Former Steeler Willie Parker Runs To A Coaching Position; Ray Rice Signs

You can't coach speed. Willie Parker, though, is looking to coach the rest of what it takes.

Pete Roussel of COACHINGSEARCH.com reported Monday that former Steelers running back Willie Parker accepted a coaching position on the West Virginia Wesleyan staff. Good news for Fast Willie Parker.

FWP, who holds the record for the longest touchdown run in Super Bowl history, never had a chance to have any sort of swan song after being released by the Steelers. His bad-mouthing the organization didn't help matters any. Nonetheless, he tried to get on with several teams after that to no avail. So, If It Ain't Steel is glad to see him turning the page in his career.

FWP should do well as he begins his coaching career if he is able to apply what learned and endured as a player. He didn't start at the University of North Carolina. He wasn't drafted out of college. He had a Steelers legend in front of him when he got to Pittsburgh. He even had to endure being told, during a chance encounter with a Steelers fan before making the team his rookie year, "I hope you get cut!" when he revealed that he grew up a Dallas Cowboys fan.

Point blank, FWP knows what it takes to be successful at the position and the game: he knows about overcoming adversity and the mental toughness it takes, on top of whatever physical gifts, and he learned how to be a great running back and to be gracious while being so from a great running back who was gracious while being so. If he can take what he learned and overcame and convey that to his players, we're certain to see an FWP protégé in the NFL one day.

Who knows? Maybe we'll even him in the NFL again one day too. On the sidelines.

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The Baltimore Ravens and Ray Rice sneak five-year, $40 million deal in under Monday's deadline. Total numbers are five years, $40 million, with $25 million in first two years. I believe only Adrian "AD" Peterson is higher. -  http://t.co/JXfzt1Vu 

Rice is essential to the Raven's offense, so this was a necessary signing. Even in a league where the quarterback is still the golden boy who gets the cheerleader, even in Joe Flaccid's case, there is always X-factor workhorse who is the glue holding it all together. That's Ray Rice.

Baltimore could get by without The Unibrow, but not Ray Rice. They're already in danger of being bereft of two former defensive players of the year, they couldn't afford any issues with Rice also.