Pittsburgh Steelers. The name has been synonymous with smash mouth, run the ball down your throat, wear them out, football.

From Franco Harris, to Walter Abercrombie, Barry Foster, and now, Jerome Bettis, the Steelers have been the envy of the NFL with their ability to run the football.

Even when it appeared the running game wasn't working, they would continue to hammer it up the middle until they wore the opposition into submission.

Last year, the opposition wouldn't submit.

They continually stacked the line with 9 guys, and dared Kordell Stewart, or Mike Tomczak to throw on them. Neither Quarterback could rise to the challenge. It resulted in Jerome Bettis gaining a measly 3.6 yards per carry, his lowest output as a Steeler.

Richard Huntley fared much better, with a 6.1 yards per carry average. Those numbers are somewhat inflated considering the majority came on third down passing situations. Inflated or not, the Steelers thought highly enough of Huntley to give him a long term contract. He recently signed for 4 million over 3 years, including a 1 million dollar signing bonus.

Some thought the Huntley signing would signal the end of Bettis in a Steeler uniform. Bettis is scheduled to count 4.2 million against the cap this year. A trade, or his release would help the team find some much needed cap room to sign their draft choices. The Steelers have no intentions of doing either. They are working diligently to sign him to a long term contract, but are fully prepared to pay him the full value of this years contract.

He has spent the offseason working with famed track coach, Bob Kersee. Bettis says he is 100% healthy, after playing last year at about 75%. He missed all of last years training camp after knee surgery, and didn't see his first game action until week 1 at Cleveland. He spent all year trying to rebound, but it just didn't happen. This year looks to be more positive, and the Steelers are anxious to see him in action.

With the top two running backs seemingly in good shape, the back up positions could seem inconsequential. But, it is impossible to predict when injuries could happen, and if they do, the Steelers have Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, and Amos Zereoue to fall back on.

According to Steelers Digest Online, Zereoue has had a tremendous mini camp.
"He seems to have a much better understanding of what the offense is about, and he also has a better idea of what it takes to be successful. Amos' head wasn't on straight last year, and he had something of a star mentality, based on his days at WVU. That seems to be gone."

Zereoue started the '99 campaign with a driving while intoxicated charge. That seemed to put him in coach Cowhers doghouse, as he only had 18 carries for 48 yards throughout the season. When he was drafted in the 3rd round earlier that year, the Steelers figured they had found a real steal.

At West Virginia Zereoue was noted as a quick, explosive runner with a knack for eluding defenders. The Steelers drafted him as a runner who showed that he knows how to hit the hole with power, run with agility, elusiveness, speed and balance. He holds school records with 786 rushing attempts for 4,086 yards, 21 100-yard rushing performances and 4,673 all-purpose yards. He ran for 40 touchdowns, which ranks second all-time in West Virginia history, and he holds the Mountaineer record with seven straight games with at least one touchdown run.

Hopefully his "star" mentality has left him this year, and he can perform as the elusive, change of pace back the Steelers drafted him to be.

Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala was drafted in the 6th round of the '98 draft. He is a big, bruising back in the style of Jerome Bettis. At 5 feet 11 inches, and 252 pounds, he is the same size as Bettis, and his "Bus" like running style drew the Steelers to him. When he is healthy, he doesn't disappoint.

The only problem, is he has been injury prone his first couple of seasons. A series of hamstring injuries has limited him to being mostly a special teams player. When he is healthy, he has been one the more devastating special teamers. He can be a vicious tackler, which may have prompted his move to Fullback in this years recent mini camp.

Fuamatu-Ma'afala seems to be welcoming the change with open arms. He has been mired behind Bettis and Huntley since being drafted in '98, and now he has Zereoue to worry about. With Jon Witman being the only Fullback on the roster last season, this seems to be the best position for him to find some playing time.

He had this to say to RealPittsburgh.com recently- "Yeah, it's cool with me," he said of moving to fullback. "It's not that hard, I'll know more when the pads come on and I start feeling the bumps and bruises, but I don't think it'll be that bad. The plays are easier than the plays at tailback. There's a lot of receiving involved, too, so I'm looking forward to it."

This appears to be a perfect fit for "Fu", and the Steelers. He has the size, and the toughness to be a Fullback, and the Steelers desperately need a quality player at the position. The loss of Tim Lester was felt last year, and Witman wasn't the answer.

This is a unit with a lot of question marks, and I'm afraid we won't know the answers until the season starts.

• Is Bettis fully recovered, and can he hold off the emerging Huntley for the number 1 spot?
• Will Huntley be able to handle the increased work load, and will he be successful in anything other than 3rd down passing situations?
• Will Zereoue get the opportunity this year to showcase his talents?
• Can Fuamatu-Ma'afala make the switch to Fullback?
• Will the Offensive line open any holes?
• Will the passing game improve enough to take some pressure off of the running game?