Wednesday, October 22, 2003

Jerome Bettis has won back his job as the Steelers' starting tailback. You can start printing playoff tickets now. Put the Steelers' orthopedic surgeon on high alert, too.

It took Bettis just six games to reclaim the position from Amos Zereoue, although how Bettis did so remains unclear given his meager production as a backup and given that he did not use the Steelers' bye week to discover the fountain of youth. It's probably best not to ask too many questions. The guy's in the best shape of his life, you know.

I have come not to bury the Bus. I have come to celebrate his return to the position he was born to play, just like Marvel Smith at left tackle. I have no doubt the Steelers will now run the table to finish 12-4 (although if I do have any doubts, I'll express them to Bet-On-Sports.com, not you).

The Bus starting is merely the first domino falling. It's just going to get better and better. For everybody, not just opposing defensive platoons.

So let the celebration begin. I'm sure the Pittsburgh football media have already busted out the Jerome Bettis The Bus Giant Eagle helmet cakes. Not only has their beloved quote machine been made marginally meaningful again, but their campaign actually worked. They kept writing and saying The Bus should start and, incredibly, somebody listened.

By way of mea culpa, I recently said on my radio show that I would start Bettis and tight end Mark Bruener, the better to utilize their superior pass blocking. Tommy Maddox needs more time, not more targets. So I was part of "Put The Bus Back In" media lobby, and I feel shame. When Bettis carries the ball 25 times a game, though, remember: I never suggested that.

Sunday will be a great day for Steelers fans. The 10,000 No. 36 Bettis jerseys that can be seen on display weekly at Heinz Field are obsolete no longer. The 20,000 No. 58 Jack Lambert jerseys still are.

Smash-mouth football is back in town. Starting Bettis at tailback signals a renewed commitment to the run.

The restructured offensive line will likely turn out to be living testimony to the fact that you can't shuffle excrement. The starting tight end is a better receiver than he is a blocker. The Steelers' offensive platoon was put together to execute a high-tech passing game. But darn it, here in Pittsburgh we run the football, even if Bill Cowher has to usurp the authority of offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey to make it happen.

This isn't going to work. The Steelers could have Jim Brown in his prime at running back, and he couldn't gain yards behind this line. Maddox's play-action fakes will have no more credibility now than they did with Zereoue in the backfield.

Speaking of Zereoue, I hear he's upset. He has every right to be.

Six starts in an offense that never found any semblance of an identity hardly constitutes a fair chance. Bettis is averaging 2.9 yards on 44 carries so far this season, Zereoue 3.3 yards on 83 carries. Statistically, they both stink, although Zereoue has an edge if you consider his 19 catches for an 8.3-yard average.

Except for the second half of the win at Cincinnati, the Steelers offense has shown no extra pizzazz when Bettis has played.

So, how did Bettis "win" the job back?

Seeing Zereoue get a quick hook makes me wonder if this move wasn't all but preordained at the season's start. Maybe the plan was to play Zereoue, save Bettis' legs, then start Bettis at the first sign of real trouble or at the season's midway point, whichever came first.

It's always been clear that Cowher is more comfortable with Bettis at running back. The Steelers are 2-4 with a tough foe coming to town, and the only thing propping up their playoff hopes is the utter incompetence of the AFC North.

If starting Bettis makes Cowher feel better about the Steelers' chances, so be it. He benched Bettis based on a "gut feeling." He can certainly start him again based on a gut feeling.

I, for one, am excited.

Sure, there's something entertaining about watching a twerp like Zereoue run in and out of the tall timbers that are NFL linemen. Now you see him, now you don't. When Zereoue tippy-toed at the line just before a half-dozen opposite-colored jerseys fell on him, it was reminiscent of Franco Harris, except that Amos didn't gain yards or help win games.

But Bettis is like a Broadway musical on cleats. The weird, chest-thumping, side-stepping shimmy after a 4-yard gain! The excuses after a bad performance! I can hear them now: "Well, I was kind of rusty. And it's practically a whole new offensive line." Then he gets hurt!

Meet the new Bus. Not the same as the old Bus. Don't get fooled again.

Mark Madden is the host of a sports talk show from 3 to 7 p.m. weekdays on WEAE-AM (1250).

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