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Question: Ed, It was no secret that Jerome Bettis was retiring following the Super Bowl. Deuce Staley apparently came into camp out of shape and obviously unmotivated for his potential new role. Given Staley's injury history, why was it not an absolute priority to find a big back in this year's draft?

Quentin Parker, Cleveland, Ohio

BOUCHETTE: It seems obvious now that the Steelers banked on Staley in 2006 becoming the Staley of the first half of the 2004 season. Clearly, he is not and they are scrambling for an alternative.

First, it was Patrick Cobbs, who lasted not quite one week. Now it's Najeh Davenport, oft-injured and cut before the season started by Green Bay. Yes, the Steelers should have drafted someone before the seventh round, perhaps in the fourth instead of Orien Harris, the defensive end they released, or perhaps in the second round when they still had a second-rounder. A team that runs as often as the Steelers, more than any in the NFL over the past two seasons, needs to have more depth in its backfield than it does today.