Rashard Mendenhall Suspended For One Game

Interesting take on the situation. It does seem like Mendy is taking the brunt of the team's problems - which a lot of people here are happy to overlook because of whatever nonsense they've got about his 'dancing' or whatever.

But does this either point to a) a very inconsistent HC who doesn't know what he's doing; or b) something pretty bad going down between the coaches and Mendenhall; or c) something else entirely that we just won't get to the bottom of?

 

Rex Grossman didn't know that you can't call two timeouts in succession. I remember that his runningback had to tell him on the field, just before the playclock ran out.

It's not the same, of course, but I do like remembering that moment...

 

Yeah, that's the thing. There very well could be more to it that we don't know, I won't dispute that. With that said, why was he scratched in the first place? I can't understand why people like Dwyer, the guy is pretty damn ordinary. Redman is even worse. Mendy gives us the best chance to win. RB's are going to fumble from time to time, so I just don't understand scratching the best RB on the team because he fumbled. To me, admitting your losing focus in the middle of games and that's why you're dropping passes is far worse than having the ball stripped.

 

A head coach did the same thing a few years back and it knocked his team out of FG territory when the game was within reach late in the 4th quarter. It effectively cost his team the game and I think he ended up getting fired. I want to say it was Joe Gibbs, but I can't be sure.

It was Joe Gibbs, although I had the facts slightly confused. Either way, it cost his team the game.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/02/AR2007120201236.html

 

No disagreement there, my problem with this whole thing is what happened prior to the suspension. I will admit though there could be other factors going on behind the scenes, but if there isn't and he was scratched only because of the fumbles that one game, then that just makes me shake my head, especially with the way Wallace has played this season and his confession that he loses focus in the middle of games.

 

Such a circus of a year...can we get another distraction before sundays game!

 

In case you folks are interested, here's a Tomlin interview about the Mendenhall situation.

http://www.steelers.com/video-and-a...n-–-1212/2b321ec3-b677-4357-9f07-f555c568e891

 

Part of me wonders if Tomlin created this distraction on purpose. Think about it. Rather than having to answer about why he didn't go for 2, why there was no pressure against an OL starting 3 grocery clerks, why the D pushed around after halftime, why you stuffed on 3rd-1 and then 4th and 1, etc, etc... Tomlin turns the topic (and the focus of fan wrath) to a guy who wasn't even near the scene of the debacle! Very clever. very, very clever.

 

One more disappointment this year. I like Mendy at RB and think he gives us the best chance to win. We need all the help we can get to try and play well consistently the rest of the year. A healthy Mendy in Haley's offense will be mostly productive PLUS get the occasional big scoring play. Dwyer is good, but he doesn't have the wheels like Mendy.

I agree with other posters who stated that there must be more going on than is public.

If we lose Mendy next year, and need another RB (with speed), then we should try and get Lamichael James from SF. He has been inactive all year (due to fumbles on punt returns in one preseason game), but he never had fumble issues in college. I bet he would be magic in Black and Gold. Of course, SF might play him soon and everyone will realize his value....

 

Come on guys. Y'all cry when Tomlin doesn't discipline anyone, then when he does y'all say he only did it to not address the 2 point thingie. Everyone on here knows after the fake fumble for a TD. SD was winning that game.

 

What you have here is a RB with a stellar 3 season running career with the Steelers, who got injured, replaced by 2 subpar running backs that have fumbled the ball as many times as Mendy in a season but they've reached those fumble numbers inside of 500 and 350 yards. You then have a coach that takes out all the teams problems on Mendy as he came in and fumbled 2 out of the 8 turnovers during the Browns game. That entire game was blamed on Mendy as HE was the only one benched as others were promoted.

You now have us deseprately in need of a playoff run with our headcoach benching our lead RB, but punishing him like a child on top of it by telling him to "Show up and watch the game you can't play in." How about Tomlin be forced to go to the Superbowl to watch the game he couldn't get his team to because he's a complete a$$ clown? Better yet, then suspending our lead RB another game because he didn't show up.

Our coach is putting more effort into this battle with Rashard than I'm sure he's putting into the rest of the locker room with the rest of a team that so far displays they:

1. Cannot pressure quarterbacks
2. Fumble Balls
3. Cannot catch
4. Have close to zero interceptions
5. are 7-6


But wait, bench Mendy, let that make the news instead. That works.

 

Spare me the "acting like a baby act" or questioning that I'm a fan because I disagree with your opinion. He was benched for fumbling in the browns game. Not for not preparing for the game. What he was benched for years ago has no relation to this. Meanwhile, everyone else that fumbled, threw picks, and dropped passes in the browns game got a free pass.

Tomlin picked his pig.

 

Mendy wasn't stomping his feet in that that game. And I didn't see Dwyer or Redman do anything during that game to show they were working their way back on to the field. Seriously, you make this stuff up because after 3 more weeks, you've gotten more of a media fill of Mendy and you're compiling your story.

 

not to excuse his behavior, but he was the starter, worked his rehab hard to get back to play when we needed him badly, and after a couple fumbles is made inactive. that is hard to take as the former MAN in the offense. starters have a hard time being benched. this wasen't a massive gaff he made in that game , that anyone else didn't make. so i'm sure he's having a hard time of it.

it's a contract year also , so i'm sure he is hearing from people that it's taking future money out of his pocket. did he react badly? yes, but he's got a gripe too. i'd have to say something else that went along with missing the game has transpired before that.

can you imagine MT having to bring mendy back in if we lose a couple of more backs with injury and mendy has to carry us in a must win game coming up. how mendy acts then will solidify his, legacy here.

what a crazy year. last year ended like this one started and still is. not a good recipe for a team trying to make the PO's or go anywhere if they do.

 

Mendy was benched right when that game was over. It's not like he was given a chance to do jack. Dwyer and Red were pushed to #1 and #2 and Mendy was sitting there just 1 of 4 running back's that fumbled the ball, a 3 season vet on the team, benched.

Incredible.

 

Doesn't he actually like the eggnog latte?

 

I have a HUGE problem with Mendy not showing up. I get that he feels like he is the scapegoat of Tomlin, and maybe he is because, in my mind, Wallace should be riding the pine with him, but to not show up....what did he THINK was going to happen?

 

Tomlin said he had a good meeting with Meny, and Mendy accepted the repercussions. Maybe this is the point that the healing begins?

 

You're getting my point now. TOMLIN picks blame pigs. And it's the running backs.

Who has been benched this season?

Mendy - 1 game after 2 fumbles in Browns game.
Dwyer - 2 games after 1 fumble in Oakland

Meanwhile, noone is benching QB's for multiple weeks with picks, noone is benching receivers for multiple weeks with missed catches and blatant drops. Noone is swapping the defense in and out of the game because of no pressure on the pass. Mendy had been INJURED for half a season and been barely given the time to get his rear end back in the game. Meanwhile, everyone is so happy to say things like "Ben needs a game under his belt to shake the rust off. Forgive the slower reads or that pick." And that's just after being out for 4 games.

 

Mendy fumbled against the Browns. He was benched in 2nd game vs Ravens (@ Baltimore). Then, he's told he's sitting again against the Chargers. Why?

Any other team just plays their feature back.

I don't know what's going on, behind the scenes, but it seems like the Steelers don't want Mendenhall around. And that's confusing because all that happened is he went down with ACL and achilles injuries and a couple fumbles.

Why ignore his very productive history with the Steelers?