STEELERS Healthy Bettis, Zereoue duel for starting RB job

Coach Bill Cowher hasn't named any of his four halfbacks as starter.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- They could barely jog around the practice field at this time last year, but today Jerome Bettis and Amos Zereoue are healthy, fit and battling for the starting job in the Pittsburgh backfield.
"Jerome looks good. It looks like he's ready to go," Zereoue said Wednesday. "I'm ready to go. Fu [Chris Fuamatu-Maafala] is also ready to go. Everybody's ready to go. It's just a matter of going out there and competing."
The slimmed-down Bettis seems far removed from the player who arrived in the spring of 2002, jogging slowly around the field in a plastic sweat suit to lose weight. Zereoue showed up underweight and ailing from liver problems.
Both players struggled to get into shape, and their production, by Steelers standards, was anemic.
In his least productive season with the team, Bettis rushed for 666 yards. Zereoue had a career-high 762 yards rushing, but that was the lowest team-leading total in 11 years.
None annointed
Now, with Fuamatu-Maafala and Verron Haynes, the Steelers have four healthy halfbacks and coach Bill Cowher has refused to anoint any one of them the starter.
"I don't know if I have any preconceived thoughts going in," Cowher said. "I think, again, it's going to be a case of who's playing the best."
It's actually a promotion of sorts for Zereoue, who has always played in Bettis' shadow.
Last season, his fourth with the Steelers, Zereoue started five regular season games and two playoff games when Bettis was sidelined with injuries.
In the process, the 5-foot-8 Zereoue proved he could take the pounding that comes with the starting job. In back-to-back starts against Cleveland and Atlanta, Zereoue carried 29 and 37 times for 111 and 123 yards, respectively.
He also had 26 carries for 104 yards in the finale against Baltimore.
Shot at the top
For the first time in his career, Zereoue will enter training camp with a shot at being the No. 1 running back.
"I don't think about that," he said. "I just try to approach every practice and every coaching session like it's an opportunity for me. As long as I look at it that way, I think everything else will take care of itself."
While Zereoue is buoyed by the opportunity, Bettis is nonchalant.
"As long as I'm healthy, I'm not worried about it," Bettis said.
Bettis said he's "about 100 percent, maybe 95 percent" healthy after undergoing knee surgery in late January. He's lost weight since the end of last season and still has three months before the opener to continue his conditioning.