Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Willie Parker pulls away from Browns defensive back Leigh Bodden for a touchdown on the longest Steelers' running play since 1996. Click photo for larger image

By Gerry Dulac
Pittsburgh-Post-Gazette

CLEVELAND -- Fast Willie Parker, they called him, the player who brought a curious dimension to the Steelers' backfield. He was a speed back in a power offense, a player who could corner like a Maserati and accelerate like a Jaguar.

And yet, in two seasons with the Steelers, Fast Willie Parker didn't always look so fast.

No matter how many times he broke into the open, and there were many, Parker was never fast enough to outrace a defender to the end zone.

Until yesterday.

	Peter Diana, Post-Gazette All three Steelers running backs scored a touchdown yesterday. Willie Parker, left, celebrated with Verron Haynes, center, and Jerome Bettis after the senior running back started the scoring spree with a 2-yard run in the first quarter. Click photo for larger image.

"If there is ever any question why Willie Parker is in there," offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said, "it's just for that. That should answer anyone's question."

Nobody was going to catch Fast Willie Parker this time. He finally brought a measure of justice to his nickname with an 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and he did it by outrunning cornerbacks Leigh Bodden and Daylon McCutcheon to the end zone.

Parker has broken free on seven runs of 20 yards or longer this season, but only once did he manage a touchdown -- on a 37-yard run in a victory against Cincinnati. But even then he did not outrace any defenders to the end zone.

At least, not like he did against the Browns. Not like he did in the third quarter when his run -- tied for fourth longest in Steelers history -- was just another illustration of the Steelers' impressive performance in a 41-0 victory against the Browns.

"It's just a feeling I can't explain right now," Parker said. "It was a special run for me."

It was that kind of day for Parker, a free agent from North Carolina in 2004. He finished with 130 yards on 17 carries -- his fourth 100-yard game of the season -- and became the first Steelers back to rush for more than 1,000 yards since Jerome Bettis in 2001.

Parker has 1,063 yards on 229 carries, an average of 4.6 yards per carry. His per-carry average would be the third highest among team rushing leaders since Franco Harris averaged 5.6 yards in 1972.

"Knowing where I came from, how I wasn't playing at North Carolina, how they kind of looked over me and said, 'Willie Parker's not a 1,000-yard back,' it really's an unbelievable feeling," Parker said.

"It's great to see him get 1,000 yards and be effective," said Bettis, who rushed for 1,072 yards in 2001 despite not playing in the past five games. "I always thought he could do it. It's just a matter of getting a feel of what's going on. At no point did I think he couldn't get it done."

But even that couldn't top the thrill Parker had when he finally used his speed to finish a run. Just last week, in an 18-3 victory against Minnesota, Parker was run out of bounds after a 49-yard gain by Vikings cornerback Brian Williams.

Parker didn't go up the middle on his 80-yarder. He went off the left side, behind a hole created by left tackle Marvel Smith, and quick-stepped past diving safety Brian Russell. Then, he angled toward the left sideline and beat McCutcheon and Bodden, who played at Duquesne University, to the end zone.

"He finally showed how fast he really is," Whisenhunt said.

"It was good to see Willie break off another long run," coach Bill Cowher said.

"It was just a big ol' hole waiting for me on the back side," Parker said. "What a whole lot of people don't understand is, when I go to the outside, it's hard for me to pull away because they got the angles on me. When you go up the middle, it's all you."

Big plays are nothing new for Parker. It was his fifth play of 40 yards or longer, including receptions of 48 and 45 yards, and his fourth run of 37 yards or longer.

Only wide receiver Antwaan Randle El has accounted for as many plays of 40 yards or longer this season, and that includes two punt returns of 72 yards.

"That's why he's different," center Jeff Hartings said of Parker. "That's the element he brings to our offense."

Parker's run was the longest by a Steelers player since Kordell Stewart ran 80 yards for a touchdown against Carolina in December 1996. There have been three longer runs in team history -- 97 yards by Bobby Gage in 1949, 87 yards by John Henry Johnson in 1960 and 85 yards by John "Frenchy" Fuqua in 1970, all for touchdowns.

Curiously, all those runs, including Parker's, came in December.

"It's funny, sometimes when he's patient you want him to hit it, and when he hits it you want him to be patient," Cowher said. "What people don't understand is that the more he carries the ball, the better he will become. He is a young player and a first-year starter. We are going to have to live with some of his decisions."

So far, most of them are good ones.