Mad World
Steelers Should Trade For Newer Model Bus
By Mark Madden

I retch when yinzers call my talk show and propose incredibly lopsided trades that would benefit one of the local franchises.

"Hey, Mark, why don't the Steelers trade Chad Scott to San Francisco for Kevan Barlow? That would really help the Steelers' running game."

Indeed it would, Mr. Lombardi. Problem is, I think the Niners saw all of Scott they needed to when the X-Man went 1-on-1 with the great one (Terrell Owens) and paid a six-point price on Monday Night Football. Peabody High/Pitt product Barlow will be a restricted free agent this spring, however. The Steelers should give him a call.

My low opinion of such poxy proposals must be put aside, however. Because I have one of my own I would like to suggest:

The Steelers should trade wide receiver Plaxico Burress to the Atlanta Falcons for running back T.J. Duckett.

The trade would benefit both clubs, although it seems a better deal for the Falcons at first glance. Burress is the superior player right now.

The Steelers' desperate regurgitation of washed-up Jerome Bettis as their No. 1 back indicates that Bill Cowher's love affair with a smash-mouth running attack is far from being out of his system. Duckett is nothing if not a young Bettis.

Duckett is 6-foot, 254 pounds. Duckett has the same running style as Bettis, and he's almost exactly the same size. A little portly, perhaps, but I have it on good authority that T.J. will come to camp in the best shape of his life.

After 15 games this season, Duckett had 683 yards on 175 carries and 10 touchdowns. He was splitting the ball-carrying duties with Warrick Dunn, who had 672 yards on 125 carries for a 5.4-yard average before a season ending injury. Scat back Dunn is a better receiver than Duckett, and as such is more useful when it comes to spreading the defense for Michael Vick.

Atlanta management allegedly considers Duckett to be surly and out of shape. That's exactly how St. Louis' hierarchy felt about Bettis when they swapped him to the Steelers in 1996, and I'm not kidding.

Burress and Duckett have similar pedigrees. Both were first-round picks out of Michigan State, with Burress going eighth overall in 2000 and Duckett going 18th overall in 2002. Both have largely underachieved in their brief pro careers.

That's right, I think Burress has underachieved. You can point to the 1,000-yard seasons all you want, but we've all seen Burress play. We've all seen the dropped balls, the alligator arms in traffic, his incompetence at running the fade, and the way his intensity comes and goes. Hines Ward consistently outperforms Plex - and shows more guts - despite being five inches shorter and almost 25 pounds lighter.

That said, Burress would give Atlanta the big-time receiving threat they lack - he's better than Peerless Price, anyway - and would help open things up for Vick with his potential if not always his performance. Burress' presence would help Price, too.

In some ways, the teams would be swapping sub-par attitudes. I don't think Burress is ever going to be much better in that regard. Flaky is flaky.

I don't know Duckett, but I think he might respond to getting out from under Vick's shadow. To being the primary cog of the Steelers' offense. To being the new Bus.

The Steelers need to be true to Cowher's offensive ideals. As decrepit as Bettis is, he gave the Steelers a shot of adrenaline and a sense of focus when he once again got the No. 1 tailback job. If the Steelers' offense gets a better back and a couple decent linemen to go with that renewed sense of focus, the running game could prosper.

There's no point in doing the wicky-wacky trick plays if Cowher doesn't buy into them. Same goes for filling the air with footballs. Cowher will always try to mix in smashmouth elements, and compromise kills most game plans.

Ergo, Burress for Duckett. Then the Steelers can cut Bettis. That would be fun, too.

If the Falcons don't want to swing that deal, then see if Kansas City is tired of dealing with Larry Johnson Jr. You probably wouldn't have to hold a gun to Dick Vermeil's head, although Larry might do that anyway.

Mark Madden hosts a sports talk show 3-7 p.m. weekdays on ESPN Radio 1250.