Marc Levin
Hangs out with Oscar Zeta Acosta
But can he take the pounding? He looks undersized to me - reminded me of Kevin Faulk.
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Willie Parker (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Macdaddy_2004
- Start date
E-A-G-L-E-S
Footballguy
10 team IDP league keep 3 off players 3 def players, 35 man roster 29 rd draftI took Willie in the 28th rd, then afterwards saw the blurb he is starting 
Lombardi's Orphan Son
Footballguy
bloom,i dig your commentary on the rooks, and for the most part i agree, specifically with pearman who i do feel has the best all round talent and will see more time immediately with his return skills. i don't see the remarks made about any of those guys that i hear about FWP and that's after he's been in the system for a year, proven something (a little at least), and he's not some brand new rook that hasn't been figured out yet.there's something swirling around this guy like it swirls around guys who haven't been discovered yet, but soon will be. when it first started it smelled a little of ben gay. but it's lingered and i think there's something to it.btw: out of all the rook RBs (out of top 4), not all of them will succeed. which ones? i've had deshaun foster on my team for two freakin years and he's done nothing but show sparks of possibilities and take up space on my roster. i won't have to wait very long to see if FWP is worth a roster spot. how long will i have to wait for fason, barber, pearman, ect. that's gotta bump him up a little more in my eyes.-orphan
Marc Levin
Hangs out with Oscar Zeta Acosta
Maybe a little like Gates last year?The only inhibition I see is that IMO Parker can't secure the job - both Bettis and Stakey wil be given ample opp to regain the job when they return from injuries.
I wouldn't spend much on Parker -I'd rather add a guy like THenry or RWilliams as my RB4/5. After all the Staley injuries, however, I would guesss the team will be giving Parker a very long look - but what are the chances he actually WINS the starting job outright by, say, week 6, when the team has Bettis and Staley returning from injuries, and they are looking for another Suiper Bowl run late in the year?
I could see both Williams and Henry in outright starting roles by week 6.
at the smells like ben gay line.i agree about the buzz. im not sure i would be that excited about what he's proven yet. he really didnt show the ability to run within the bread and butter steeler running plays last year, much like foster in carolina early on. he could have learned it, really havent seen enough this preseason to say - obviously we'll know in week 1. im not sure i agree with you on the idea that FWP's opportunity coming now enhances his value. if you believe in him, then you have to hold him, regardless of how this stint turns out. i think every dynasty roster should have at least 10% of the roster dedicated to stash and hold guys based on talent alone. patience is rewarded greatly, especially with RBs because the injury frequency at the positions means most decent RBs will get a starting shot for a game or two at some point or another in their careers.
Steelers4Life
Footballguy
People are going WAY overboard with Parker. He's a talented, fast RB who will have a role on the team, and he'll get an emergency start or two at the beginning of the season.However...The Steelers are a power running team that likes to control the clock. When Bettis and/or Staley returns, Parker will return to being the change of pace and third down back that he would've been otherwise. He may get an occasional series here and there just to spark the offense.In the right situation could Parker potentially do some good things? Possibly, maybe even probably. But the Steelers are not the type of offense to committ to a RB like him long-term unless they change the entire way they run things. I just don't see it happening.
Frenchy Fuqua
Footballguy
I think this is a bigger question than how well he'll perform. If given 15-20 touches per week there is little doubt in my mind that 1-2 will be big gains, meaning big FF pts. How his body holds up to what amounts to a car wreck every week is another story. He is a pretty solid guy but until he does it week in and week out it's anyone's guess. I think he's worth the gamble around 100 or so picks into a draft right now.
SeniorVBDStudent
Footballguy
True dat. There is a chance that Duce and Bus could face lingering problems all year long and the Steelers could be forced to change their approach, but that would doom them as the league would then game plan the heck out of Ben. Then again, maybe I have blinders on because I have Duce in one league and the bus in another....
Frenchy Fuqua
Footballguy
I guess I disagree. The Steelers weren't a gunslinging team until Cowher gained confidence in Tommy Maddox (in 2002). Then they had 2- 1,000 yard receivers. If nothing else, Cowher has tried to play to the strengths of his team. Usually it has revolved around defense and the power running game because of Barry Foster, Bam Morris, Jerome Bettis, etc. But he's also gone to speedier/shifty backs at times along the way like Erric Pegram and Amos Zereoue.I am not for a minute saying Parker is the man now. I do think he is set up to succeed. Week 1 vs. Tennessee at home and likely week 2 at Houston. If Parker plays well Cowher's history suggests that Parker will have a significant role even when Bettis and Staley return. I am very interested to see how things play out.
