Rashard Mendenhall: One-Week Wonder, or Sign of Things to Come?

PITTSBURGH -- Mike Tomlin wouldn't play along. Oh, it sounded like a good story. Rashard Mendenhall, the Steelers' young backup running back, was benched in Week 3 because Tomlin didn't think he was paying close enough attention to his playbook. Mendenhall was contrite, and spent the week telling folks he hoped he'd get a second chance because he knew what he'd done wrong and was determined to make up for it. Willie Parker, the starting running back, went down with a toe injury, and Mendenhall stepped in and shredded the Chargers on national TV. Great story, but Tomlin says he isn't buying.

"I'm not going to take any credit for that," the Steelers' coach said when asked if he felt he'd motivated Mendenhall. "I didn't rush for a yard tonight."

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That put Tomlin 165 yards behind Mendenhall, who had more rushing yards than anybody else in the NFL on Sunday. He posted the highest rushing total by a Steeler since Parker had 223 on Dec. 7, 2006, and he became the first Steeler not named Ben Roethlisberger to run for a touchdown this year. And while all anybody wanted to talk about Sunday was the big night the kid had and the crucial victory that moved the defending champs back to .500, those 165 yards could mean a lot more to the Steelers than one early-October win.

"I was able to be me and be comfortable," Mendenhall said. "All I wanted was a chance to be out there and for people to see me and who I am, because people haven't seen me play too much to this point."

Rashard Mendenhall, you may or may not remember, is supposed to be a star. He was a first-round draft pick. The Steelers selected him 23rd overall in 2008. With the very next pick after that, the Tennessee Titans took a guy of whom you may have heard. Guy by the name of Chris Johnson. Coming out of the University of Illinois, Mendenhall struck the Steelers as a back around whom they could build the future of their running game.

But "future" doesn't have to mean "distant future," and in the NFL the smart teams know that. The Steelers are 2-2, looking up at both the Bengals and the Ravens (one of whom will be 4-1 this time next week) in the AFC North. If Parker's toe injury is going to linger, or if Parker has simply lost a step, and if Mendenhall is healthy and with the program, there's nothing that's going to stop the Steelers from giving him the ball. Maybe he and Parker split touches when and if Parker comes back. Maybe he leaves Parker in the dust and finishes the season as the feature back. Anything's possible, and the fact that Mendenhall played the way he did Sunday night against the Chargers shows you that he's capable of handling the job.

"Rashard definitely proved himself tonight," Pittsburgh tackle Max Starks said. "He was toting the rock with authority."

Which is what the Steelers and their fans have been waiting to see for the past year and a half. For one night, he showed everybody a glimpse of what he was supposed to be. He made the much-maligned Steelers offensive line look all-world. He led an offense that couldn't be stopped when the other team was desperate to stop it. He backed up a confidence his coach claims has not wavered.

"I don't lack confidence in Rashard, even prior to tonight," Tomlin said. "He's a very talented young man, a good guy. He went through what some guys go through. He addressed it and moved forward, and tonight he showed what he's capable of doing. He needs to continue to do that and build off of that as we move forward. I'm sure that's his mindset, but we're going to make sure that our actions match our mentality."

Translation: Mendenhall is still young, and he's still learning. But he's also very, very good. And if he's going to be that, then he can help the Steelers, this year, right now. And the Steelers aren't going to be afraid to let him.