Tuesday, October 21, 2003

By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

With a ground game ranked among the franchise's worst in more than three decades, Steelers coach Bill Cowher is preparing to return to what has worked in the past. All indications point to running back Jerome Bettis making his first start of the season Sunday against the St. Louis Rams in Heinz Field.

	Steelers running back Jerome Bettis has only 44 rushing attempts in six games this season. (Peter Diana, Post-Gazette) Related article Steelers Report: 10/21/03

Bettis, the NFL's 10th-leading rusher, and six-game starter Amos Zereoue said no coaches have told them anything about a change, but several players said after practice yesterday that it's their understanding Bettis will get his job back Sunday.

One player, who asked to remain anonymous, said the return of Bettis would be a morale boost to the entire offense, particularly the line, because he's a leader and it shows a renewed commitment to running the ball.

Bettis lost the starting position to Zereoue before the season and is off to the slowest start of his 11-year career with 128 yards on 44 carries. Zereoue has 277 yards on 83 carries. The Steelers rank 28th in the NFL with an average of only 83.3 yards rushing per game and average only 3.1 yards per carry, down by more than a yard from last season. They haven't finished a season ranked lower than 18th since the NFL merger in 1970.

The Steelers have the league's eighth-best passing attack, but their inability to run has put pressure on quarterback Tommy Maddox, who has been sacked 20 times and has had eight passes intercepted. A better ground game would take pressure off Maddox and give him more time to throw. Even the play-action attempts don't appear to cause defenses to pause because they no longer fear the Steelers' running game.

"It would obviously help, especially with what we're trying to accomplish," Maddox said. "If we're going to attempt to run the ball, we need to run the ball. Everybody knows that. I think we're working toward that. It would help not only me, it would help the offense.

"Anytime you put a defense in a situation where they don't know what to take away, you help the whole offense, especially late in games when you can run the football and put the defense in a bind."

Defenses have been playing cover-2 against the Steelers, essentially thumbing their noses at their ground game because it puts two safeties back deep to help in pass coverage. One Steelers player said that with Bettis at halfback, it would cause one of those safeties to move closer to the line of scrimmage to help stop the run. That, he said, could help the deep passing game.

The Steelers ranked ninth in the NFL in rushing last season, first in 2001 and fourth in 2000. They have run the ball only 161 times, which puts them on pace for 429 rushes for the season. That would be by far the lowest in Cowher's 12 years as coach, making players question the sudden lack of commitment to the run from a franchise with a reputation for a dominant ground game.

"Running the football is a lot of will and determination," said Bettis, who would make his return in the starting lineup against the team that traded him to the Steelers in 1996. "It doesn't necessarily have to be the prettiest thing. All it needs to be is 3 yards, line up and do it again. Some part of it is a commitment. The other part is going out there and getting 3 and 4 a pop and be satisfied with that."

Bettis said there were times this season when the team gave up too easily on the ground game.

"We have in the past, I think."

Even the leading receiver wants to see the team make a renewed commitment to the run.

"That's our first priority," Hines Ward said. "I've been saying it all year. People want us to pass the ball and pass the ball. But we have to go out there and run the ball. I think our run makes us more balanced. If we can go out there and do that, it's really hard to stop us. If we can go out there and control the clock and keep our opponents' offense off the field and keep our defense fresh, then we do nothing but help ourselves in that situation."

Zereoue, who led the Steelers with 762 yards rushing last season when Bettis had a knee injury, acknowledged the ground game needs more of a commitment to work.

"You have to commit to it and see what happens. If you want to run the ball, you have to run the ball. Regardless of whether you get a yard here or there, it's going to happen. This is the NFL. You just have to commit yourself."

One opposing team's personnel man told the Post-Gazette two weeks ago that the Steelers' ground game just isn't the same without Bettis and that defenses do not fear it as much. Now, apparently, Cowher is ready to recommit to Bettis and the running game.

Cowher announced Zereoue as his starter Aug. 20, before the third preseason game. At the time, he said, "We are going to use our running backs the same way we have the last couple of years. We are going to utilize them both and keep them fresh throughout the year. We are going to start the season with Amos with no preconceived thoughts coming in and whoever is running best will continue to play."

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