Why not Willie?

Ive been in this mind set all along……willie is still good enough, will come cheap, wants to stay in Pitt, wont get a starting job elsewhere, and derserves to stay.
I cant really see him in auniform that is not black and gold.
FWP = #2back in Pitt.

but he says he wants to have the chance to be the starter. I wish he would be cool with being the #2 guy. Maybe he will realize that it’s better to be #2 on the Steelers than #1 with some other team? It’s about the money though, and the front office is probably not gonna give him the money he wants. We have some other backs who will get a crack at the #2 and I am excited to see what they can do. Isaac Redman will be a great back when he learns his assignments. He seems like he has good instincts and anyone who can score repeatedly on our 1st team defense in goal-line drills deserves a chance. If this is truly it for you FWP, then thanks for the many wonderful memories and good luck with your new team.

You COULD sign an aging FWP to take 5 or 6 carries a game. OR you could draft a mid-round back with considerable upside to do the same thing for much less than FWP’s asking price or, alternatively, the vet minimum. And, keep in mind, you’ve already got a veteran back up in MeMo. The Steelers will opt for new (and cheap) blood at a young man’s position rather than overpaying a vet who probably only has a couple of productive years left anyway.

The problem with FWP is he get hurt to much because of this he is not a every down running back but Mendenhall also gets hurt so what do you do?
In the Miami game when Mendenhall was hurt they put in FWP on the winning drive in the 4th quarter. FWP look and acted like the old FWP they passed the ball I think 4 times but when they ran FWP he put them in scoring postion to win the game.
If they could convince him that if he stays he would split the carries with Mendenhall because on that drive Parker showed he still has something in the tank when he is not hurt but I think Parker is convinced he will just ride the bench.
Now the question is if FWP leaves can Mendenhall stay heathy for the whole season?

Aside from the often mentioned and agreed to reasons above, the Steelers want to return(at least somewhat) to the power running game. While FWP does have some power and played pretty well towards the end of the seaon, he is not a power back. Much more likely they take a guy like L. Blount which would give us another big back with decent speed. If we want a change of pace, they really must get Logan involved in the O next year. There are plays that can take advantage of his lack of height, he is perfect for draws and shovel passes. Just my .02

Why not Willie:

1. He has lost a step and is now an older running back
2. He has pathetic hands, can’t catch a cold
3. He is injury-prone, hurt most of the time
4. His blocking on his best day is average but it is usually fairly lame
5. There are far better choices and will not help the team improve

I say, let Fast Willie move on. I think The Steelers should go after 4-time Pro-Bowl RB – LaDainian Tomlinson (LT) who is being released from the Chargers. He’s one of the best RB’s in the NFL.

He’s only the 7th player in NFL history to run, catch, and throw for a touchdown in the same game. To top it off, he has said that he will only sign with a team that has a real shot at a Super Bowl Ring.

With the final 8 from 2009 (The Colts, Saints, Jets, Vikings, Ravens, Cowboys, Cardinals, and obviously, the Chargers out of the running, unless they pay him $5 million on top of his salary, I think the final 8 are out.)

I addition, LT has said he would play for the league minimum salary for an RB on a championship quality team, which could be the Steelers if we can keep everyone else healthy… This year was like injury central. .

If anyone had told me Troy would have missed 11 games, I’d have died laughing! I’m not superstitious, but after hearing about "The Madden Curse," I think I’m a "little-stitious."It would really suck if LT went to the Eagles, Bengals, New England, or Green Bay for such a low salary. Plus, he’s a Hall of Fame quality RB, with at least 5-7 more good years left in him, and hasn’t had any really serious injuries.

Imagine what he could teach Mendenhall. They could be a double threat.

Plus, Parker had zero TD’s in ‘09; LT had 12 in ‘09, with a career total of 160. All-in-all, I’d rather see him in Black & Gold that any other colors. Besides, there was a reason Parker was sat down so much in 2009.

I agree 100% that we need to sign Willie Parker…he has earned at least that….and deserves it! Wake up Steelers brass…pay the man…he has talent and class and is the essence of what Steeler football is all about…

that’s associated with being a starter…once he sees the market is sparse, I hope he sucks it up and comes back. He, when healthy, is a nice fit on our offense