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Duce rolls back into the spotlight
The latest could be called, "A starter again." After being de-activated for six of the Steelers first seven games, Staley ran well last Sunday against Green Bay and is expected to start Sunday night against Cleveland at Heinz Field.
The book can wait.
"Every time I go to get started, I say, 'It's not the right time,' " Tena Staley said.
She does, however, have a title in mind.
"You Can't Have Him," she said, matter-of-factly.
The 'You' is a reference to the Columbia, S.C., neighborhood where she raised her children. Specifically, it's a place known as Dixianna, where Duce spent the majority of his youth. Tena worked tirelessly to steer her son away from the drugs, theft and violence that pulled at him like an industrial-sized magnet.
That meant many late nights and early mornings combing the back alleys and various rough spots in search of the impressionable Duce. Once she found him, he was coming home.
Today, home is the Steelers backfield for Duce -- again. He entered training camp as the No. 1 tailback, but underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Aug. 8 and fell behind Willie Parker and Jerome Bettis on the depth chart.
Parker has flourished in Staley's former role, amassing 615 yards on 132 carries, while Bettis has complemented Parker when healthy. The two backs are questionable for the Browns game - Bettis with a quadriceps strain; Parker with an ankle sprain - which puts Staley back where he was in early August.
"He's always had that (swagger)," Bettis said yesterday of Staley, who had 76 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries in the Steelers' 20-10 victory over the Packers at Lambeau Field. "He looked good (last week). Obviously, he still has some rust on him. You don't play from January until now without rust being there, but he made some big runs, some tough runs, and did a little bit of everything."
Before Staley caught the eyes of his teammates and those around the league - he's run for 5,713 career yards, including 707 before a hamstring injury abbreviated last season - he caught the attention of his mom.
She spent a good portion of her adult life trying to keep her son in check.
For example, when a youthful Duce would walk through her doors with gold chains around his neck or pricey tennis shoes on his feet, she'd ask where they came from. She really didn't need to know the answer, but she always asked.
Then, she removed them.
Tena got divorced from her husband, Lannie, when Duce was 13, leaving oldest daughter, Kisha, now 32, youngest son, Travis, now 25, and Duce alone with her in their double-wide motor home.
"It had modern conveniences," Tena said of the dwelling. "But it's a struggle to pay for modern conveniences on your own."
Barely a teenager, Duce took it upon himself to take care of his father-less family. He wanted to provide for his mother and his siblings. Running down to Grandma's house on a regular basis to grab a meal and sharing food with the neighbors can eat at a boy's pride.
Duce often was aggressive and rebellious, not surprising for a child who was embittered by his parent's divorce. He could be defiant.
"I did what I had to do," Duce said. "It was tough."
Even if his methods were far from OK by Tena's standards. She knew what the "outsiders" were doing in her neighborhood at night time. She'd see the fancy cars, the blinding gold chains, the money exchanging hands as if it came from a Monopoly box.
Young Duce saw these things, too. Liked it even. Easy money. Fast cash. No more struggles for mom, who worked for the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles.
"He wanted to be the Little Man of the House, the one who could take care of everything," Tena said. "He thought he could live the fast life, hanging out on the streets. But I used to always tell Duce, 'If things are hard financially, we'll stretch things. We'll figure it out. We'll do this the right way. But I will not let you be out there on those streets.'"
Tena ultimately sent Duce off to a junior college in Fulton County, Miss., called Itawamba. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than the alternative.
That's why Tena didn't complain when she'd pay bills late or cut corners on grocery shopping in order to have enough money to rent a car and drive eight hours to Mississippi to watch her son play.
Duce's college career eventually moved to South Carolina University, where he had two strong seasons before the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him 1998.
Staley had three 1,000-yard seasons in seven years with the Eagles and was the offensive MVP in '98, '99 and '02. But after a holdout in '03, he found himself in a crowded backfield with Brian Westbrook and Correl Buckhalter. His numbers dipped (463 yards on 96 carries) and he went shopping for a new team in the offseason.
The Steelers shelled out $14 million on a five-year deal that included a $4 million signing bonus. Staley quickly took over as the starter, replacing Bettis before injuring his hamstring in Week 7 against the New England Patriots, whom he'd burned for 125 yards on 25 carries.
Bettis assumed the No. 1 spot in Staley's absence - Staley missed six of the final nine regular-season games - and ran for 941 yards and 13 touchdowns. The situation offered a bit of irony, considering it was Staley who initially stole the spotlight from Bettis. Parker owned much of that spotlight this season, but Staley might be ready to take some of it back.
"The one benefit we have is that all the guys (in the Steelers backfield) have that swagger, and that's what makes us so successful," Bettis said. "Everybody believes they're the guy, so when the opportunity comes, they revel in it, they shine.
"It's a good situation to be in, but the even better part is that they never conflict from an attitude standpoint with each other. So, we all feel we're No. 1 backs, but we don't let it rub off in the locker room."
