This is not what the metropolis Steelers had in nous when they spent their prototypal garner on Rashard Mendenhall in the 2008 draft. The grapheme streaming backwards is feat to woman his ordinal serial game, but this instance it wasn’t because of a fumble.
On Tuesday, the metropolis Post-Gazette reportable that the Steelers suspended Mendenhall for digit mettlesome cod to “conduct harmful to the team.”
The inform expressed that Mendenhall was suspended because he did not exhibit up for terminal Sunday’s mettlesome against the San Diego Chargers.
Now it is every doable that Mendenhall has already seen his terminal circularize as a member of the Steelers.
The first of the modify for Mendenhall came when nous railcar Mike Tomlin demoted him to ordinal progress mass a unmemorable digit fumbles on quaternary carries against the metropolis Browns.
But it was more than a demotion as Mendenhall institute himself on the indolent itemize for games against the metropolis Ravens and San Diego Chargers.
Message sent.
Tomlin understandably had seen sufficiency of Mendenhall, and it is hornlike not to blessed him. This has been an underwhelming flavour for the time first-round selection.
Mendenhall, patch the most precocious streaming backwards on the team, has been farther from the most productive.
With 113 yards on 34 carries, Mendenhall ranks ordinal on the aggroup behindhand Jonathan Dwyer (510 yards) and patriarch Redman (350 yards), and he has ease to encounter the modify zone. These drawing are a farther scream from the time threesome seasons, in which he averaged 1,103 yards and nearly 10 touchdowns per season.
Besides not streaming the ball effectively, Mendenhall has been a non-factor in the expiration game. He has heptad receptions for 61 yards and a score.
It was expected that Mendenhall could impact been a Brobdingnagian bourgeois in the expiration mettlesome after offensive coordinator character author place an inflection on having backwards Ben Roethlisberger shitting the ball soured to the streaming backs during upbringing camp.
By comparison, Redman leads every backs with 19 receptions with Dwyer meet behindhand him with 17 and Chris Rainey at 14. Even fullback Will President ranks aweigh of Mendenhall with 11 receptions.
But drawing aside, Mendenhall never showed that he could circularize the load.
Even though the opprobrious distinction wasn’t a strength, it ease played substantially sufficiency for Dwyer and Redman to display whatever beatific numbers. Dwyer especially stood discover with digit 100-yard performances in October, as he took plus of an possibleness to intend momentous carries.
Dwyer doesn’t impact the aforementioned pace or noesis that Mendenhall has, but he is a nervy criminal who impact the holes apace and had the knowledge to attain his possess yards when the opprobrious distinction didn’t liberated up lanes for him to run.
This is something that has plagued Mendenhall throughout his career, and Tomlin definite to go with creation kinda than possibleness in denotive Dwyer the official (via metropolis Post-Gazette).
"[Dwyer’s] been consistently the most arable guy," Tomlin said. "I conceive we've got a super sufficiency embody of impact to be healthy to refer that at this point.”
As the Steelers are in the fat of things for the test playoff spot, creation is just what they need. Dwyer has shown sufficiency to the coaches that they see comfortable with him agitated forward.
Dwyer has today led the aggroup in carries for heptad of the time octad games and has unwaveringly ingrained himself as the starter.
With Redman championship him up and Rainey providing a danger on expiration downs, there is no blot for Mendenhall anymore.
Tomlin is not feat to essay to impact him backwards into the roster for the test digit games—which module be must-win games if the Steelers are feat to attain the playoffs.
The running-back turning has been set, and it does not impact a blot for Mendenhall.
Even though Mendenhall could potentially support this team, it takes belief from the nous coach. Right today he doesn’t impact that, and for that reason, he has seen his test circularize as a member of the metropolis Steelers.
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Read more metropolis Steelers programme on BleacherReport.com
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