I think the guys in this thread hating on Willie Parker are the guys who either got beat to their waiver wire to pick him up or didn't have the foresight to draft him in rookie/free agents drafts. What's not to like about Willie Parker? He's fast, he run hard, is a huge playmaker and plays behind one of the best run-blocking o-lines in the NFL....and did I mention his head coach and offensive coordinator are head over heels over the kid? I think you guys are better off listening to Bill Cowher than some armchair QB named Bloom.
fruity pebbles
Footballguy
Or guys who remember seeing him play in college.
4timeloser
Footballguy
Got him in the 11th on Sunday
mydixie
Footballguy
$500 cap 16 team contract/dynasty league Parker was picked off the Blind Bid Waivers for $15. This team bid his Max bid and has L. Johnson, E. Shelton, and C. Perry as his other backs. RB is his only weakness and I believe he was shooting his wad on a chance to shore up that area. I bid $1, the only one I had. I would have went to 5 if I had it but I already have SA, Tiki, Dunn, Shipp.
greendevils
Footballguy
As a big time pittsburgh homer, I will tell you that parker has impressed me alot. The kid is amazingly fast and he is startin week 1. People talk about him being to small or undersized but he is about the same size of Priest Holmes and Curtis Maritn, and they havent done to bad in the NFL. The kid has worked alot on being more paicient this off season and one of the best, Bettis, has been helping him. He is going to surpise people this year and be the STEAL OF THE DRAFT.
Perry Van Hook
Footballguy
FWP just went at 8-11 in $1K antsports league
This is insanity. 
Even though I own him, this is WAY too much talk for a guy that has proven absolutely NOTHING outside of taking a team with a conservative Def like the Bills by surprise. This is still the Preseason guys. 
Seriously, this guy is NOT the next coming of Holmes/Cumar, etc. - his build simply will not stand for the amount of hits over the course of 16 games.
Even though I own him, this is WAY too much talk for a guy that has proven absolutely NOTHING outside of taking a team with a conservative Def like the Bills by surprise. This is still the Preseason guys. Seriously, this guy is NOT the next coming of Holmes/Cumar, etc. - his build simply will not stand for the amount of hits over the course of 16 games.im not hatin on willie, actually as a steeler fan, i want him to be the next coming of gale sayers. that being said, we are talking about a guy who has never been a feature back at a high level of football, save for one game late last year. im skeptical, thats all. if all it took to be a good RB in the NFL was speed, then there are thousands of guys who could have been all pros if given the chance. i dont even doubt that willie can put up stats during the time he plays strictly because of the line he will be running behind. i do have concerns about whether he could hold up for more than 3 for 4 games and whether he truly developing into a running back that sets up his blocks and gets the tough yards when there's no running lane, or if he is the guy that will average 2.5 yards by running up the backs of his linemen except for the one run he busts for 50. the steelers dont need that. they need a guy who consistently gets 4 yards a carry, and gets them to 2nd a 5 or 6, 3rd and 1 or 2, more than a guy who is good for a big play or two but leaves you with 2nd and 8, 3rd and 5.
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purestrength
Footballguy
I'm doing two e-mail drafts at antsports right now.In one, I got Parker at 9.07 (103rd overall).In the other, someone beat me to him at 8.03 (87th overall).Personally, I think eighth round is too soon for him. But if he pans out (and Staley never fully recovers), then he might be a great gamble.
nightshift
Footballguy
Bears_Man2
Footballguy
Hilariously you'd bring up the formerly unknown Holmes here when talking about the unknown Parker. What if.....
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nightshift
Footballguy
He's comin' for ya, Bloom. Fast Willie, week 1, all she wrote for you starting out in the new league on a winning note.
Defeated by a Steeler rookie - oh the pain! Only thing worst would be getting defeated by a Browns QB! 
mydixie
Footballguy
Why is it insane to try to figure out where a potential starter is being drafted? Noone is saying he is a first rounder. He will definitely get 1 start against a week D in week1. Staley is likely to be held out until after the week 4 bye as Cowher has stated that Staley will not be rushed back. Bettis has publicly stated he does not want to be THE guy. That makes it 1 definite and 2 more probable starts. With the track record of Staley and Bettis's desire to be short yardage only there are possibly 5 more games he will start if he gives the job back after the bye. 1 definite, 2 more probable, 5 more possible and remotely the whole season as a starter. This is exactly the guy you want to be talking about where is too high. Guys that have proven themselves don't need talked about, not many "which ROUND to take LT" threads out there.This is insanity.
