Player Spotlight: Willie Parker (1 Viewer)

[shadyridr]

Willie Parker was the number #1 RB among all NFL RBs (with at least 10 attempts) last year in converting 1 yard for either a 1st down or a TD. He went 13 for 16.

 

[Macdaddy_2004]

Now I hear Parker is the best RB in trainning camp picking up the blitz.

(See Steelers Offseason thread).

So......

1. He had 1700 total yards and 16 TD's last year

2. Ben looks improved in camp

3. Arians is running a more spread offence

4. He wants to stay in on every down

5. The coaches want him to stay in on every down

6. He looks up to LT as a role model

7. He has a great supporting cast

This is my definition of sleeper, A guy that is going in the late 1st round early 2nd round but will put up top 3 numbers.

I think he will finish the year #2 ahead of SJAX.

 

[gump]

Now I hear Parker is the best RB in trainning camp picking up the blitz.(See Steelers Offseason thread).So......1. He had 1700 total yards and 16 TD's last year2. Ben looks improved in camp3. Arians is running a more spread offence4. He wants to stay in on every down5. The coaches want him to stay in on every down6. He looks up to LT as a role model7. He has a great supporting castThis is my definition of sleeper, A guy that is going in the late 1st round early 2nd round but will put up top 3 numbers. I think he will finish the year #2 ahead of SJAX.

Not only that, but:1. LJ is holding out and losing linemen2. Gore has a broken hand3. Addai lost his LT4. Westbrook sat out of practiceParker and SA are going to climb to #3 and #4, if this keeps up.

 

[duaneok66]

Parker is hurt now; he hasn't practiced since last tuesday . . .

they say it's no big deal, but . . .

 

[JAMMIN]

He was #7 in my league last year. I dont know but after LT and SJax the next 5-6 guys, fwp included, are pretty much the same.

 

[noneother]

so does Gary Russel take the GLine carries from poopy pants?

 

[BigSteelThrill]

250 Rushes, 950 Yards Rushing, 6 TDs

I think the Steelers are in for a rough season ahead. Tomlin is a new coach, the OC is new and that O line isn't getting much younger or better in my eyes.

The Steelers spent a long time under Cowher. There are going to be some transition pains moving to Tomlin. More losses equal more time playing from behind equals more time that Big Ben is going to have to chuck it up to Ward and Holmes.

FWP is a good back, but that doesn't mean all that much if your team is going to be playing from behind a lot. There is nothing in this offseason that makes me think the Steelers will drastically improve from last season. They had a good long strong run of it, especially for the FA era of the NFL, and the gravy years are over. Cowher leaving kind of cements this in my mind. The Steelers are a focused and professional franchise so I think they bounce back, just not this year, and FWP has to pay for it.

Tomlin is going to flop. There's no way around it. I'm sure he was a great D coordinator. But the football Gods are not going to like that Russ Grimm had to lose his shot last year over the Rooney Rule. In my mind, the Steelers put winning second when they did a last minute switcharoo on Grimm and put winning second to being faithful to Rooney's vision of redistributing the inequity of an inherently difficult and complex job where only a handful of position are available period. Karma doesn't work in real life, but it does in football. Eli Manning is sitting on a ticking timebomb called his career in NY. Elway had to suffer a long time before his SuperBowls. Brett Favre and Dan Marino let their conditioning wane while their influence exceed their legitimate bounds in their later years and they became the weight that sunk their respective franchises.

FWP has a bad year, because he pays when the Steelers pay. The Steelers aren't going to be very good this year. The Football Gods are cruel and merciless like that.

Sweet, just the misperception we hope most have.

 

[Macdaddy_2004]

Gordon Gecko please tell me you are not being serious

 

[Sultans]

Willile Parker is an excellent running back playing on a team that loves to run the football. He demonstrated speed, power and the ability to catch the football last season. There is no reason to think he can't duplicate what he did last season.1400 yards12td's30 receptions for 220 yards and 2 td'sAnother monster year for FWP

I completely agree. I have no problem seeing FWP repeat his sucess from last season. He did have quite a few sub par games, but lets remember Roethlisberger was not himself last year and the Jaw is ultra conservative in his play calling. I am looking forward to see how the more wide open offense effects Willie for the better. Parker is not only perhaps the fastest back in the league, he is ultra powerful as well. I think this aspect of his game is overlooked and he sure gets it done near the goalline. He also showed the ability to go out on routes. I am hoping I get the 6 or 7 slot in my redraft league so I can nab Parker.335 Carries for 1474 Yards 12 TD's 40 Receptions for 400 Yards 2 TD's= STUD

