Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Even after coughing up the football twice on a horrific nine-yard rushing performance in Week 1, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin decided on Tuesday that running back Isaac Redman will be the team’s starter in the backfield in the second week of the regular season versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
During the preseason, Tomlin did name Redman the team’s co-starter along with rookie running back Le’Veon Bell, who is sidelined with a mid-foot sprain. Redman’s struggles in Week 1 could have been attributed to the loss of Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey early in the first quarter of this past Sunday’s defeat. In addition, the fact that Redman only carried the ball twice during the preseason might be a reason as well.
Personally, with the lack of playing time Redman has had, along with coming off the heels of his worse game of his career, I believe that the five-year veteran shouldn’t start, and running back Jonathan Dwyer should.
Dwyer, who was released by the Steelers on August 31, was re-signed by the team after running back LaRod Stephens-Howling went down with a torn ACL. Dwyer is only two weeks removed from playing football, and looked fairly good during the preseason.
Another reason why Dwyer should start is because he rushed for 122 yards versus the Bengals during a Week 7, 24-17 victory last season. The four-year veteran also led the team in rushing last year. With his better conditioning, hopefully he’ll be better.
As of right now, Dwyer is listed as the No. 3 running back on the depth chart. Even though he’s not starting, I predict that Dwyer will get a good amount of carries in this must-win divisional matchup.
Clyde A. Speller is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClydeASpeller, or add him to your network on Google+
