Willie Parker was the league's rushing leader when he went down with a season ending leg injury Thursday night during a game versus St.Louis. I was in shock when I heard that his leg was broken and he was done for the year. Parker is the Steeler's most lethal weapon with blazing speed that keeps opposing defenses on their toes. I thought to myself "what will we do now with Parker out for the remainder of the season"?
As I continued watching the game Thursday night I started seeing the answer to my question. Najeh Davenport was running the ball against the Rams like a mack truck on steroids. At 621 and weighing 247 pounds, he is a load to bring down and once he gets into the 2nd level of the defense the smaller defensive players are no match for his size and power. The Steelers began to look like the team when we had Bettis running the ball. Davenport wore down the Rams defense who did not have the answers to stopping him.
If Davenport can continue running the ball like he did Thursday night the Steelers could be a tough opponent during the playoffs. The offensive line must play better so that Davenport can get into the 2nd level of the defense more often. The NFL network commentators said teams wont be afraid of Davenport so they won't put 8 men in the box. Teams that don't put 8 men in the box to stop Davenport might find themselves chasing him into the 2nd level or getting run over by him.
I want Davenport to put the Eminem song "Lose yourself" in his iPod this week so that he knows he has a golden opportunity to show the world that he is the real deal. Here are some of the lyrics to the Eminem song in case you forgot them "Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted-one moment. Would you capture it or just let it slip?"
Until Willie Parker returns next season It's the Najeh Davenport show!
Author is the webmaster for the Steelers fansite at http://www.SteelerManiacs.com where fans can blog, join discussions, play games, and much more
Source: www.articlealley.com
