If there is one Pittsburgh Steeler who hasn’t received due credit for his work in 2008, it’s running back Mewelde Moore.
The Steelers signed Moore last year as a free agent from the Minnesota Vikings, where he was stuck behind Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor on the depth chart.
The Steeler brass may have initially pictured Moore as a quality third down back and possibly a returner on special teams, but when early season injuries hit Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall, Moore was thrust into a starting role for a key stretch of the season. The Steeler offense was a mess. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was spending too much time on his back and the team found itself down to its third running back.
When things were looking their bleakest, an unanticipated trend began; the offense actually started to improve. It turned out that Mewelde Moore was able to inject the Steelers offense with an added dimension that they simply didn’t have with Willie Parker in the backfield.
| 2008 First Down Receptions by Running Back | |
| Willie Parker | 0 |
| Mewelde Moore | 17 |
Roethlisberger’s sack percentage decreased a full five percent from the time Moore took over until season’s end. Moore’s ability to catch passes and operate in space provided Roethlisberger a necessary outlet when the opposing defense was bringing the heat.
Moore’s pass-catching threat also helped bail out the running game from time to time. A little dump-off pass to Moore was sometimes better than trying to run the ball into a brick wall of defenders.
The San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s thrived on that type of game plan for years with their West Coast Offense. Joe Montana practically made a living throwing a five-yard pass to Roger Craig out in the flat.
Moore also proved he could be a feature back.
| 2008 Yards per Rush, on First Down | |
| Willie Parker | 3.7 |
| Mewelde Moore | 4.6 |
The difference between those two numbers is the difference between being ranked fifth-best and fifth-worst in the league.
Moore also brought a level of consistency to the running game.
| 2008 Yards Per Rush, by Carry | Carries 1-5 | Carries 6-10 | Carries 11-15 | Carries 16 -20 |
| Willie Parker | 3.1 | 2.7 | 5.0 | 3.4 |
| Mewelde Moore | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 |
Moore’s average gain was roughly the same, regardless of how early or late in the game those attempts came.
Parker, in contrast, seemed to need to warm up before spiking at 5.0 yards per gain between his 11th and 15th carries each game. Then, it was almost as if he ran out of gas.
Moore’s consistency gave the Steelers an element in their ground attack that they hadn’t had since Jerome Bettis retired.
Finally, Moore was far more likely to get past the line of scrimmage.
Some people judge running backs based on speed, while others judge them based on power. Perhaps the best way to evaluate a running back is his ability to keep his offense out of third-and-long situations.
There is no doubt that Willie Parker is the faster back, but he is a one-trick pony.
| 2008 Stuff Percentage (hit for loss or no gain) | |
| Willie Parker | 13% |
| Mewelde Moore | 5% |
Mewelde Moore runs with better vision, breaks more tackles, and catches a lot more passes. He also did a much better job running behind the Steelers’ zone blocking schemes.
Pittsburgh has run more of a spread offense under Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians and as a result, they don’t rely on a fullback like they used to. Moore’s skill set is better suited for that type of offense.
With Parker and Mendenhall back in the fold entering 2009, Moore might not get a chance to start this year. Still, the role he played one year ago was invaluable.
Steeler fans at autograph signings this year need to let Mewelde Moore know how great of a job he did last year.
After all, few seem to have taken notice.
Dutch Wydo hosts a radio sports talk show Saturday mornings from 9AM until 10AM on WMBS-AM 590
Real nice job Dutch.
I'm not anti-Willie Parker at all but Mewelde Moore certainly deserves more recognition than he is currently getting. Guy was a beast last year and was always good when given the rock in Minnesota.
Catching passes out of the backfield is something this team needs more of. This game is all about getting the ball to speedy guys in space. He is the only RB on the roster that gives us that dimension. How many crucial 1st downs did he pick up last year by turning dump-offs into 13 yard gains? A ton.
i LOVE Mewelde…I don't know why he doesn't see more snaps. Lost in his pass-catching ability is his ability to gain tough yards on the ground, which you highlight perfectly Dutch. I thought we were a better team w/ him starting and last year was hoping that Willie would have to sit.