Even though I own him, this is WAY too much talk for a guy that has proven absolutely NOTHING outside of taking a team with a conservative Def like the Bills by surprise. This is still the Preseason guys.
Seriously, this guy is NOT the next coming of Holmes/Cumar, etc. - his build simply will not stand for the amount of hits over the course of 16 games.
Steelers4Life
Footballguy
The Steelers throwing the ball a lot in 2002 (and 2003) had little to do with Tommy Maddox and more to do with a struggling defense and offensive line injuries. I agree that Cowher has tried to play to his team's strengths, but this team's strength is the offensive line and run blocking. It's not the WRs, and it's not Roethlisberger's arm (yet). This offense is not built for airing it out, with or without Willie in there.Go back and look at Pegram's 2 years in Pittsburgh. He had 213 carries the first year in a RBBC with Bam Morris, who had 148. In 1996, they brought in Bettis and gave him 320 carries to Pegram's 97.
And Amos? He got carries in 2002 and 2003 when the Steelers were forced to mostly abandon their running game and Bettis was innefective, and that was it. In 2003, Cowher was VERY quick to switch back to Bettis after Zereoue struggled behind a decimated offensive line, and he stuck with Bettis even when Bettis struggled just as much.
I hope Parker adds a spark to the Steelers' offense that they've lacked for a while now. He's DEFINITELY set up for success in the first week or two of the season. However, I don't expect him to have any fantasy impact whenever Bettis and/or Staley return from injury as anything more than a 3rd down back.
And to be clear, I'm not discounting the chance that Parker could be successful elsewhere. As a feature back? Maybe. How successful, I don't know, but I don't see him as a guy the Steelers would prefer to rely on a their starting RB unless they change their offensive philosophy.
Gigantomachia
Footballguy
I think for most people, the bottom line is that some one will over value Parker in the draft and take them sooner than a "shark" will.Thus, most of us won't have him.
cstu
Footballguy
Yes, it's that simple. Hindsight is 20/20, but if you remember back when Priest first went to the Chiefs people thought that the starter should be Tony Richardson. And forget about Parker being too small - 5-10, 210 is plenty big for an NFL RB and he has a large enough frame to put on another 10-15 lbs. Next I'll be hearing that Cadillac is too small...
Steelers4Life
Footballguy
This, I agree with.Parker has enough size to be an effective RB in the right system. He's not too small depending on how he's used. He's NOT built to be a smashmouth style RB who pounds it between the tackles consistently, which the Steelers have liked for a long time. They've mixed in a shiftier back from time to time over the past decade, but they've always had at least one pounder to carry half - if not most of - the load.
What I've said a few times is that I just don't believe the Steelers are the right system for him to be a FEATURE back unless they completely revise their offensive philosophy.
Gbagzz
Footballguy
This is so refreshing. I don't know why some are hating on this thread. It's nice to disguss something other than Jordan's red zone touches, Jackson splitting carries, Owens vs McNabb, Payton 1 overall and how early do we draft LJ. A real sleeper back has emerged on a team that relies more on the run (or just as much) than any other team in the NFL. Their 2 starter's are old and injured and the season hasn't even started yet. One of them even contemplated retirement before the season and the other as we know is not reliable at all. Parker might not be the back you'd visualize to be featured in Pitt but like someone mentioned before, Cowher is good at adjusting and compensating - see Maddox and 2, 1,000 yard WR's in 2002 (not par for the course in Steel Town).Steelers start the game off with the titans and the texans. 2 great games for Parker to showcase himself. Even if Bettis is ready to go after that I think they'll keep Parker as the feature and Bettis in the redzone. If anyone has listened to any Bettis interviews during the offseason, Bettis was looking forward to being a backup/redzone guy. I bet he'd LOVE for Parker to be the starter. Guy's old... he doesn't wanna be carrying the ball 25X a game.
nightshift
Footballguy
BTW, true sharks had him sitting in dynasty reserve last year for this year.I think for most people, the bottom line is that some one will over value Parker in the draft and take them sooner than a "shark" will.Thus, most of us won't have him.
C
CrossEyed
Guest
Free Willie!!! 
