Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher is jumping back on the Bus.

This Sunday, when the… Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher is jumping back on the Bus.

This Sunday, when the Steelers take on the Rams, Jerome Bettis will be making his first start of the season. Bettis, who is the National Football League’s tenth all-time leading rusher, is off to the worst start of his career, averaging 2.9 yards per carry.

Despite a 2-4 start, the Steelers are only one game out of first place in the AFC North division, thanks to losses over the weekend by both Cleveland and Baltimore. Coach Cowher said that, with the offensive line struggling, Bettis’ power running style is just “more conducive.”

As of now, the Steelers are ranked 28th in total rushing. That is alarming when you consider the fact that, since the NFL merger in 1970, the team has never finished ranked lower than 18th in team rushing.

Although Bettis has suffered a drop-off in production over the past two seasons, it’s hard to argue with Cowher’s decision to start the Bus this Sunday.

It may not be pretty; in fact, at times it’s downright ugly, but when you need to grind out a few yards, it takes a strong running back like Bettis to plow through the line and move the ball. Bettis is known for being able to run though holes that aren’t there and bang out three or four yards in a cloud of dust.

That is just what the Steelers need most right now.

If the Steelers are going to turn this season around, it will take a great deal of improvement in all facets of the game, but it all starts with the running game.

The lack of production in the ground game has led to quarterback Tommy Maddox facing an enormous amount of pressure from opposing defenses. The Steelers are currently ranked eighth in passing, but pressure on Maddox has led to some key mistakes that have cost the Steelers some games.

Maddox is definitely not a mobile quarterback, therefore he needs time to set up in the pocket, make his reads and get the ball off.

This is the Steel City. Pittsburghers expect their football team to play great defense and run the ball down the throat of the opposition. Fans came into this season both intrigued and excited by the new offensive strategy, but so far have to be disappointed by the way things have turned out.

You cannot expect to be able to pass the ball effectively without some type of running game. Teams have figured out that pressuring Maddox is the key to stopping the Steelers. It takes a balanced offensive attack to be consistent.

I personally look forward to seeing the Bus step back in as the starter. It could serve as a morale boost for the team. After all, Bettis has been the man for the Steelers since being acquired in a trade with St. Louis in 1996. He’s battled through a number of injuries and still has the desire to play. The guys in the huddle can see that; they all know what he’s been through, and they all know how much heart he has.

We are talking about a 31-year-old power running back who is in his 11th season. That is unheard of. Earl Campbell, the Houston Oilers great power runner of the late ’70s and early ’80s, managed to play eight seasons in the NFL.

Bettis sat down in an interview and watched a video that illustrated the pain Campbell suffers each day just to get out of bed in the morning. After watching the video, the 256-pound running back was visibly shaken. As he fought to hold back tears, Bettis looked directly into the camera and said that he had to keep playing.

That was all I needed to hear.

You may not be a Steelers fan, you might not even like football, but you have to respect a man who loves his sport enough to lay it all on the line like that. Bettis has worked harder than ever before to get back on the field for the Steelers this season. Although his 1,000-yard seasons are now only a memory, Bettis deserves respect and admiration for his love of the game.

Ryan Walker is a columnist for The Pitt News and would like all readers to know that Joe Marchilena does, in fact, have “normal people” hands.