Only three running back in the NFL had more carries than Rashard Mendenhall in 2010 — Michael Turner, Steven Jackson and Arian Foster. Mendenhall’s 324 carries are the most for a Steeler back in one season since Willie Parker’s 337 in 2006 and the second most since 2000, when Jerome Bettis carried the ball a remarkable 355 times.
Running the ball a lot with one running back isn’t always a bad thing. Bettis is a great example of this. He was big, powerful and durable. His backbreaking 3-yard runs moved the chains and won dozens of games during his Steeler career. But the NFL is much different now than it was in 2000. The league has transformed from a run-heavy league to a more open, pass-first mentality.
That is true for the Steelers, as well. Running the ball is still important to the team, but with Ben Roethlisberger at the helm, there’s no reason the Steelers shouldn’t rely mostly on a passing attack. Rule changes in recent years have made it a lot easier on quarterbacks and receivers. The Steelers have one of the top quarterbacks in the game and a group of young, talented receivers anchored by a Hall of Fame veteran in Hines Ward.
With all that in mind, does it make any sense to run Rashard Mendenhall 300+ times in a season? I don’t think so. Jump it for graphs, a look back at the Steelers rushing distribution since 2000 and three reasons why the Steelers have no business giving Mendenhall so many carries.
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Here’s a look at the number of carries for the Steelers top running backs in the last 11 seasons:
| Year | Player | Rushing Attempts | Yards Per Carry | Total Team Carries | % of Total Carries |
| 2010 | Mendenhall | 324 | 3.9 | 471 | 68.79% |
| 2009 | Mendenhall | 242 | 4.6 | 428 | 56.54% |
| 2008 | Parker | 210 | 3.8 | 460 | 45.65% |
| 2007 | Parker | 321 | 4.1 | 511 | 62.82% |
| 2006 | Parker | 337 | 4.4 | 469 | 71.86% |
| 2005 | Parker | 255 | 4.7 | 549 | 46.45% |
| 2004 | Bettis | 250 | 3.8 | 618 | 40.45% |
| 2003 | Bettis | 246 | 3.3 | 446 | 55.16% |
| 2002 | Zereoue | 193 | 3.9 | 512 | 37.70% |
| 2001 | Bettis | 225 | 4.8 | 580 | 38.79% |
| 2000 | Bettis | 355 | 3.8 | 527 | 67.36% |
Mendenhall carried the ball in over 68% of the Steelers rushing plays. Only Parker in 2006 shouldered a bigger burden of the rushing game and we all know the turn his career has taken since back-to-back years of 300+ carries. Mike Tomlin said he would run Parker into the ground and him and Bill Cowher did.
Giving Mendenhall nearly 70% of the carries would be acceptable in three situations: the quarterback can’t be trusted, the running back is having an MVP-type season or the backups stink. In 2010, only two running backs carried the ball a higher percentage of the time for their respective teams than Mendenhall — Steven Jackson and Arian Foster. In Jackson’s case, the Rams weren’t comfortable airing it out with Sam Bradford and their backup running back was Kenneth Darby. Darby had 34 carries and was second on the team to Jackson’s 330. The situation was different in Houston, where Foster averaged 4.9 yards per carry and was dominant. He needed to be fed the ball over and over again because he couldn’t be stopped.
I don’t feel that any of those situations apply to the 2010 Steelers and I don’t see them applying in upcoming seasons either. As I mentioned above, the Steelers have what should be one of the most feared passing attacks in the league with Roethlisberer & Co. Focusing the offense on an aerial attack should be a no-brainer.
Mendenhall scored a lot of touchdowns last season and ended up with a decent chunk of yardage, but he wasn’t very effective. Brian Burke’s Win Probability Added stat had Mendenhall’s 2010 season at a pedestrian 0.13. His 3.9 yards per carry, another pedestrian number, are further evidence that he was average in 2010.
Isaac Redman, Mewelde Moore and Jonathan Dwyer are not elite NFL running backs, but they are all capable backups, especially Redman. Redman averaged 4.8 yards per carry and looked great carrying the ball during most of the season. If for some reason the team isn’t comfortable with these three getting more than 90 or so carries a year, they need to look elsewhere for other options.
The Steeler offensive suffered from a lack of identity during much of the 2010 season. Everybody from fans to the team’s ownership was calling for the Steelers to run the ball more in 2010 and Mike Tomlin and Bruce Arians listened. In 2011 and beyond, though, they must be more responsible and smarter with how they spread the ball around in the backfield. Unless Mendenhall starts shredding defenses a la Arian Foster, there is no reason to give him well over 300 carries in a year. With Redman and Roethlisberger on the roster, 324 carries in one season is way too much burden to put on one players shoulders. The Steelers have already witnessed firsthand what this type of abuse can do to a running back’s career and, aside from that, it really isn’t smart football.
I’ve never been the biggest Mendenhall fan and between the SB fumble and his offseason tweets, I’m sure a lot of fans will perhaps be actively rooting against him (which is kind of sad, but that’s another post). I think Mendenhall can be an above-average running back in this league. At one time, I was worried he would be a bust but I saw a few flashes of greatness at times in 2010. His vision is improving and his strong postseason are good signs. However, I think he would be a lot more effective in the long run if he isn’t asked to do so much. Fresher legs mean more long runs and a healthier body during what is hopefully another long playoff run in 2011.
Seeing how Tomlin and Arians choose to distribute carries will be one of the more interesting things to watch in the Steelers offense in 2010.