 

[BGP]

The Steelers OL in 2006 was rather one-dimensional. They weren't bad at run-blocking at times, but they nearly got Ben killed. Now its 2007, and it appears there is likely a mandate to improve the protection for Ben at the expense of the running game. To Wit:

http://news.steelers.com/article/78802/

When training camp opened, Marvel Smith and Alan Faneca were set at their respective positions on the left side of the line, but the other three jobs were wide open. When the Steelers first-team offense took the field on Friday night at Latrobe Stadium, the three players joining Smith and Faneca were Chukky Okobi at center, Kendall Simmons at right guard and Max Starks at right tackle.

Tomlin is trying to find a spot for Colon on the OL, who graded out as a better pass blocker than run blocker, for example.http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2006/colon_willie

I'd dial back my expectations on Parker. Honestly the entire offense might be in trouble.

280 carries for 1100 yards, 6 rushing TDs, 30 catches, 250 yards, 2 TDs.

 

[AnonymousBob]

250 Rushes, 950 Yards Rushing, 6 TDsI think the Steelers are in for a rough season ahead. Tomlin is a new coach, the OC is new and that O line isn't getting much younger or better in my eyes. The Steelers spent a long time under Cowher. There are going to be some transition pains moving to Tomlin. More losses equal more time playing from behind equals more time that Big Ben is going to have to chuck it up to Ward and Holmes. FWP is a good back, but that doesn't mean all that much if your team is going to be playing from behind a lot. There is nothing in this offseason that makes me think the Steelers will drastically improve from last season. They had a good long strong run of it, especially for the FA era of the NFL, and the gravy years are over. Cowher leaving kind of cements this in my mind. The Steelers are a focused and professional franchise so I think they bounce back, just not this year, and FWP has to pay for it. Tomlin is going to flop. There's no way around it. I'm sure he was a great D coordinator. But the football Gods are not going to like that Russ Grimm had to lose his shot last year over the Rooney Rule. In my mind, the Steelers put winning second when they did a last minute switcharoo on Grimm and put winning second to being faithful to Rooney's vision of redistributing the inequity of an inherently difficult and complex job where only a handful of position are available period. Karma doesn't work in real life, but it does in football. Eli Manning is sitting on a ticking timebomb called his career in NY. Elway had to suffer a long time before his SuperBowls. Brett Favre and Dan Marino let their conditioning wane while their influence exceed their legitimate bounds in their later years and they became the weight that sunk their respective franchises. FWP has a bad year, because he pays when the Steelers pay. The Steelers aren't going to be very good this year. The Football Gods are cruel and merciless like that.

I see your arrogance and penchant for fishing expeditions has spread from the Free For All.

 

[Godsbrother]

Tomlin is going to flop. There's no way around it. I'm sure he was a great D coordinator. But the football Gods are not going to like that Russ Grimm had to lose his shot last year over the Rooney Rule. In my mind, the Steelers put winning second when they did a last minute switcharoo on Grimm and put winning second to being faithful to Rooney's vision of redistributing the inequity of an inherently difficult and complex job where only a handful of position are available period. Karma doesn't work in real life, but it does in football.The Steelers aren't going to be very good this year. The Football Gods are cruel and merciless like that.

First off, I don't believe the story that Russ Grimm was offered the HC job by the Steelers but Goodell called Rooney and told him to hire Tomlin instead because it would be nice for the Steelers to have a black coach. I think that everyone (including Grimm) assumed he was going to get the job after Whisenhunt went to AZ and this cockamamie story was floated to explain why he didn't get the job. The bottom line is that Grimm has been interviewed by a few teams and hasn't been able to nail down a HC job. That is not saying that he might not make a great HC some day but apparently he doesn't interview all that well.If Tomlin flops it will have nothing to do with Russ Grimm, the football gods or karma.

 

[BGP]

Grimm is considered a bit overrated as OL coach. There's a reason he has never landed a head coaching gig anywhere, and had to settle for working under Whiz in Arizona.

