Parker, one of three starters to miss Monday Night Game
September 23, 2008 by Jamie Van Dusen
Filed under NFL Football, Steelers
Accordint to the Steelers Official site, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be without Pro Bowl running back Willie Parker when they battle division rival Baltimore on Monday night.
The club announced Tuesday that Parker will miss the contest against the Ravens with a sprained left knee he suffered in Sunday’s 15-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Parker is one of three Steelers starters out for Monday; he is joined by nose tackle Casey Hampton, who has a groin strain, and defensive end Brett Keisel, who has a strained calf.
Parker, 27, has rushed for 263 yards on 66 carries with three touchdowns this season for Pittsburgh. He topped 100 yards in each of the first two games of the season, both Steelers wins, but was limited to 20 yards on 13 attempts on Sunday at Philadelphia. He left the game early against the Eagles, but it wasn’t known until today the extent of his injury. This is a major blow, but now makes the 1st selection of Rashard Mendenhall, that much more important.
Rookie running back Rashard Mendenhall, selected 23rd overall in the 2008 Draft out of Illinois, will get his first career start in Parker’s place. Tomlin had this to say about the rookie;
“Rashard is ready,” said Tomlin. “He is a talented guy. He has been practicing well. He gets his opportunity and that is what team football is about. You look at his peers around the league and they’ve been getting opportunities, partly because they don’t have Willie Parker playing in front of them. He gets his opportunity. I am sure he is excited about it. I know our team is excited to see what he is capable of doing. What better way to start than on Monday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens.”
Chris Hoke will start in place of Hampton, while Travis Kirschke is likely to start for Keisel.
In other Steelers injury news, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who left late in the fourth quarter after the ninth Eagles sack of the game, is expected to play.
“I don’t think he will be limited at all,” said Tomlin. “We’ll see how he feels when he comes in on (Wednesday). He has some bumps and bruises. We don’t think it will limit him in terms of practice.”
Cornerback Deshea Townsend, who has missed the last two games with an injured heel, is expected to run on Wednesday. It is unclear when he will be able to practice again. Bryant McFadden has started in his place the last two weeks.
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September 23rd, 2008 at 12:18 pm
I’ve gotta admit, the absence of Parker will make this game much more intriguing.
I’m very interested to see what Mendenhall can do with this opportunity.
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Same here although Mendenhall played so well in the Big Ten and he looked very good in the pre-season, as long as he doesnt have fumbleitis!
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Steelers have a tough schedule but if healthy I personally feel they can win the AFC. They definitely need to fix a few problems on that OL. The Eagles had their way in the trenches.
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 pm
More is needed from Hines Ward too. Averaging 50 yards a game through Week 3. It wouldnt hurt to get Miller a little more involved. He is like Whitten in Dallas, a huge target that needs the ball more!
September 24th, 2008 at 6:40 am
I think the stats for the recievers are misleading Keving, due to the shelacking they took from the Eagles. Ward is no longer their #1 target, but he is their red zone magnet. He is averaging a TD a game though. Miller has been pretty involved, but hasn’t been able to get open. Last week they were forced to make him a blocker, which still didn’t help.
Look for Santonio Holmes to have a big game this week. He has been held to only a few receptions and had some big goals to start the season. I also, want to mention that we could expect some good things out of Mewelde Moore. This guy is an all purpose guy, that makes big plays.
The Steelers season rests on the shoulders of the O line. If they can’t pick up their game ten fold, it could make for a long season, as Big Ben won’t make it through the year getting rocked the way he is.