Contemplating the Running Back Dilemma

I�ve been hearing a lot going around how the Stillers should use one of their top two picks on a RB. The argument is that Amos Zereoue is too small to handle the rigors of being a feature back in the NFL over a 16 game schedule. If Amoz were a 5�7� guy that was on the small to medium side in terms of frame, I would agree that he is going to get killed. However, let me remind you that coming out of college, Amoz benched 450lbs and squatted close to 600lbs for reps.

One thing I noticed watching Barry Sanders run, and I concede Amoz is no Barry Sanders, is that he never took a direct hit. Other than his immense talent, part of the reason was that Sanders was a short, quick, powerful back with a low center of gravity. Amoz also possesses these attributes. So he won�t absorb the same type of hits over the course of a season that an Eddie George or Jerome Bettis would. I remember in the 2001 playoff game against the Ravens, Amoz and Ray Lewis met at the goal line and Amoz scored. It�s not that he overpowered Lewis; he just seemed to bounce off. Ray just couldn�t get a good hit on him.� It�s just hard to put a big hit on someone with a low center of gravity like that.

The same people who complain that the Stillers get to conservative when they have a lead, complain that the Stillers are lacking a power back to grind it out in the 4^th quarter. This is hypocrisy, imagine in the fourth quarter you are defensive coordinator and it�s second and five and your down by seven points. The Stillers line up in a 3 wide set with Reimersma at TE and Zereoue in the backfield, you have no idea what they are going to do. Now imagine the same scenario, you have a two tight end set and Mr. Power/Feature back in. Everyone in the stadium, including the defensive coordinator, knows it�s going to be a run. But hey, if that�s what you want in the 4^th quarter, you can�t call Cowher the turtle king.

Zereoue can be a 1200-yard back. If Fu can stay healthy most of the season (that�s a big IF) and Bettis agrees to a SUBSTANTIAL pay cut and a BACKUP role, the Stillers will be fine at RB. They should not look to draft a RB until the 4^th round unless he is the BFPA/BAA (Best Football Player Available/Best Athlete Available) by a substantial margin. Bettis, when healthy, is a perfect complementary back to Amoz, and Fu is a proven 3^rd down back. Both of the teams in the superbowl, Tampa and Oakland, did not have a traditional 1200-1300 yard �feature back� on their team. The Stillers will have a diversified attack this year and Amoz is the perfect back to lead this attack. He can run a sweep, an off tackle, or a pass route with equal proficiency on any given play. And hey, without a power back Cowher may be forced to actually let Mularkey call an aggressive game plan with a lead in the 4^th quarter. Imagine that!!!!!