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Thursday, July 25, 2002

At 5:32 p.m., with 28 minutes to spare, Jerome Bettis, dressed smartly and looking fit, trim and ready to play some football, entered Bonaventure Hall on the campus of St. Vincent College. He headed for the camp office, obtained his room key and a parking pass, signed some autographs, did some chit-chatting and left for Rooney Hall, the dorm that will be his home for the next four weeks.

Bettis was dressed like he might be off for a holiday, not heading for the grueling practice period which leads to a season in which his team is expected to go to the Super Bowl.

He wore a white T-shirt with light blue and black stripes across the shoulders. His shorts, properly fashionable at just below the knee, were Carolina blue, with dark blue and white stripes on the front and back of each leg. His sneakers, too, were Carolina blue and white.

Bettis was asked is he favored the Tar Heels. "No, just something I picked up at Niketown."

The clothes fit the man, to be sure. Bettis looked in playing shape, thinner than he had appeared to be in some time -- no belly to speak of and a distinctly leaner face.

He deflected comments about his appearance with a smile or a nod. Reporters hoping to obtain his weight had no chance.

His health, of course, is a concern. He's 30, which is young in the game of life, but middle-aged, at best, in the game of football. Running backs of Bettis' ilk -- those who prefer to run over rather than around opponents -- have been known to be finished at 30. More than that, Bettis is entering his 10th season, a long career for a punishing running back.

His importance to the Steelers can not be underestimated. The Steelers have two young, well-paid backups to Bettis in Amos Zereoue and Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala. Both show promise. Neither is Bettis -- in terms of ability or what he means to his teammates.

"Jerome represents the Steelers," said wide receiver Hines Ward. "When he's not there, it takes a lot out of us. We have a lot of young guys who are hungry and itching at the bit to showcase their talent.

"But even though we won some games without Jerome last season, we need his leadership and his presence on the field. He was a presence in the huddle. He'd look people in the eye. When people had doubt, he'll tell them what to do. He's key."

Bettis is a future Hall of Famer. He's 12th on the all-time NFL rushing list and likely to be in the top five when he retires -- if he can avoid injury.

That's the concern. Bettis did not stay away from injury last season. He fell into its grasp after 11 games and never escaped. Was that nasty groin injury just one of those things? Or was it a sign of a body wearing down as the result of nine NFL seasons and about 2,500 tackles.

Through 11 games last year, Bettis had rushed for 1,072 yards. His yards per carry of 4.8 was his best since his rookie season. He was making moves in the open field that he rarely had shown in the past. He played with a spryness that belied his age and experience.

Then he was felled by a groin injury that the Steelers never seemed to explain fully. He always seemed to be a week away from returning, but he didn't come back until the AFC title game, where he was held to 9 yards in eight carries.

The groin was a major issue as Bettis talked with the media yesterday.

"The biggest question for me was would it heal properly," he said. "Would I be OK? After a whole off-season, I'll be fine. When I was trying to get it ready for the playoffs that was a stretch. Now it's no stretch. I've had plenty of time."

The theme of the day, as the Steelers straggled in over the course of six or so hours, was the composition of the team. The organization has done a remarkable job of signing most of its players nearing free agency. This gesture hasn't been lost on the team.

"We know we have the pieces. That's evident, " Bettis said. "The question going into this camp is can we create that same chemistry. Can everybody play the same level as last year? Can we be the same football team we were last year. In this business, that's the hardest thing to do."

Bettis has no doubts about his own ability to recapture his excellence. But any injury that causes a veteran to miss six games is reason for concern.

It is unlikely he will test it much in training camp. The real test won't come until September. But this slimmed-down, looking-good version is an indication that, in his 10th season, Bettis is ready to resume his Hall-of-Fame career.

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