The Steelers have inked another free agent, as the team has come to terms with University of Wisconsin running back John Clay.
Mike McCartney’s telephone seemingly never stopped ringing Monday night. “It was crazy,‘’ McCartney said. “I can’t even remember all of the people I talked to.’’ The reason McCartney was kept so busy was because he represents John Clay, the former University of Wisconsin standout running back from Racine.
McCartney said there was a “ton of interest’’ in his client. McCartney and Clay agreed Clay’s services would best be served with one NFL team. “John has agreed in principle to a contact with the Pittsburgh Steelers. We think it’s a great fit for a number of reasons. “It was important for John to get into a great organization with great coaching and tradition. And their style of play is critical and, in looking at their depth chart, they do have a need for a big, power back, which John is.
“Rashard (Mendenhall) had the fourth-most carries in the league last year, so they needed a complimentary big back. It’s important to have two big workhorse backs. “John’s ecstatic. He has a tremendous amount of relief and excitement.’’
1 Comment
Leave a Reply
Show Your Team Spirit
Get Your Steelers Tickets
Steelers Gab Newsletter
Sign up to receive our Steelers Gab newsletter, and keep up to date with all the latest Pittsburgh Steelers news.
DrGeorge
July 27, 2011 at 12:14 pm
Right after the good news about Ike Taylor, this is really too much — we’ve signed a big power back. I’ve been pleading for this for years, ever since Bettis announced his well-deserved retirement.
Clay is a puny 230 now, but he used to play at 260 when he terrorized the Big Ten, and Tomlin told him to bulk up to 250 again. I do believe someone in management (meaning Tomlin or higher) has gotten sick of passing on third and two and of kicking field goals in the red zone.
However, I must temper my enthusiasm with the knowledge that Arians still hasn’t used Redman effectively and eshews the run generally in favor of letting Ben pad his stats. I fervently hope Clay’s signing indicates a renewed dedication to power football when the situation requires it. I also hope it does NOT mean farewell to Mewelde Moore, who is another talented, but under-utilized RB in our stable and one of Tomlin’s better acquisitions. But the Steelers won’t carry five running backs, so either Redman, Moore or Dwyer will not make the cut this year. My guess is Dwyer is the odd man out.