Rashard Mendenhall vs. "Fast" Willie Parker: Who Should've Started This Season?

Due to the failure of my last article (compared to my previous two), I decided to step up the controversy.

While some may not find this controversial in the slightest, I am at least a little perplexed by the idea that maybe Willie Parker could've started this past season.

I realize Mendenhall played great and I am a huge fan, but people need to stop insulting Willie. I have seen so many comments on B/R about how he has lost his trademark speed.

I beg to differ.

I know you saw this coming, but let's have a look at the Dolphins game. He ran for (I believe) 74 of his 91 yards on one drive.

I realize you can also say, "he had less than 20 yards the rest of the game!" But he rarely gets any reps. He finally got the ball at the end of the game.

It also might have helped him that Rothlisberger's arm was hurt, but that doesn't matter much. Some might say that the Dolphins are one of the least impressive teams against the runs. I don't care about people who are that naive; these are grown men. They can drag someone to the ground—apparently they forget how to do it for a while.

It is their job to stop him, and since he supposedly sucks now, they should have been able to handle him. It's ridiculous that someone could run for 74 yards on one drive. Despite the broken leg, he hasn't lost much of his trademark SPEEEEED! 

Now, we must get to the obvious things with Mendenhall. He's big and powerful, which means he can easily run over a DB. Occasionally he'll slam through a linebacker—he's deceivingly fast! That 60 yard run against the Raiders was ridiculous. You wouldn't expect a power back have that kind of speed. It took him roughly eight seconds to get 60 yards...that's counting the time it took to hand off, and the time for him to run through a defender.

There are some weaknesses in their games, however. Willie's nickname is "Fast" for a reason—he is not a power pack. Every once in a while, he can get through a guy or two, but it's not enough.

Mendenhall's weakness isn't in the running game. I think he's perfect for us as far as running goes. His only weakness is that he isn't very good at catching. It's rare for him to make an impressive catch. Sometimes he even blows perfect passes (see: every game in the second half of the season).

While I believe that Rashard is the future of our team, a great running back, and a great draft pick, he just doesn't have the leadership factor yet. It's not really his fault; he's still young.

Willie, however, has been with the team for six seasons or so. He is one of the leaders of our offense. When I say that Mendenhall will start for us for quite some time, I am not knocking Willie (obviously, I've been defending him). I strongly believe that "Fast" Willie will be a starter somewhere else, but it most definitely won't be for the Steelers.

So, now that I have given you some of the stats and facts about the players, who do you think should've started, and who do you think should start next year? (If Parker comes back, which he won't—just humor me.)

Thank you all for reading and commenting on my articles.