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Monday, October 22, 2001

TAMPA, Fla. -- By almost every standard of measure for a man in his line of work, his career should be winding down. He should be hanging on for one more season. He should be an easy mark for the 300-pounders who relentlessly hunt him down.

He's a power back in the National Football League, which means he should have peaked in about his fifth or sixth season. But he's in his ninth.

He has carried the ball more than 2,500 times, which means over the course of his career, he has been battered by the equivalent of about 300 tons of NFL muscle.

But he's not beaten down. He's not approaching the end. He's spry and nimble. He's prancing around the field like a young colt. He's on his way to his greatest season.

By dint of his stellar play, he's raising the question that never figured to be asked: Who's the best running back in Steelers history?

There's no explaining Jerome Bettis.

As the Steelers continue their remarkable season, there's no more remarkable story than The Bus.

He bulled and danced and sprinted for 143 yards yesterday in the Steelers' 17-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is the Steelers' offense. Everything revolves around him.

He ran 46 yards for one touchdown and passed -- yes, passed -- 32 yards for another.

In five games, he has rushed for 522 yards. He's not only on pace for his best season, he's on pace for the best season by a Steelers running back. If he continues at his present pace, he will run for 1,760 yards.

At the same time, he continues his climb past the greats of the NFL. He moved into 13th place among all-time rushers yesterday with 10,354 yards. It's easy to envision him finishing among the top five.

It seemed like a less-than-ordinary day for Bettis with only 25 yards on eight carries at halftime. But he shredded the Tampa Bay defense for 90 yards in the third quarter on runs of 46, 15 and 29 yards.

"He's making cuts that he hasn't made in the last two or three years," Coach Bill Cowher said. "He looks good."

Cowher was guilty of massive understatement. Bettis looks great. He's moving as well as he ever has as a Steelers running back.

"I think somehow he's found the Fountain of Youth," tight end Mark Bruener said. "Or he went back to Notre Dame and talked the priests into sprinkling some holy water on him."

It wasn't any kind of miracle that put more bounce in Bettis' step. He's healthy for the first time in several years.

"I had a bum knee," he said. "We were still able to get over 1,300 yards last year on one leg. I had surgery in February. It turned out great. I'm a lot healthier than I've been for the last couple of years. Because of that, I'm quicker than I've been."

He's not doing it alone.

"My offensive line is great. All those guys are playing Pro Bowl caliber. It makes it easier for me."

Fullback Jon Witman gets an up-close look at Bettis.

"The last two years we didn't run the ball very well," Witman said. "This year we're getting him through the line first and then he makes his cuts. You're getting a chance to see him showcase his talents this year because we're getting him through the line. When we do that, he does his thing."

Once it would have been sacrilege to suggest any Steelers running back approached Franco Harris. But the way Bettis is running it's a fair comparison.

Because Bettis played his first three seasons with the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, he will never equal Harris' total yardage with the Steelers. But in less than six years as a Steelers running back, Bettis has run for 7,263 yards. In his 12-year career, almost all of it with the Steelers, Harris ran for 11,950.

There's reason to believe, Bettis can get close to 10,000 as a Steelers running back and close to 13,000 for his career.

Both men have almost identical rushing averages of 4.1 yards a carry. Bettis is featured more in this offense than Harris was in his. But Harris had the luxury of a superb passing attack to take the pressure off him. Bettis is the focal point of every opposing defense.

Harris is in the Hall of Fame and Bettis seems destined to follow him there. But Bettis has more current priorities. Like taking the Steelers to the playoffs and beyond. In an offense that lives by the run, there's not a better man to do it.

Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.