Offense continues to mature with Big Ben

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Mewelde Moore has no plans on being the guy who replaces Hines Ward.

That doesn’t mean the Pittsburgh Steelers running back can’t fake it for a play or two.

Moore did his best Ward impersonation during the team’s first drive last week against New England, lining up split wide left then going in motion as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger barked out signals. At the snap Moore slanted toward the middle of the field and Roethlisberger hit him for a 5-yard touchdown pass that served as the springboard for a 25-17 victory.

Ward ran the exact same route for a touchdown three weeks earlier in a win over Tennessee, though Ward threw in an acrobatic leap into the end zone for effect. Moore stayed grounded, mostly because teammate Mike Wallace did such an excellent job picking off two New England defenders Moore could just stroll in.

Moore just laughed when asked if he felt his future was at wide receiver, adding “I’m just enjoying whatever I’m asked to do.”

These days, if you want to play in Pittsburgh’s offense, that’s a little bit of everything. One of the main reasons the Steelers (6-2) are surging heading into Sunday’s rematch with rival Baltimore (5-2).

The organization that built its reputation on the churning legs of running backs like Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis, Bam Morris and Barry Foster has turned into the team that can pick who it wants to be in a given week and beat you.

Pittsburgh’s current four-game winning streak started with Roethlisberger tossing five touchdowns in a win over Tennessee. Then Rashard Mendenhall pounded his way to 146 yards in a 17-13 win against Jacksonville. The following week Roethlisberger went deep early and often, connecting with Wallace for a team-record 95-yard touchdown pass in a 32-20 triumph.

Against the Patriots, Roethlisberger torched the NFL’s worst defense for 365 yards passing to nine different receivers. No play went longer than 26 yards, yet the controlled attack let Pittsburgh hold onto the ball for nearly 40 minutes.

Coach Mike Tomlin praised the Patriots before the game for their ability to mold themselves into any offensive identity they choose in a given week. His team can say the same.

“We have guys around here like chameleons, and just adapt to whatever the situation is,” Wallace said.

And the Steelers have done it with a patchwork offensive line that’s used seven different starting combinations in eight games. There is a growing sense of stability now that veteran Max Starks — re-signed from off his couch last month — has found his sea legs at left tackle.