PITTSBURGH -- Since Jerome Bettis retired after the 2005 NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers have searched for a big, bruising running back in his mould. The list of hopefuls has been long, if not particularly distinguished. Verron Haynes, Najee Davenport, Carey Davis, Gary Russell, Frank Summers, Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman all failed to consistently provide production in short-yardage and goal line situations. Enter LeGarrette Blount. The 6-foot, 250-pound veteran certainly looks the part. And while he has a long way to go to be mentioned with the likes of Bettis, there have been plenty of flashes during his four seasons in the league. Blount averaged 5.0 yards per carry while splitting time with Stevan Ridley in New England last season, and gashed the Indianapolis Colts for 166 yards and four touchdowns in the playoffs. Though second-year back LeVeon Bell remains the starter, Blount is confident he can make an impact no matter what situation. "I know they brought me in here to run the football, so I hope there are plenty of carries to go around," Blount said Wednesday. "I know that LeVeon is going to get his fair share, so I hope theres enough for all of us." Bell, last years second-round pick, missed the opening three games while recovering from a preseason foot injury. But he still played nearly 700 snaps, a heavy workload the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Bell managed with ease. Still, the Steelers will find opportunities to go from the patient and pragmatic Bell to the bruising Blount, with the emphasis on bruising. "Thats my running style," Blount said. "Thats how I run the football, and I feel like (Bell) is also a big, tough running back, too. So, thats just how this team is built, with a physical running game, and I think thats what theyre trying to get back to. So, hopefully, we can do that." Blount noted a balanced offence is needed to make a run to the Super Bowl such as the ones by Seattle and Denver last year. The champion Seahawks had Marshawn Lynch running the ball and Russell Wilson throwing it, while the Broncos ran the ball with Knowshon Moreno when Peyton Manning wasnt breaking NFL passing records. "I think its huge for us to (sign Blount), because Ive always said that we need to be a balanced offence," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "So, we need to run the ball. We need to be great at running the ball, and weve got guys that want to be great at running the ball. So, hopefully, we can do it and do it successfully." Blount added that while his body type and size make him an ideal power back, he has a variety of skill sets, such as catching the football and running away from defenders in the open field. But he certainly has proven he can run over them as well. Those attributes, combined with Bells slashing style, should give the Steelers a solid one-two punch. "I think we have a really good mix of running backs," Blount said. "(But) Ive seen the NFL Network, and they have these top 10 or top five running back duos in the NFL. I noticed that were not one of them, and I dont like it. In all honesty, I believe theyre downgrading the skill level that we have in our backfield. . I think thats kind of disrespectful." Does that mean Blount and Bell have something to prove? "Were not going to go out here and go on about how were not in that group," Blount said. "But were going to go out there and show that we belong there with our performance." NOTES: RB Dri Archer has missed the opening two OTAs, just like linebacker Jordan Zumwalt from UCLA, because his school is on the quarters system and their class has not yet graduated. . OTAs continue Thursday and also run Tuesday through Thursday next week. Dwight Howard Jersey . Luis Enrique signed the deal with club president Josep Bartomeu two days after it was announced by the club. 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Goergl finished the demanding 3-kilometre Kaelberloch course in 1 minute, 47. Grant Hill Jersey . Raonic, the mens No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., needed more than three hours to overcome Frenchman Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 and become the first Canadian man into the fourth round at Roland Garros.Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork.com) - Alex Burrows had two goals and the Vancouver Canucks broke out of a scoring slump in a big way, rolling to a 7-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. After mustering just 10 goals over their previous six games, the Canucks put up three in the first period to back a 38-save effort from Ryan Miller. Three of Vancouvers scores on the night came on the power play, where the club had gone 1-of-22 over its last seven outings. Daniel Sedin and Brad Richardson had a goal and an assist in the rout, with Kevin Bieksa, Chris Higgins and Shawn Matthias also lighting the lamp for the Canucks. Were happy with the win. We did a lot of good things, said Burrows. Mike Smith lasted just over a period for Arizona before being pulled after letting up four goals on 11 shots. Devan Dubnyk stopped 26-of-29 chances in relief. Oliver Ekman-Larsson accounted for the Coyotes lone goal as the visitors dropped their seventh game in the last eight. Its kind of a microcosm of our team this year, Arizona head coach Dave Tippett said of the game. The Canucks beat Smith three times on just 10 shots in the opening period to give Miller all the support he needed, with Burrows beginning the barrage 6:34 in by collecting a loose puck behind the Arizona net and stuffing it through the Coyotes goaltenders pads. Bieksa made it 2-0 when he raced out of the penalty box to join a Vancouver rush led by Henrik Sedin, who hitt the defenseman in stride before Bieksa fired the puck in from the left side with 2:43 to go in the first.dddddddddddd It was a three-goal margin at the first intermission after Daniel Sedin knocked in a long rebound left by Smith on Radim Vrbatas initial attempt. Smiths night then ended quickly in the second, when Richardson raced up the right side and rocketed a shot into the top right corner with just 1:41 elapsed in the session. Burrows got his second of the night on a Canucks power play, chipping in a second-chance rebound while camped in front of the Coyotes net to make it 5-0 with 7:41 still remaining in the frame. Arizona finally had a highlight later in the second, as Ekman-Larssons wrister off a Sam Gagner feed got through a screened Miller with Arizona on a 5-on-4. Higgins and Matthias each scored on the power play 2:24 apart in the third to finish off the lopsided win. Its nice to see the guys get rewarded, to see the smiles on their faces, Miller said. Game Notes Henrik Sedin finished with two assists ... Forward Jannik Hansen did not play for Vancouver two days after temporarily collapsing on the bench in Saturdays game against Calgary ... The Canucks were 3-for-8 on the power play ... Miller improved to 8-1-0 against the Coyotes for his career ... The Canucks avenged a 5-0 loss to Arizona in Vancouver back on Nov. 14, in which Dubnyk recorded 35 saves. Wholesale HoodiesNFL Shirts OutletJerseys NFL WholesaleCheap NFL Jerseys Free ShippingWholesale Jerseys CheapCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaWholesale JerseysWholesale NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '