Mendenhall may have played his last snap as a Steeler

Posted by Evan Silva

A month ago, Steelers G.M. Kevin Colbert provided a gloomy outlook for running back Rashard Mendenhall’s recovery from a January 1 ACL tear. Colbert said the Steelers wouldn’t count on Mendenhall to be ready for Week One, and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review subsequently reported Mendenhall would open the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list.

After speaking to team sources, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has an even more pessimistic view of Mendenhall’s future.

Bouchette suggests Mendenhall has taken “his last carry” in Pittsburgh, and that he might not play at all in 2012.

Sources told the Post-Gazette that the Steelers don’t believe Mendenhall will return to form “until at least the 2013 season,” and by that point Mendenhall may have signed elsewhere. Due a $700,000 salary in the final year of his rookie deal, Mendenhall’s contract expires next March.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/19/mendenhall-may-have-played-last-snap-as-a-steeler/
------------------------------------------------------------


I've got three words for ya ... Suddeness and Glide.

I'm going to be honest ... I've never been a big Mendenhall fan. He's a solid running back, but there's nothing really special about him. I think Redman can be every bit as productive. We already have enough depth to carry through the immediate future. Now we just need to start thinking long term. Mendy's absence isn't anything I'm going to be overly concerned about.

And this is why Mike Tolbert made my nipples hard.

I thought Mendenhall was a good pickup, but after watching him the last few years behind a suspect line, I feel that he has forgotten how to truly run the ball. Of course it's a double edge sword. If we don't shore up our O-line, it won't matter who you have back there (unless it's Barry Sanders - because he never had an o-line), they will not be as productive as they should. But without a strong RB, it won't matter how great our O-line is if the guy can't hit the holes.

My wish is to take an O-linemen in the first round, followed by a RB next. And if Wallace ends up going elsewhere, that would give us an additional first round pick. If that's the case, then take a RB first followed by the O-line.

stlrtruck wrote:

My wish is to take an O-linemen in the first round, followed by a RB next. And if Wallace ends up going elsewhere, that would give us an additional first round pick. If that's the case, then take a RB first followed by the O-line.

I agree that O-line is a top concern, but I'm more concerned about finding a replacement for Farrior and an eventual replacement for Hampton than I am about finding a replacement for Mendy. We don't lose much, if anything, with Redman. And Dwyer, Clay, Batch, and Moore will provide more than adequate depth. I wouldn't be opposed to trying to find a gem in the later rounds, but I think we have too many other needs to make it a priority.

I think we should trade for Tebow as a running back.


I've got a broken VCR around here somewhere. That should be compensation enough for him.