Parker wants Steelers to get back to run game

Pittsburgh needs a victory Sunday over the Ravens to clinch a first-round bye.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Willie Parker says it’s not too late for the Pittsburgh Steelers to go back to being the Steelers, and that means running the ball.

First-and-long, third-and-short — to Parker, the down and distance shouldn’t matter as long as the Steelers return to doing what they traditionally do best.

Traditionally one of the NFL’s most-committed rushing teams, the Steelers are 23rd in the league with 1,350 yards on 373 carries. They are 10-3, lead the AFC North and can secure a first-round playoff bye with a win Sunday at Baltimore, yet are on pace for their second-worst rushing season since the 1970 merger.

With the playoffs approaching, Parker is convinced the Steelers — as successful as they’ve been this season despite ranking only 20th in passing and 26th in total offense — must regain their personality by being multidimensional.

“This is when you’ve got to pound it out,” Parker said. “This is those dog days. When you go into the playoffs, the team that can run the ball is going to win.”

Coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t dispute that but, during a team meeting Thursday, emphasized the idea is winning, not piling up statistics that benefit one player.

“The issue for us has been, and hopefully will continue to be, winning,” Tomlin said. “That’s my interpretation of Steelers football. Every morning when I come to work, I walk past five Lombardis, not five rushing titles. The issue is winning.”

Parker, according to his coach, “needs to be a little more careful with the things he says and how he says it, because they can be misinterpreted as uninformed or selfish, of which he is neither.”

The Steelers’ steep falloff after rushing for 2,168 yards last season doesn’t reflect a reversal in strategy but rather a string of injuries.

Parker, who was leading the NFL in rushing a year ago before breaking his right leg Dec. 20, has missed five games with knee and shoulder injuries and has been less than 100 percent in several others. He was held to 25 yards on 12 carries as the Steelers rallied to beat Dallas 20-13 on Sunday.

Rashard Mendenhall, drafted in the first round to add a power back to complement Parker’s speed, severely injured his left shoulder in September and is out for the season. He carried only 19 times.

Mewelde Moore averaged 101 yards his first three starts after Parker injured a knee Sept. 21 in Philadelphia, but has had one game of 60 yards-plus since then.

Parker has a team-leading 597 yards, well off the 1,215 he had through 13 games last season and the 1,337 yards he averaged from 2005-07. Parker isn’t guessing how much the injuries cut his production or how healthy he expects to be the rest of the way.

Parker thinks it’s important for the Steelers to run against their next two opponents, the Ravens (9-4) and the Titans (12-1), since they might see either or both teams in the playoffs.

“We’re going to run, try to establish the run, until you can’t run no more,” he said. “Last game, we tried to establish the run but we just weren’t getting no holes.”

The Steelers were held to 69 yards on 28 carries during their 23-20 overtime win over Baltimore more than two months ago. They haven’t run for 100 yards against them in their last six meetings.

The Ravens are No. 3 in the NFL against the run, trailing only the Steelers and Vikings, yet left tackle Max Starks said that doesn’t mean they won’t give up yardage.

“They swarm,” Starks said. “But, like anyone else, if you keep beating them, beating them, beating them, eventually they are going to give in.”