The Bus

Take a look at the top 12 on this list. There's one thing in common with pretty much everyone there except for Jerome Bettis. They made careers out of making defenders miss. On the other hand, Bettis made a career out of contact. Sure, he is strikingly nimble on his feet for a 260 pound man, but I think its also pretty safe to say that Bettis has been involved in more physical contact than any player in the history of American football (other than offensive and defensive linemen, of course).


Can you imagine trying to tackle this? Courtney Brown couldn't

And the guy is still going strong. During the last three weeks with starter Duce Staley injured, Bettis put his stamp on the Steelers season by carrying the ball an absurd 91 times for 381 yards during his fill-in stint. And to nobody's surprise, he did not fumble once. That's the most remarkable thing of all about Bettis-- despite the insane pounding he dishes out and takes, he fumbles less frequently than almost any back to ever play the game. And for the first nine years of his career, an eternity for a starting running back in the NFL, he was also injury proof.

When the time comes for his Hall of Fame induction, ESPN won't have a highlight reel full of 40 yard touchdown sprints or triple-juke escape maneuvers to show you. That's just not the Pittsburgh Steelers... Consistently blasting for four yards through defensive ends and defensive tackles is not pretty, but that's Jerome Bettis and smash-mouth football at its finest.


One fool-proof method: use half your defense to bring him down

In terms of numbers, this is about all that is left for him to accomplish:
  - 137 yards from being the fifth player in NFL history to crack 13,000
  - 228 yards from reaching 10,000 during his nine years in Pittsburgh
     (he ran for 3,091 with the Rams during his first three seasons)
  - 397 yards from passing Eric Dickerson, currently fourth
    on the all-time list
  - one 100-yard game from tying the Steelers record held by
    Franco Harris (Bettis has 57, including 46 as a Steeler)

Even if The Bus never starts another game and this turns out to be his final season, the first two milestones are likely to happen in the next six games. And even if he never plays another down or gains another yard, keeping the Steelers ship afloat over the past three weeks of this remarkable season will always be remembered in Pittsburgh.