SteelerWatch

When your starting running back, who posted the sixth-best rushing total in the league last year and added 16 touchdowns to that, is only the sixth best player on your team, you know you’ve got talent.

And it was hard, to some extent, to justify putting Willie Parker this low on the list, just like it was hard to put Ben Roethlisberger all the way down at ninth. Parker could very well be top-three at this time next year, though. For him, there are no nagging doubts; it’s purely a lack of experience that’s keeping him from being any higher on this list.

Parker, who is entering his fourth season, has shown remarkable improvement since his rookie year, not just statistically but also in his decision-making, ball control and strength. Though diminutive, he has shown the ability to drive through the middle of the line when necessary, but possesses speed that few runners in the league can even compare to. Even behind an offensive line that looked confused and outmanned most of last season, Parker managed 1,494 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. He added another 222 yards and three touchdowns receiving, as well, serving as a reliable check-down for Roethlisberger.

While Parker put up at least 100 yards seven times last year, he had two particularly spectacular outings, with those games combining for 436 yards rushing and three touchdowns, including a single run of 76 yards versus the Saints.  Parker is so vital to the success of this team, in fact, that of the 13 times in 33 starts that he has rushed for over 100 yards, the Steelers have only lost once.

Even with the level of success he has experienced after being picked up as an undrafted rookie free agent, critics constantly wonder if he can take the beating required of a feature back.  But he has not sustained an injury in his first two-plus seasons as a starter that has caused him to miss more than a handful of plays while shouldering the vast majority of the load during that time.  He has proven he has the speed and elusiveness of a speed runner, enough power to handle runs through the line, and now his durability.  He has all the requisite skills, and has displayed them well on the field.  A little more consistency and an improved offensive line should put Fast Willie in the top three Steelers, and possibly even the top three runners in the league.

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 14th, 2007 at 10:10 am and is filed under General, My Opinion, Team Spotlight. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.