 

[Godsbrother]

Tomlin announced today that Parker will not suit up for Saturday's game against the Packers. Say's that FWP is driving him up the wall because he wants to play but Tomlin wants to make sure the knee is okay.

Tomlin is making it sound like it is no big deal but I am beginnng to wonder about that "training camp knee"..

 

[The Man with the Plan]

Tomlin announced today that Parker will not suit up for Saturday's game against the Packers. Say's that FWP is driving him up the wall because he wants to play but Tomlin wants to make sure the knee is okay.Tomlin is making it sound like it is no big deal but I am beginnng to wonder about that "training camp knee"..

Has he been practicing at all lately? That's more important to me than whether he plays in a preseason game.

 

[Godsbrother]

Tomlin announced today that Parker will not suit up for Saturday's game against the Packers. Say's that FWP is driving him up the wall because he wants to play but Tomlin wants to make sure the knee is okay.Tomlin is making it sound like it is no big deal but I am beginnng to wonder about that "training camp knee"..

Has he been practicing at all lately? That's more important to me than whether he plays in a preseason game.

He didn't yesterday.

 

[treat88]

One player who made a surprising return was running back Willie Parker. Parker was dressed for the first time in nearly two weeks – this coming just a couple of hours after Tomlin declared him out of action for Saturday.

While Parker didn’t take part in a full practice, he did do a little running in position drills, testing out his sore left knee. He'll be back Monday at full speed.

http://nflfromthesidelines.blogspot.com/FWP is getting the kid glove treatment because Tomlin knows this kid makes or breaks the Steelers season.

I would be fine if he practiced lightly the whole preseason, skipped the preseason games, and avoided any type of injury.

Then he can tear opposing defenses a new one when the season starts.

 

[5-ish Finkle]

There is nothing in this offseason that makes me think the Steelers will drastically improve from last season

Well, that's not really that problematic since they don't need to "drastically" improve from last season. With all the crap that happened to them a year ago with the QB, the OL and the defense ceasing to make plays....they were two turnovers away from being 9-7. They were probably another 3 or 4 away from being 10-6. The Steelers were a .500 team due to basically one thing: Turnover differential, which in part was created from a totally beat up QB(mentally AND physically) rushing back to play when he likely shouldn't have.This ain't a 3-13 Browns team you're looking at here. They don't have that far to "improve" to be right back in the playoff hunt.

 

[Meast21]

There is nothing in this offseason that makes me think the Steelers will drastically improve from last season

Well, that's not really that problematic since they don't need to "drastically" improve from last season. With all the crap that happened to them a year ago with the QB, the OL and the defense ceasing to make plays....they were two turnovers away from being 9-7. They were probably another 3 or 4 away from being 10-6. The Steelers were a .500 team due to basically one thing: Turnover differential, which in part was created from a totally beat up QB(mentally AND physically) rushing back to play when he likely shouldn't have.This ain't a 3-13 Browns team you're looking at here. They don't have that far to "improve" to be right back in the playoff hunt.

 

[JAMMIN]

i heard he practiced is he good to go?

 

[treat88]

i heard he practiced is he good to go?

See post #68

 

[Godsbrother]

It was good to hear about Willie's return to the practice field. Apparently he has been driving Tomlin crazy because he wants to get back on the field.

 

[poopdawg]

250 Rushes, 950 Yards Rushing, 6 TDsI think the Steelers are in for a rough season ahead. Tomlin is a new coach, the OC is new and that O line isn't getting much younger or better in my eyes. The Steelers spent a long time under Cowher. There are going to be some transition pains moving to Tomlin. More losses equal more time playing from behind equals more time that Big Ben is going to have to chuck it up to Ward and Holmes. FWP is a good back, but that doesn't mean all that much if your team is going to be playing from behind a lot. There is nothing in this offseason that makes me think the Steelers will drastically improve from last season. They had a good long strong run of it, especially for the FA era of the NFL, and the gravy years are over. Cowher leaving kind of cements this in my mind. The Steelers are a focused and professional franchise so I think they bounce back, just not this year, and FWP has to pay for it. Tomlin is going to flop. There's no way around it. I'm sure he was a great D coordinator. But the football Gods are not going to like that Russ Grimm had to lose his shot last year over the Rooney Rule. In my mind, the Steelers put winning second when they did a last minute switcharoo on Grimm and put winning second to being faithful to Rooney's vision of redistributing the inequity of an inherently difficult and complex job where only a handful of position are available period. Karma doesn't work in real life, but it does in football. Eli Manning is sitting on a ticking timebomb called his career in NY. Elway had to suffer a long time before his SuperBowls. Brett Favre and Dan Marino let their conditioning wane while their influence exceed their legitimate bounds in their later years and they became the weight that sunk their respective franchises. FWP has a bad year, because he pays when the Steelers pay. The Steelers aren't going to be very good this year. The Football Gods are cruel and merciless like that.