Wheelhouse
Footballguy
Two words that might make people think differently about Willie Parker and the Steelers running game - Nick Goings- If Nick Goings, a virtually unknown in the league can be successful when called upon, then there's no doubt in my mind that Parker can make an impact. Parker is more of a story because it's the beginning of the season and he ripped off a 51-yd run in his only carry in his last preseason game. He also rushed for 100 yards against Buffalo in week 17 last season. This much I know - when the Steelers have turned to Parker, he's produced. The only question is - can he produce when he's the feature back? Can he gain 6-8 yards on first down carries when the defenses know to key on stopping the run?That question is yet to be answered, but I can't think of many other offensive lines that I would want an inexperienced RB running behind. Parker is a roll of the dice, for fantasy owners but the reward far outweighs the risk in this situation. Sometimes that's what's needed to have an edge in your league. People take risks all the time in fantasy sports. Maybe the Parker risk turns out to be the right risk?
GuppieMuncher
Footballguy
Well said, It seems funny that the consensus is that he will be a one or two week starter and then his value will diminish...I know some of these points have already been made, but Bettis is one step from retirement...I think he thinks they have a chance at a ring and what better way to complete a great career (which would also factor in if Parker made a big splash, he just wants to win and will not be hounding the coach for carries like a younger RB)...I also obviously question his durability at his old age...all he did was start to run to pull that hammy...he did not even get hit...then you have Duce, who has also been injury prone and is an older back..he did have some decent games last year, but lacks the quickness that seperates the stud RBs from the average...we are hearing 3-4 weeks before his return, but how does an older back bounce back from surgery? Is this a best case scenario?
In comes W. Parker, the coach has publicly stated that they have been working on trying to SLOW him down...wow...don't hear that often, but worded otherwise, he needs to learn how to follow his blocks...which is a bit less important if he has already blown past the D-line and only has a LB and maybe a DB to beat for the distance...I think Bill Cower is having to consciuosly wipe the grin off his face when watching this guy play...he is saying the right things to the media, but if Parker makes a splash (and he has been given favorable Run D's to show his stuff)...Parker could find himself running behind a great O-line for a team that loves to run the ball for potentially the whole season...making his upside huge...I considered this when weighing my options on the muddy backfields, RBBC, and all the question marks after the top 20 RBs and took a flier...the opportunity could not be better in my opinion, if Willie can scare Defenses into keying on his quickness, maybe Big Ben will have the time he needs to make good plays which I think is probably what Cower wants most besides winning of course...the downside is obviously there, but I'm not sure the upside is comparable to a number of other muddled backfields with Poor O-lines...
if the stars continue to align, this guy could be the difference maker for a number of owners this year...
Fingers Crossed,
GuppieMuncher
Raider Nation
Devil's Advocate
There was a pretty interesting interview with Parker on Sirius NFL Radio today. He's a humble kid. He said that when Bettis and Staley are healthy, he expects to go back to being a role player and doing "whatever he can to help the team win." But what the hell is he going to say -- "I think Bettis and Staley suck and I should be the guy"...?
Raider Nation
Devil's Advocate
On a related note, which player has the better chance of being a starter in 2006?Parker for the Steelers, or LJ for the Chiefs?
I took Parker in all 3 of my leagues in round 14 (last round). Now all I have to do is get the guts to start him. I doubt I will start him the first week, but he may become very good trade bait if he looks good, or a good replacement if my studs go down. Being named the starter for Pitts. has to give him value for a last round flyer.
Keys Myaths
Pokerguy
Parker plays TEN the first week of the season, too. It's so tempting to start him.But I have Edge/Westy. I don't know how I can.
Wheelhouse
Footballguy
In a keeper league that had plenty of RB keepers, I (gulp) drafted Parker at the 6.12 spot. Both he and Duce are my RB's until Ricky Williams comes back into the fold week 5. I will live or die with the young upstart back. I'll be watching intently.
Raider Nation
Devil's Advocate
BUMPAny opinions at all on this question? :(
Franknbeans
Footballguy
Well, Bettis is done after this year so that leaves Duce who has yet to be injury free for the Steelers and comes with a pretty high price tag and then there's Haynes who is nothing more than a between the tackles runner. I'd say the chance Willie starts next year 2006 (assuming he does well this year) is 80%.LJ's only competition is Priest who everyone has man-love for including Vermeil. Priest is getting up there in age and he is perpetually contemplating retirement. That said, until he does retire, this is his team. Unless he gets injured again this season, I think he comes back for another season next year. Chance that LJ starts next year is 40%.
80>40
By the way, if the year is changed to 2005 then Willie wins that too.
Raider Nation
Devil's Advocate
I concur. So explain to me why L.J. should be taken higher than Parker in dynasty leagues.