I totally agree with this article, Moore is a much more well rounded and consistent back than Willie Parker. He won't break the big play but he keeps the chains moving, which is the most important thing a back can do. Willie Parker is great for a big gain or two but he is also good for a few negative plays and leaving Ben in 3rd and long situations.
I am fairly anti-Willie Parker if you can't guess.
Thank you for writing this…Moore quickly became one of my fvorite Steelers last season.
He does it all, and it should be noted he was on the field the entire SBXLIII winning drive.
No disrespect to Parker, but Mewelde is the man!
Yeah, I dont think you have to be anti-Parker or crap on Parker to give props to Moore. They are both good runningbacks but Moore deserves more credit than he is getting.
Glad to have both of 'em.
I like your insight but I'm really troubled by the statistics used.
My biggest problem is that it seems as if you are using data to make a validation. Meaning you were searching for information that validates your theory that moore is as valuable as he is.
1.Several issues come to mind: the first is how many of these carries took place (purple table) that shows willie parkers drop off and then increase. not enough data can lead to a skewing of results. Moore had far more receptions and runs than parker did due to injury.
Were paker not injured would he have had a consistency that would appear over due course?
2. Also, Moore was used in a specific manner and called up during specific times. He was a more credible pass catcher. We all know parker has limited catch capability. I also agree that moore is far more elusive and has better quickness if not speed. Moore is also a better short yardage running back. On that note however, he was used on certain plays where he HAD to get those yards. if he didn't the play would either be over(3rd down) or we'd be set back by a lot(on 2nd down). Thus, some of the packages utilized the underneath route and allowed him to make those plays for us. Thus anyone else with pass catching ability (sans any other unique or special talent moore has) could replace moore(and this cannot necessarily be disproven from the statistics).
3. Also, while its nice to compare this year to last year, our offensive line has improved. to say it hasn't is wrong. sean mahan was bad. thus the offensive line could account for the 5% increase.
4. Also, regardless of injuries or how much the OL has or HAS NOT improved from 2007 to 2008, it is an entirely different year. thus you dont have all other variables the same when comparing just the running plays of 08 and 07.
FINALLY: I want to make the DISCLAIMER that I 100% AGREE WITH YOU that Moore has been invaluable. Just how much is unclear. This could be a matter of how useful he is or how POOR PARKER has been.
i hope your not offended, and I dont want to be, I just dont agree with the statistical study here. I'm a lurker and most of the other statistical studies you and the other guys do are really good. Its just that here it seems to be a stretch. On that note, who am i? you put a lot of work in and I greatly appreciate it. Just pointing things out on the stats side.(1 year statistics, advanced statistics, 3 years math…and on and on…
Great post Dutch, Mewelde surely was a key player in 2008 no doubt and yes, he is a more complete package so far then the 2 above him in the chart.
Surag has some valid points. If it just came down to the numbers you show, I'd wonder why Moore isn't starting, since those numbers are better than many elite backs posted last year. I too have often wondered why Parker gets stuffed so many times, putting the offense into obvious passing situations–I think that is a very valid point in your article. But might it really be how Parker is utilized?
Jason, Parker can't be utilized much differently. Dulac said in practice when they throw
to him, it turns into a disaster. That;s why Parker has been catching up to 250 passes a day since mini camp. The coaches told him he hasto improve in that area because the outlet Moore brought Roethlisbeger on all 3 downs was simply invaulable. Parker isn't a short yardage runner. He doesn't have power. He's one of the worst performing inside runners in the league. Teams gameplan to take away the outside runs and force him up inside. He's a very limited back. He collapses against the better run defenses. And I mean collapses. And he's been doing it for 4 years. I can give you the stats but you wouldn't believe it anyway. Parker had a decent game against Sandiego in the playoffs. He said he declared himself healthy after that. Then he went on to get just 2 yards per carry the next two games. What happned? Did he become unhealthy again?
