Willie Parker pines for the old days, when he would line up behind the fullback in the I-formation and blast through the line, daring a defense to stop the run.

He called it "Steelers football" but said it's disappeared over the past two seasons in favor of more passes and less conviction to use the ground game.

"I just don't think we should give up that quick," Parker said after practice today. "We're the Pittsburgh Steelers, everyone knows wer're going to run the ball -- or they used to think we'd run the ball.

"We pass the ball a lot now. We got away from Steelers football, Steelers mentality."

The Steelers have run 373 times for 1,350 yards, a total that ranks 23rd in the NFL. If they remain there, it would be their second lowest ranking since the team joined the AFC as part of the 1970 NFL merger.

They're not doing much better passing it either because the rank just 20th there, and 26th overall as an offense. The Steelers have thrown 400 passes and their quarterbacks have been sacked another 41 times trying to pass.

Parker, who has missed five games because of two separate injuries, leads the team with 597 yards rushing. He topped 1,200 yards in each of the previous three seasons and was leading the NFL in rushing last season when his leg was broken in the 15th game.

He said the philosophy has changed around the running game, that they don't believe in a lead blocker such as the fullback any more and their two tight end offense has not produced on the ground.

"Yeah, it's definitely a concern," Parker said. "I definitely think about it all the time -- why can't we run the ball? What's the difference between now and two years ago? So it's definitely being a concern, me being a running back."

The Steelers, under new offensive coordinator Bruce Arians in 2007 de-emphasized the fullback, then let their longtime starter Dan Kreider go in free agency. They've tried it with two hybrid players -- Carey Davis, a halfback/fullback, and Sean McHugh, a tight end/fullback.

"We get into two tights now," Parker said. "It's like without a fullback, [defenses] definitely know what's coming and they know where it's going. I don't know what it is but it's not being effective."