Bettis’ goal is to get his body back together
LATROBE – A good year would make Jerome Bettis one of the NFL’s top 10 all-time rushing leaders. A great year would put him in the Hall of Fame. With a little luck on top of that, Bettis could win the first championship at any level of his football career. But Bettis’ primary goal is none of the above.
“My big goal this year is to get my body back together,” he said.
Bettis is smart enough to realize he won’t reach any of those career landmarks without his body being whole. The Steelers realize much of the same about their team goals, so the first test of the critical process comes Thursday in the preseason opener, when Bettis runs for the first time since tearing and then aggravating his bothersome groin muscle.
Does he bounce back the way a normal young athlete should? Or does the injury linger the way Dermontti Dawson’s did before the great center finally gave up on the two-year battle?
Bettis was asked if he’s apprehensive about his first action since re-injuring the torn muscle during a dismal showing in the AFC Championship Game.
“No,” he said. “I got tackled these last couple goal lines as good as anybody’s tackled me in the league. It’s just one of those things that you go with. I know I’m fine. I’ve taken some good shots, but I’ve worked it as well just to make sure that this wouldn’t be a rough situation or I wouldn’t be tentative or anything like that. I made the cuts I needed to make to feel good about it, so I’m going to go out there full bore.”
Ah, the cuts. Therein rests the crux of the problem. Bettis has showed the ability to run straight ahead in camp. But will he be able to make the hard cuts that have distinguished him from all other big backs to play in the NFL?
“That’s all I’ve been doing,” he said. “I haven’t been able to run straight ahead out here. Think about it. Every day I’ve been running and working. Eventually, if the groin is a problem, it will begin to fatigue, being to give. You can’t hide it. Because of where it is, if you’re running out there every day, it would wear on you and break down. I mean, I found that out the hard way. Coming back and getting ready to play a playoff game, it gave out on me. It wasn’t ready. That’s why I took the approach I took this year. I took a lot of time to let it heal. I took extra time. The coaches were a little upset at me because I maybe took too much time. But I wanted to err on the side of being healthy as opposed to coming out here and rushing it.”
Bettis is in the sixth month of his recovery after missing the last five games of the regular season. He missed the Steelers’ first playoff game because a painkilling shot numbed his leg. Against the New England Patriots, Bettis gained only eight yards on nine carries.
So maybe he doesn’t feel the need to prove to fans that he’s ready for the real action. But doesn’t he need to prove it to himself?
“I proved it to myself and it will show,” he said. “During the course of the game, if I need to make the cut, I can. I’ve worked it. I’ve trained it. I’ve put that pressure on it of making those hard cuts to insure that if I have to make it in a game, I could make it. It hasn’t been a problem for me and I’m confident, myself, because I’ve gone through it. I’ve felt it. And I know where it is. I feel comfortable about it.
“The first game is going to be the first game and I probably won’t get a whole lot of work anyway. I probably won’t get a chance to prove it to you anyway, but I’m going to go out there and work hard.”
Bettis is hoping to carry the ball three or four times Thursday night, and he doesn’t see the coaching staff limiting his action.
“I know they want to see as well,” Bettis said.
Only because it could mean the season. With his back-up, Amos Zereoue, struggling to recover from an off-season liver problem, the run-based Steelers must be certain they have a healthy running back. Bettis says the anxiety is all for naught.
“Trust me,” he said. “If it was bothering me, I would’ve broken down. After two-a-days and all these practices, it would’ve gave, or you would’ve seen signs that something’s wrong. If anything, it’s been rusty, rusty, better, better, better. I’ve been getting better through practices as opposed to getting worse. The first couple days were tough. My body was just so tight from not doing a lot of these motions the whole off-season. In minicamp, you do a lot of stuff but you can’t simulate a lot of these moves. So my body was sore the first couple days. It took about a week to get over the hump. I got over the hump and the body feels good.”