RB Rashard Mendenhall was projected to go much higher, which is why the Steelers didn't hesitate drafting him even though they didn't personally interview him or dig deeply into his background because never in their wildest imagination did they think he would be there.
The "hot hand" that coach Mike Tomlin said last week kept Mendenhall ahead of Willie Parker on the depth chart cooled off considerably against Minnesota.
If Parker gets healthy, things could become interesting.
Clearly, Tomlin likes Mendenhall enough to start him as Parker continues to struggle with turf toe. Tomlin, however, won't tolerate fumbling.
For the second consecutive week, Tomlin benched Mendenhall after a key fumble. Sitting Mendenhall against Cleveland was no big deal; the Steelers had that game in hand. But with the game on the line in the fourth quarter against Minnesota, Mendenhall was on the bench despite averaging a whopping 6.9 yards on 10 carries.
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