With the news that Willie Parker is limited with a case of turf toe, backups Mewelde Moore and Rashard Mendenhall become immediate must-adds. But considering that Mendenhall was benched in the second half of last week’s game against the Bengals, it would seem like Moore is the better bet of the two to emerge as the top back. Not so fast, says Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Mendenhall’s Chance to Shine?
Tomlin took issue yesterday when he was asked at his news conference if Mendenhall was still in his doghouse.
“He is not in the doghouse. I don’t have a doghouse,” Tomlin replied. […]
Tomlin explained why older players might get a break from him that Mendenhall, in his second season, did not over similar circumstances:“It’s a little different when a veteran football player potentially makes mistakes in preparation for a game. If Hines Ward misses an assignment on a Thursday, you kind of ‘hmm’ and you move on. Young guys have to earn their opportunity. They have to make coaches comfortable with their ability to execute details of their assignment. They need to make the other guys in the huddle very comfortable with their ability to execute the details of assignments.
“[Mendenhall] didn’t do that to my satisfaction last week, so he didn’t get a chance to play offense. That being said, I took action. I’m not carrying baggage into this week. If he plays above the line in preparation for the game, he’ll be given an opportunity to play for us.”
This is certainly good news for Mendenhall, who has the bruising power and top-end speed to potentially be a top back. We’ll see if he can take advantage of his opportunities this weekend.
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