jerome Bettis. 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. He seemed to violate every rule young players are taught about playing running back, yet he thrived. Pittsburgh Steelers Stats: The official source for Pittsburgh Steelers game statistics . Matte took over for another fantastic white running back, former Heisman Trophy winner and 1958 NFL Championship Game hero Alan Ameche. Bleier was an outstanding lead blocker as well as being able to run the ball well and also had solid hands as a receiver. In 2012, he made the All-Pro team with 1,590 rushing yards and 1,786 yards from scrimmage. Williams didn't post a 1,000-yard season in this decade mostly due to the fact he shared the backfield with another player on our list. Lynch was an underrated pass-catcher in his prime too. Visit ESPN to view the Pittsburgh Steelers team depth chart for the current season Amos Zereoue: Another fan favorite was West Virginia University product, Famous Amos Zereoue. After five seasons of never finishing higher than RB34, Williams had a career year in 2022, finishing as the overall RB18. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. They will be joined by this year's selection, making six for the 2022 season. Bill Dudley: Bullet Bill was his nickname and a great running back he was. 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. Walter Abercrombie: To this day, Abercrombie is Baylor Universitys all-time leading rusher with 3,674 yards while scoring 22 touchdowns. Harris disputed that and said he was 240 pounds as a rookie. Players were considered based on having careers with the Steelers from 1992 until the present. Wanting the jersey number 26 which he wore at Notre Dame, Preston Pearson held those digits so Rocky settled for No. Bell was a unique back in Steelers history due to both the wide-open offense he played in and his careful, patient running style. 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. The 33rd Team. A dominant defense and an unstoppable running gamethats Steelers Football. That one instance came in 1956 when Art Rooney Sr. uncharacteristically was frustrated with a head coach and instructed the then Head Coach Walt Kiesling to negate the opening Rogel rush and throw the ball instead. 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. The real results of who touched it first is still undetermined to this day. In 2015 Williams rejuvenated his career with the Steelers, filling in for the suspended and injured Le'Veon Bell for 10 games. Franco Harris was the man during The Renaissance, and Jerome Bettis was the man in The Modern Era. And that's with missing the 2016 season because of retirement. 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. Looking at an NFL game today, something seems to be missing. The All-Modern Era team is made up of 26 players 11 on offense, 11 on defense, and four specialists. He led the Steelers in rushing in 1965, 1968, and 1969. Fuqua to this day refuses to give his take on what actually took place. Of course we are talking about the Immaculate Reception. 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. 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. The controversy surrounds what is called by many as the Greatest play in NFL history. It has been said that Rooney responded with the declaration that he would never again attempt to call a play for his team. Not entirely. 9, we . The controversy arose when the ball deflected off of Tatum or Frenchy. The fullback might get the ball once or twice a game in short-yardage situations, but for the most part, he was turned into a blocking specialist. 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? He made the Pro Bowl three times, from 2014-16. 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. [2] He led the NFL with 576 yards in 1932 and held on to the record throughout his career. All rights reserved. In both seasons, he made All-Pro. Gurley has rushed for 4,547 rushing yards and recorded 6,430 yards from scrimmage with 56 touchdowns.