Im sure these were the same things being said when Cowher took over for the mighty Chuck Noll. That seemed to work out okay. 3 coaches in 38 years. The Rooneys know exactly what they are doing.

 

[poopdawg]

The Steelers OL in 2006 was rather one-dimensional. They weren't bad at run-blocking at times, but they nearly got Ben killed. Now its 2007, and it appears there is likely a mandate to improve the protection for Ben at the expense of the running game. To Wit:

http://news.steelers.com/article/78802/

When training camp opened, Marvel Smith and Alan Faneca were set at their respective positions on the left side of the line, but the other three jobs were wide open. When the Steelers first-team offense took the field on Friday night at Latrobe Stadium, the three players joining Smith and Faneca were Chukky Okobi at center, Kendall Simmons at right guard and Max Starks at right tackle.

Tomlin is trying to find a spot for Colon on the OL, who graded out as a better pass blocker than run blocker, for example.http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2006/colon_willie

I'd dial back my expectations on Parker. Honestly the entire offense might be in trouble.

280 carries for 1100 yards, 6 rushing TDs, 30 catches, 250 yards, 2 TDs.

6 rushing TDs?? Whos going to get the rest then??

 

[chihawk]

So it looks like Parker got a few carries in the last game. This knee thing still worries me a little, but if they let him play in the game he is probably ok. I guess we'll see if he plays more in the next couple of games (and practices). Does anyone have any more info on this?

 

[SteelerMurf]

So it looks like Parker got a few carries in the last game. This knee thing still worries me a little, but if they let him play in the game he is probably ok. I guess we'll see if he plays more in the next couple of games (and practices). Does anyone have any more info on this?

it was a muscle strain behind the knee

 

[cstu]

The Steelers OL in 2006 was rather one-dimensional. They weren't bad at run-blocking at times, but they nearly got Ben killed. Now its 2007, and it appears there is likely a mandate to improve the protection for Ben at the expense of the running game. To Wit:

http://news.steelers.com/article/78802/

When training camp opened, Marvel Smith and Alan Faneca were set at their respective positions on the left side of the line, but the other three jobs were wide open. When the Steelers first-team offense took the field on Friday night at Latrobe Stadium, the three players joining Smith and Faneca were Chukky Okobi at center, Kendall Simmons at right guard and Max Starks at right tackle.

Tomlin is trying to find a spot for Colon on the OL, who graded out as a better pass blocker than run blocker, for example.http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2006/colon_willie

I'd dial back my expectations on Parker. Honestly the entire offense might be in trouble.

280 carries for 1100 yards, 6 rushing TDs, 30 catches, 250 yards, 2 TDs.

6 rushing TDs?? Whos going to get the rest then??

No one.

 

[kerpow]

The Steelers OL in 2006 was rather one-dimensional. They weren't bad at run-blocking at times, but they nearly got Ben killed. Now its 2007, and it appears there is likely a mandate to improve the protection for Ben at the expense of the running game. To Wit:

http://news.steelers.com/article/78802/

When training camp opened, Marvel Smith and Alan Faneca were set at their respective positions on the left side of the line, but the other three jobs were wide open. When the Steelers first-team offense took the field on Friday night at Latrobe Stadium, the three players joining Smith and Faneca were Chukky Okobi at center, Kendall Simmons at right guard and Max Starks at right tackle.

Tomlin is trying to find a spot for Colon on the OL, who graded out as a better pass blocker than run blocker, for example.http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2006/colon_willie

I'd dial back my expectations on Parker. Honestly the entire offense might be in trouble.

280 carries for 1100 yards, 6 rushing TDs, 30 catches, 250 yards, 2 TDs.

6 rushing TDs?? Whos going to get the rest then??

No one.

Well, Davenport got 5 rushing TD's. But I take your point, much to my annoyance being a Parker owner in 2 leagues, that it was all passing in the red zone.