Parker yards per rush
2005 4.8
2006 4.4
2007 4.1
2008 3.8
Let me finish by saying if a big hole was guaranteed, I'd take fast Willie over anyone.
My only question about these statistics is the play call selection. My recollection from the season is that more often than not when Parker was in they'd run these stupid 2-TE formations (which would fail), then they'd put a fullback in or go 3-wide and run with Moore, and shockingly, he did better.
That being said, Parker is definitely not the best at finding holes that aren't where they are supposed to be. To me, this is a lot like the Roethlisberger vs anyone else debate: when everything on offense is clicking, Parker is more effective than Moore (and Manning or Brees or whoever is better than Ben). But when the offense isn't in a rhythm, Moore is more likely to make something out of nothing than Parker is (and Ben > any other QB in the NFL right now).
Good article, and while I agree with the conclusion, the thing that doesn't appear to be included in the analysis is the general quality level of the defenses that Moore faced with his carries versus Parkers.
As much as we despise them, we can agree that the Ravens have a good run defense, and in the three games against the Ravens, Mewelde had 16 carries for 35 yards and 4 catches for 46 yards. Willie had 38 carries for 94 yards and 3 catches for 7 yards. Its a small sample size, but except for the receptions, I don't know that Mewelde would have had any more success with Parker's 38 carries than Willie did.
The real solution in my opinion is for our offensive line to improve in 2009 so that they are not beaten by the Ravens front seven (or other good defenses) on a regular basis when we run the ball. With or without that, I would feel comfortable with Mewelde seeing increased playing time this year.
Dutch- So, there are 2 Jason's posting here. I am the one who thought Surag had a couple good points, but let me clarify. I have never really been a Parker fan… I agree with your observation that his inconsistency kills us, and that when Ben is getting knocked around we can't throw a screen to put aggressive defenses on their heels without putting in another back, tipping the defense off. I actually shout at the tv for some screens, and Parker can't catch them, even from Ben, who has nice touch. Imagine if he was catching passes from Derek Anderson! But when I say maybe it is how he is utilized, it seems that he is best outside, say being tossed a shovel pass (Hopefully he catches those). But we don't have the O-line that is as good at pulling as it was whenever Parker started. So he's run up the middle more, and to boot we don't have a true fullback, or even utilize that scheme very often. Parker needs to go for a back that fits our scheme better. I did not want to come off as a BLIND supporter of parker! At any rate, love the site, and I've been reading it for a little over a year now. I'll maybe post more often, unless you just want me to shut up.
Without A Big Alen Faneca Whole(Which Usually Was Against The Browns) Parker is useless, All he does is get injured. Why do think we drafted Mendenhall; cause Parker is not the guy! Moore is a beast!
Sorry, other Jason – I didn't see your name up there.
I'm probably a bigger Parker fan than most here, but that does not mean I don't see his weaknesses. I would be willing to say that for this offense, Moore seems a better fit. I would not be willing to say that Parker is "useless" or any of the other crap that gets posted in comments here or on message boards elsewhere. I think in the right system he can be a very effective back, if he's healthy (which is a big if).
Jason F
Please don't shut up. Fans who come to this site are interested in the
inner game of football. There is nothing better than analyzing this stuff and
discussing it.
The thing about Willie in the pass game the past few years, is even though he had a few dump offs here and there, the primary bulk of the patterns he ran were long bombs. Where Benji is throwing the ball 20+ yards. Or at least those are the plays I remember. Asking a RB who didn't play in college to adjust to a ball in the air, is asking too much, especially when he was covered. I blame the coaching staff as much as Willie's hands for his problems in the passing game.
Mewelde is my favorite player in the nfl and its great to see somebody recognize him for what he is and what he can do. It made me sick watching willie back for the superbowl for him to constantly be dropped for nothing. Mewelde's vision so far surpasses parkers its not even comparable. Mewelde for life man