Weeks of speculation on the Pittsburgh Steelers running back situation came to a close on Friday, when the team came to a deal on a two-year, $3.85 million contract with free agent RB LeGarrette Blount. The addition of the bruising, 250-pound runner now provides the Steelers with a proven, veteran backup for second-year starter Le’Veon Bell, as well as a player who could step in and give the team a full serving of carries per game should an injury occur. In his four-year NFL career, Blount has scored 20 touchdowns, despite only being the undisputed starter once (2011 with Tampa Bay). That statistic is telling of why the Steelers chose to sign Blount over a smaller, veteran back in Maurice Jones-Drew. Short-yardage and goal line scoring have been thorns in the Steelers side for the past few years, with the team trying many different players in the role – Najeh Davenport, Gary Russell, Carey Davis, Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer have all taken their turn at a chance to be the teams “closer,” so to speak.
More so than any other NFL franchise, the Pittsburgh Steelers have earned the reputation of a “smashmouth” football team over the past half-century. The Steelers have not been void of great skill players – sleek, athletic stars such as Lynn Swann and Antonio Brown – but the bread-and-butter for Pittsburgh has always been in the grind-it-out running game. Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier, Merril Hoge, Barry Foster, Bam Morris and of course “The Bus” Jerome Bettis, are the prototypical Pittsburgh Steelers running backs. All were able to turn the corner and outrun defenders if needed, but truly cut their teeth in the NFL by running between the tackles and crashing into linemen and linebackers with the ball in their hands and no fear in their hearts. In recent years, the Steelers have employed – with success – smaller, versatile backs such as Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall. While Mendenhall had the build of a power runner, his game was more outside the tackles. “Fast” Willie Parker was strictly speed personified – as anyone who watched Super Bowl XL can attest. Parker was impossible to catch once he got past a defender. Fans in Pittsburgh have clamored for the Steelers to return to their roots, while Team President Art Rooney II made it clear as far back as 2010 that the team needed to get back to a power running game. With the signing of Blount, both the fans and the Rooney family have gotten one step closer to their desires becoming reality.
The Steelers found a gem in the second-round of the 2013 NFL Draft when they selected Bell from Michigan State. Bell, after the start of his rookie season was delayed due to a foot injury, made his debut in Week 4 of the season and proceeded to show the versatility that made him the top running back on the Steelers draft board. At 6-foot, 2-inches and 244-pounds, Bell looks the part of a power running back. He can pound through defenders when needed, and also outrun safeties and cornerbacks in the open field. Even more importantly, he is a very capable receiver who can open up the shallow, underneath routes that are imperative in the scheme of offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Despite missing three games in 2013, Bell was able to finish the season with 1,259-all-purpose yards. He added eight rushing touchdowns and his presence allowed TE Heath Miller more opportunities to get open, as teams had to account for the running back on passing downs. Now that he has a full year under his belt in the Steelers offense, Bell is excepted to continue developing into one of the best all-around running backs in the league. The addition of Blount will help Bell as well, with Blount now taking over the short-yardage and goal line duties when needed, providing the 22-year-old with much needed time off the field in the heat of the game. While Bell will surely still see his share of end zone paint, opposing defenses will now need to account for a legitimate bell-cow back — a combination that harkens back to the days of Harris and Bleier or Morris and Pegram.
Blount has not gotten to this point in his career with controversy. The first time that most fans heard his name was after an unfortunate incident that occurred during the first week of the 2009 college football season. Blount and his Oregon Ducks had just endured a tough 19-8 road loss to Boise State at Bronco Stadium when emotions boiled over during the postgame handshakes. Boise State LB Byron Hout approached Blount and made a comment in reference to remarks Blount had made during a Sports Illustrated interview. A few seconds later, Hout was on the ground trying to collect himself, a victim of a punch from Blount. The situation continued to spiral out of control, as Blount then verbally confronted Boise State fans as he was being escorted to the locker room.
The incident became national news, with Blount playing the heel role as mainstream media pundits called for his immediate suspension. Oregon head coach Chip Kelly would comply, publically suspending Blount for the remainder of the season a few days later – however, not dismissing him from the team. Blount would be allowed to retain his scholarship and practice with the team. Within a week, Kelly and PAC-10 conference officials began the process of working together to heal the wounds of the incident. Blount complied with all requests, calling to apologize to Hout, Boise State head coach Chris Peterson, and penning a sincere apology letter to all fans that was published in the University of Oregon school newspaper, The Oregon Daily Emerald on October 1st.
