Wallace predicts huge numbers


Associated Press

LATROBE, Pa.

On the surface, it sounds a bit ridiculous and Mike Wallace knows it.

Still, the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver insists he wasn’t kidding when he told reporters last week that he planned on racking up 2,000 yards receiving this season.

That’s more than Jerry Rice, who holds the single-season record at 1,858 yards, ever put up. More than Randy Moss. More than anybody who’s played the position. Ever.

Crazy? Maybe. Out of reach? Well, not if you ask the exuberant and highly confident third-year speedster.

“I’m not saying that I’m better than any of those guys, but I feel like I’m Mike and I’m my own person,” Wallace said Sunday. “I don’t care what Jerry Rice did. I don’t care what Randy Moss did.”

And to be honest, he doesn’t care what Plaxico Burress did either.

Sure, Wallace thinks landing the veteran — who signed with the New York Jets on Sunday after flirting with returning to Pittsburgh — would have been “sweet.” He’s just not sure it was necessary.

Wallace hears the talk about how Pittsburgh’s undersized receiving corps could use someone with Burress’ 6-foot-5 frame. Wallace would like to provide the critics with one little reminder.

“They forgot I jumped a 40-inch vertical at the combine,” he points out.

Hard to blame them. Wallace, who turns 25 today, has gotten so good at outrunning defenders it’s easy to overlook the fact he can rise above them too.

The former Mississippi star averaged an eye-popping 20.3 yards per reception during his first two years in the league while emerging into one of the NFL’s top deep threats.

His 1,257 yards in 2010 were fifth in the league, numbers that might have been even better if quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hadn’t been suspended the first four weeks of the year, forcing the team to play it more conservatively with backup Charlie Batch under center.

When Roethlisberger returned, Wallace took off, scoring eight of his 10 touchdowns in games Roethlisberger started and averaging 21.6 yards a catch over the final 12 weeks of the year. And the numbers aren’t skewed by a couple of lengthy scores. His longest reception was “only” 56 yards.

“Guys are scared of him,” second-year wide receiver Antonio Brown said. “He’s fast. He’s running past guys. He’s running great routes.”

And running them from multiple positions. While veteran Hines Ward is committed to lining up in the slot whenever he’s on the field, Wallace is versatile enough to be put anywhere.

Learning where to go and how to get there from both sides of the field took time. Yet Roethlisberger pointed to Wallace’s commitment in the film room and an underrated pair of hands for his rapid ascension into the league’s upper echelon.

“He does a great job getting in and out of his breaks,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s really improved from year one to year two and I’ll see big improvements this year.”

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