Rashard Mendenhall stood on a makeshift stage at Heinz Field with Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, the star running backs for the 1970s Super Bowl Steelers, and wondered how he got there.

"It means a lot that they asked me to come up there," Mendenhall said. "I'm looking around like, 'Why isn't Troy or Hines or somebody up here?' "

After being ripped for running laterally, for relying too heavily upon a spin move and for not being a "big-time back," Mendenhall upstaged the New York Jets in the biggest game of his NFL career. He accounted for 153 yards of total offense -- including 95 rushing and 32 receiving in the first half -- to help the Steelers to a 24-19 victory Sunday in the AFC Championship Game.

"It's one game away from the Super Bowl; who wouldn't be running the way he did?" right guard Ramon Foster said. "He did a phenomenal job of running and holding onto the ball. He was very powerful and well-deserving of the game he had.".............

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