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Face Off - RB Duce Staley - Pittsburgh Steelers

Upside by Chris Smith
When Duce Staley signed with the Steelers, he was doing so to become the starting running back for the team. He'll be given every opportunity to win the job over Jerome Bettis this season. Staley is 29 years old but the good news is he hasn't experienced the pounding at his age that many other backs have experienced. He has only carried the ball 1201 times in his career and caught 275 passes. He should still have a few seasons of productive football ahead of him. He is a well-rounded running back who is solid in all facets of the game. He has good body control, decent power and quickness and is a great receiver out of the backfield.

Reasons for Optimism

  • The Steelers offensive line is healthy and more capable after a sub par 2003 season


  • The Steelers are one season removed from 2120 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns


  • Staley will be given every opportunity to be the go-to guy in the backfield


  • Staley will catch a lot of passes out of the backfield


  • Staley was the 15th best running back in 2002, the 20th in 2001 and the 10th best in 1999


Bottom Line
Duce Staley looked poised for a very solid season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jerome Bettis will see some action on game day but he is a shell of the player he once was (3.6 and 3.3 YPC in the past two season) and Staley should get the lion size share of the work. Staley has caught over 50 passes three times in his career and has also rushed for 1000 or more yards three times. He will be a dependable # 2 running back in 2004 and should eclipse 1000 rushing yards on the season.


Downside by Michael Brown
Duce Staley signed with the Steelers this to become the featured back. Or did he? Bill Cowher suggested recently that he didn't know how he'd utilize Staley and Jerome Bettis. One thing is certain, however. Each will play a prominent role, and they will cut into each other's stats.

Cowher is fiercely loyal to 'his guys', meaning Bettis isn't there just for laughs. It remains to be seen what Bettis' role will be, but he will likely handle a good amount of the goal line and short yardage work. Additionally, Bettis wondered whether the Steelers will actually return to 'smashmouth' football. He says he'll believe they are committed to the run when he sees it. Well, he's a pretty good authority on the state of the offense considering he plays in it. Take this with a grain of salt, or take it as an indication that there may not be as many carries to go around as everyone thinks.

Another consideration is Staley's own performance. Is it a coincidence that in the past five years, Staley has averaged 4.0 yards per carry only twice? And those two seasons happened to be the only two seasons that he failed to register at least 100 carries? One possibility for this is that he wears down the more carries he gets. Another is that when teams expect Staley on the field, they adjust to him. If teams actively gameplan for Staley, who knows how he'll handle it?

Then there is Staley's age and durability. He is 29, which isn't old but not exactly young, and has suffered a variety of ailments. Staley was chosen as sports toughest athlete by ESPN because of his ability to play through pain. But as Joe Bryant questioned, is it better to have a guy who always plays hurt, or the guy who avoids getting hurt in the first place?

Staley is ranked 24th best according to Footballguys, making him a fringe starter. Despite his unquestioned success last year, it's difficult to recommend a guy who failed to crack 500 yards as a starting option.

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