The Facts:
Mendenhall never was 100 percent healed from his serious knee injury during a disappointing 2012 season that ultimately led the Steelers to allow him to leave as a free agent, according to general manager Kevin Colbert. “Honestly, I don't think he ever quite got to point where he was 100 percent as we've seen him before,” Colbert said.
Reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune Review
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
Colbert's belief is that a player recovering from a torn ACL never fully recovers until a year later. In Mendenhall's case, that would have been in early January -- of this year. But while the two-time 1,000-yard rusher returned for the Steelers' fourth game — and had his most productive game all season with 68 yards rushing against the Eagles — Colbert doesn't believe he ever got back to the shape he was in during 2011. Mendenhall, a first-round draft pick in 2008, ran for 1,108 yards in 2009, 1,223 yards in '10 and 928 yards in '11. But he finished with only 182 yards in six games during a 2012 season that included his benching for fumbling twice in Cleveland and a one-game suspension for skipping out on the team before a game in which he wasn't playing. Last week, Mendenhall
signed a $2.5 million, one-year contract with the Cardinals that includes numerous incentives. Cardinals HC Bruce Arians was the Steelers' offensive coordinator during Mendenhall's first four seasons.
Profile
Home