After missing eight games, Blount was reinstated to the Oregon football team on November 6th. The suspension ending up costing Blount a lot more than those eight games however, as he lost his starting job to RB LaMichael James and did not see a carry in any game until the final week of the regular season, a 37-33 win over Oregon State in the annual “Civil War” game. Blount rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown in that game, and followed it up with a 36-yard, one-touchdown performance in the Rose Bowl Game against No. 8-ranked Ohio State. Blount finished his Oregon career with 1,084 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.
Once considered a top-ten running back prospect prior to his senior season, Blount entered the 2010 NFL Draft with the controversy hanging over his head. While few could dispute his athletic ability and potential, few teams were willing to even consider using a draft pick on him. While 15 running backs were drafted in the seven-round draft, Blount remained without a team until the San Francisco 49ers presented him with an undrafted free agent contract. Blount agreed in terms with the 49ers, but then took a meeting with the Tennessee Titans and head coach Jeff Fisher, who were looking for a compliment to Pro Bowl RB Chris Johnson. Blount signed with the Titans and was impressive in the preseason, earning a spot on the Titans 53-man roster. On September 5 – one week before the start of the regular season – Tennessee waived Blount to make room for former Steelers LB Patrick Bailey. The Titans had plans on adding Blount to their practice squad once he cleared waivers, figuring that no team would claim the controversial player.
Unfortunately for Tennessee, the talent-starved Tampa Bay Buccaneers claimed Blount and immediately added him to their active roster. After sitting for the first two weeks of the season behind starting RB Earnest Graham, Blount made his debut in Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, rushing for 27 yards and a touchdown in a 38-13 Buccaneers home loss. By Week 6, Blount had earned the starting role for Tampa Bay, rushing for 72 yards to lead the Buccaneers to a home victory over the St. Louis Rams. In Week 7, Blount finally showed his full potential, gaining 120 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. He would spend the rest of 2010 in that role, racking up three more 100+ yard games and scoring six touchdowns for the 4-12 Buccaneers. Blount became just the second undrafted free agent in NFL history to accumulate 1,000 yards rushing in his rookie season. He began 2011 as the unquestioned starter, and held the role until a knee injury sidelined him for two weeks. He finished 2011 with 184 carries for 781 yards and five touchdowns
Prior to the 2012 season, Tampa Bay drafted RB Doug Martin with the 31st overall pick. Martin immediately supplanted Blount as the starting running back and never looked back. Blount would stick around for the 2012 season in Tampa, but only rushed the ball 41 times for 151 yards. The Buccaneers traded Blount in a draft-day deal to the New England Patriots for RB Jeff Demps and seventh-round draft pick. Blount joined a New England roster that included four other backs that all expected to see carries in 2013. When injuries cost the Patriots both RB Leon Washington and RB Shane Vereen, Blount became the primary backup to starter Stevan Ridley and handled most of the goal line duties. After not gaining more than 76 yards in a game through Week 16, the Patriots handed Blount the reigns for a Week 17 game against the Buffalo Bills. In a contest that secured home-field advantage for New England throughout the AFC Playoffs, Blount carried the ball 24 times for 189 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-20 victory.
He would carry that success into the postseason, leading New England to a 43-22 shellacking of the overmatched Indianapolis Colts in an AFC Divisional Playoff Game by rushing for 166 yards and four touchdowns. The four rushing touchdowns were the most ever scored by a New England player in a playoff game, and placed Blount second all-time in that category (the record is held by San Francisco RB Ricky Watters, who scored five times in a 1994 playoff game).
The Patriots seemed to have intentions of re-signing Blount this offseason, and he received interest from the Baltimore Ravens as well. Blount was originally scheduled to meet with the Steelers last week, but the team postponed the visit due to the NFL Owners Meetings, which both head coach Mike Tomlin and General Manager Kevin Colbert attended in Orlando, FL. The delay could have cost the Steelers a chance to sign Blount, but the nature of the rescheduling showed that the team was truly interested in obtaining his services, as top brass were determined to be in attendance for the conference. Rumors persisted all week that the Ravens were going to offer Blount a deal – sight unseen. The mutual interest between the player and Pittsburgh allowed the Steelers to still get their man. The Steelers wasted no time in signing Blount, as he was in town for less than 12 hours before the contract was put on the table. After meeting with fellow free agent Jones-Drew no less than three times last week (Jones-Drew ended up signing with Oakland), the team never offered the diminutive running back a deal.
In retrospect, it seemed that the Steelers knew exactly who they wanted all along. In his career, Blount has averaged 4.7-yards per rushing attempt. He is also a decent kick returner, averaging 29.1 yards per return last season for New England. The Steelers will still probably select the young running back in the 2014 NFL Draft, as even with Bell and Blount in tow, the team is thin at the position. For now, however, Steelers fans can rest easy knowing that the team has made another fine addition to the roster in an offseason that has become one of the most active in franchise history.
