RSSAll Entries Tagged With: "Gary Russell"

Russell Resurfaces with Raiders

Russell Resurfaces with Raiders

Apparently, two teams in the the AFC West believe that the division will be decided this year by the number of running backs that a given team has under contract.
At a time when the Broncos are hoarding tailbacks, the Raiders keep adding more to the roster as well.
The latest addition is Gary Russell, according to [...]

Russell Checks In

Russell Checks In

Darrin Simmons, the Bengals special teams coach with the freeze-frame memory, knew right where to go to begin his in-depth study of Gary Russell this week.
He clicked his computer to last Nov. 20, when the Bengals played the Steelers, the game where Simmons knew Russell corked off one of the two longest kick returns against [...]

Bengals Claim Russell

Bengals Claim Russell

The man who scored the Steelers’ first touchdown in their February Super Bowl victory is the newest Bengal and it could impact next week’s draft.
Cincinnati picked running back Gary Russell off waivers Friday after he played in 15 games last season, including the postseason, and had five rushing touchdowns. The 5-11, 215-pound Russell was cut [...]

Russell's struggles make Super Bowl trip sweeter

Russell’s struggles make Super Bowl trip sweeter

In the midst of celebration, Gary Russell remembers tougher times.
In six days, the Walnut Ridge High School graduate will play for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
For the Steelers, trips to the Super Bowl are old hat. For Russell, it is the culmination of an unlikely journey.
“I think about it [...]

Russell finally gets to play in ultimate bowl

Russell finally gets to play in ultimate bowl

Matt Spaeth and Gary Russell were new to the NFL when the Steelers reported to Latrobe, Pa., for the first training camp of the Mike Tomlin era.
It was 2007 and Spaeth was, at best, the team’s third tight end. Russell was, at best, a Hail Mary shot to survive beyond the third preseason game.
They were [...]

Get Gary the Ball, He's Earned It

Get Gary the Ball, He’s Earned It

Ignoring the obvious example of interchangable running backs in Baltimore and Oakland, and reference to the Cardinals humorous attempt at the wishbone in Week 12, clearly the moving trend in the NFL is no longer a two-back set. Many teams are using three now, and Pittsburgh can be said they were among the leaders of [...]

Russell Making Most of Opportunity

Russell Making Most of Opportunity

When the Steelers released Gary Russell in September, some felt it might be the beginning of the end for the NFL long shot.
The Steelers re-signed Russell to their practice squad, but with a depth chart that included Pro Bowl running back Willie Parker, first-round draft pick Rashard Mendenhall and free agent-signee Mewelde Moore ahead of [...]

Russell Becomes Dual Threat

Russell Becomes Dual Threat

The person most surprised by the Steelers’ longest kickoff return of the season may well have been the guy who flashed through an opening in a 27-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night and ran over kicker Shayne Graham on the way to a 43-yard gain.
“That’s for a fast guy,” Steelers running back [...]

Russell in Line for Larger Role

Russell in Line for Larger Role

A good deal of the Steelers’ recent offensive troubles can be traced to the failure of a longtime staple of this smash-mouth franchise: the short-yardage game.
But the Steelers believe they might have found an answer Sunday in seldom-used running back Gary Russell.
Russell twice converted third-and-short situations in the second half of the Steelers’ 11-10 comeback [...]

Steelers Sign Russell to Active Roster

Steelers Sign Russell to Active Roster

The Steelers filled two open roster spots today by signing veteran running backs Najeh Davenport and Gary Russell to one-year contracts. Financial terms of the deals were not released.
Russell, a second-year player who originally made the Steelers roster in 2007 as an undrafted rookie free agent, was with the team for the first two games [...]

Watch out for Russell

Watch out for Russell

Pittsburgh’s acquisition of ex-Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall in the first round of April’s NFL draft was part of the reason why the Steelers recently decided to part ways with fellow runner Najeh Davenport. Further, the offseason pickup of free agent Mewelde Moore made Davenport’s ability to return kicks somewhat obsolete; after all, Moore is [...]