Picture it: Pittsburgh, 1976.

The Steelers had two starting running backs on the roster. You may remember them — Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier.

Bleier was drafted by two teams in 1968 — the Steelers in January and the U.S. Army in December. Once he returned to the team in 1970, he had a tough time earning a roster spot.

When Harris came on the scene in 1972, Bleier was a veteran, but still only had 238 carries to Harris’ 846 by the time 1976 rolled around. History was made that season when head coach Chuck Noll decided to utilize the two of them in the run game.

….

Fast-forward to recent history.

The Steelers have not had multiple 1,000-yard rushers, let alone multiple running backs. They’ve strictly been a feature back team. Head coach Mike Tomlin isn’t the only one to overwork his primary running back; Bill Cowher was guilty of it, too.

Although we saw flashes of it in 2018, James Conner was never meant to be a featured back — he was drafted to complement Le’Veon Bell. And since Bell parted ways with Pittsburgh, the Steelers have not found his replacement.

As The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly beautifully illustrated in his recent article, Conner’s yards-per-carry decrease, and injuries and fumblitis increase after 17 touches. Tomlin should take a moment to read it and limit Conner’s playing time this season for optimal results.

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https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/20...o-1976-please/

I know this is a subject every year, but I would love to see the steelers use a running back by committee, since it is the best way to be successful and to keep the RB fresh for the season and during the game...