Here's hoping Fast Willie stays in town
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Willie Parker scores on his memorable 75-yard run in the third quarter of Super Bowl XL in February 2006. -
Willie Parker celebrates after scoring against the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2006. There hasn't been such a sight for sore eyes lately.
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Willie Parker didn't call for advice, but I'm going to offer him some anyway this morning:
Hey, Fast Willie. The Steelers still need a really good backup running back to Rashard Mendenhall. You still don't have a job for next season, last time I checked. Put aside your hard feelings toward Mike Tomlin and the Steelers' organization and see if a deal can't be done that benefits everyone. You gotta remember one thing: We're talking business here. It should never be personal. It's business.
I hope Parker comes back.
The Steelers will be a better team for it.
Parker turns 30 on Nov. 11, but he still has plenty left. He proved that to me in the final game last season. He toted the football 12 times for 91 yards against the Miami Dolphins and looked good doing it.
If Parker can just get his mind right ...
We're talking business here. It should never be personal.
The Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette spoke to a person close to Parker and reported in his PG+ blog that Parker is so bitter toward the Steelers about his treatment last season that he would rather sit out 2010 than play here again. The source's message might be a bit extreme, but there's no question Parker -- a valuable guy who played a major role on two Super Bowl-winning teams -- couldn't have been happy about being pushed aside for Mendenhall. Parker had to know it was inevitable from the day the Steelers drafted Mendenhall No. 1 in the '08 draft and invested a fortune in him, but that didn't make it any easier to take. The Steelers hardly used Parker after he had a foot injury in the third game. He had a total of just 34 carries in the 10 games before the Miami game.
Of course, that stung even if Parker never complained about it publicly.
Parker is a proud man. He never was fully appreciated by a lot of media and fans here, but he should be remembered as one of the great Steelers. He ran for 1,200 yards in '05 and set a Super Bowl record with a 75-yard touchdown run against the Seattle Seahawks. He had nearly 1,500 yards in '06 and was leading the NFL with 1,316 yards in '07 when his right leg was broken in the next-to-last game. He came back to lead the '08 Super Bowl Steelers in rushing despite missing five games with knee and shoulder injuries.
First Published March 29, 2010 12:00 am
