Steelers Icon Jerome Bettis Absolutely Rips NFL In Critical Response To Latest League Issue

The Pittsburgh Steelers run the football and play excellent defense. Ben Roethlisberger’s brilliance briefly distracted the Steelers from that philosophy, but even his career featured multiple stars at running back. Five former Steelers running backs are currently in the Hall of Fame. Bill Dudley, John McNally, and John Henry Johnson were elected for their performance before the Super Bowl era.

Franco Harris scored the first postseason touchdown in the team’s history with the Immaculate Reception as a rookie. It was his first step towards the Hall of Fame, that finished with him as the second leading rusher in NFL history when he retired. Harris was a key member of four Super Bowl-winning teams and still holds the NFL record for most yards rushing in Super Bowl history.

Steelers' Jerome Bettis Faked An Injury To Prolong His Steelers Career

The fifth and final running back in franchise history to be elected was Jerome Bettis. Bettis retired after Super Bowl XL as the second-leading rusher in Steelers history. It took five tries, but he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015. Bettis was a battering ram at running back for the Steelers for a decade. He also went as far as to fake an injury towards the end of his prime because he feared he might be released.

Bettis joined The Dan Patrick Show Tuesday morning to discuss the hot topic of what's currently going on in the league with the running backs. The New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders are passing on long-term contracts with Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs. Patrick and Bettis shared a laugh about the Hall of Fame running back’s son playing wide receiver before Bettis chimed in with his thoughts about the current situation.

“The running backs get no love,” Bettis began. “No one wants to play running back anymore. It started because college football went to a more wide-open style of football about 10 years ago. If you don’t go to Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State, you are not going to play running back if you are 215, 220 pounds. Now the talented kids [that size] are switching positions.”

Bettis was built like a bowling ball even when he attended Notre Dame. He was exceptionally quick for a big back, but he retired nearly two decades ago. The position has evolved and running backs like Derrick Henry and Najee Harris, who both played at Alabama, are very rare commodities in the modern NFL.

“If you’re a GM, you’re saying if I don’t have that special running back, let me get two guys, three guys that we feel can kind of fill that void and be one running back, but three different players. You are not seeing a plethora of quality running backs. When you do see them, now these teams have an opportunity to devalue the position,” Bettis argued.

Three-down running backs are exceedingly rare in today’s NFL. The injury to Harris last year forced Jaylen Warren to the forefront during the Steelers’ slow start last season. When Harris healed, the tandem took off in production. Running back by committee has become the norm on many NFL teams.

“It’s a devaluation of the position because now they say, 'We don’t have to pay you,'” Bettis said. “We can get them elsewhere. The truth is when you get a special running back like a Saquon Barkley, you can’t find him, they don’t grow on trees. This place where we are at, they don’t have to justify to the fans that we needed to pay him top dollars because he was a quality running back. We can afford to play hardball with him because the market is dictating, we don’t have to pay him.”

Bettis candidly admits that players who are built to be every down running backs in high school are switching to other positions. The game is evolving, but even in the NFL, you can’t just throw the ball every down. The position might be deemphasized, but the running game is still vital to a team’s success.

“The passing game has totally eliminated the fullback position,” Bettis observes. “That’s already totally gone. That was the Peyton Manning era that ushered out the fullback. Now the numbers say you throw the football, everyone has gotten smaller. You are not running the ball that much, so I need my linebacker to be more of a defensive back and at 225-230, he has got to be extremely fast. It’s changed the way these athletes look.”

Peyton Manning and Tom Brady had a lot of success spreading the defense out with multiple receivers and pass-catching running backs who presented matchup problems. The Steelers were repeatedly victimized by the tactic when they faced the New England Patriots. Patrick posed an interesting question to Bettis asking if a team might just go the other way and just play power football against smaller lineups.

“I think that is the recipe you are going to see in Pittsburgh,” Bettis concludes. “Kenny Pickett is going to be a special quarterback. He is still developing and while he is developing, you got to run the football. I think you are still going to see that philosophy, but you have to have that special running back. If you do, you have a decided advantage because most defenses are smaller.”

Omar Khan, Andy Weidl, and Mike Tomlin have made a concerted effort to turn the Steelers’ young offense into a capable power running team. Bettis knows from experience what a great running game can do for a young quarterback’s confidence. The Steelers are counting on being able to push teams around on Sunday this fall to take the pressure off of Kenny Pickett.

It is a calculated gamble because if it works, it will force a decision on the future of Harris as the franchise running back. If the Steelers end up playing into late January, they could look like geniuses for drafting Harris in the first round and having the choice of picking up his fifth-year option.

What do you think, Steeler Nation? If the Steelers' power running plan works, do you extend Harris or pick up his option? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.

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