Thursday, December 6, 2001
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PITTSBURGH >> The man the Pittsburgh Steelers call Fu isn't worried about starting against the New York Jets. It's the finishing part that concerns him. ‘Fu’ to start
for SteelersAssociated Press
St. Louis School graduate Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, the running back with the long name and the even longer hair -- he wears it in a bun on the back of his head -- will replace the injured Jerome Bettis on Sunday.
Bettis, the NFL rushing leader, has not yet officially been ruled out of one of the Steelers' most important games of the season, but Fuamatu-Ma'afala has been told he will start.
"Oh, yeah, I'm ready to go," Fuamatu-Ma'afala said yesterday. "This is my fourth year, and I'm ready. In my first or second year I might have said I was ready, but I really wouldn't be relaxed.
"Now, when they told me I was going to start, I said, 'Cool, that's fine.' I'm not all jittery like I might have been a couple of years ago."
If nothing else, his first start this season probably can't go any worse than his last start on Oct. 22, 2000, against the Browns.
Replacing the injured Jon Witman at fullback, he broke a foot during a 20-yard run and was finished for the season, the latest in a long list of injuries that would seem more appropriate for a 15-year veteran.
Even though Fuamatu-Ma'afala never has been a full-time starter since being a sixth-round pick out of Utah in 1998, he has been sidelined by a shoulder injury, a pulled hamstring, a sprained ankle, a broken hand, broken ribs and the broken foot.
It's probably a good thing for the Steelers (9-2) that Bettis almost never gets hurt -- he has missed three games in nine seasons -- because it seems Fuamatu-Ma'afala is almost never healthy.
"I've had a lot of freaky things happen to me," he said.
Still, when the New England Patriots pursued Fuamatu-Ma'afala as a free agent last spring, the Steelers chose to bring him back rather than Richard Huntley, who was once seen as Bettis' heir apparent. Not only did they match New England's offer to Fuamatu-Ma'afala, they added two years to what became a $2.7 million, three-year contract.
"The Patriots told me they were looking for someone like me, but I liked it here in Pittsburgh," Fuamatu-Ma'afala said. "I liked the organization and the players, and I fit in well here."
However, the Steelers made a curious move after re-signing Fuamatu-Ma'afala; they dropped him on the depth chart during training camp and installed Amos Zereoue as Bettis' backup.
Fuamatu-Ma'afala understood the move because the 5-foot-8 Zereoue is faster and provides a changeup to defenses accustomed to the 255-pound Bettis pounding on them.
But with Bettis sidelined for at least this week with hip and groin injuries, the Steelers want Fuamatu-Ma'afala to start because of his Bettis-like style and size -- he also weighs 255 -- and ability to wear on defenses.
Fuamatu-Ma'afala had barely carried the ball this season until replacing Bettis on Sunday against Minnesota, yet gained 74 yards on 12 carries in the fourth quarter. He sealed the Steelers' 21-16 victory with a 46-yard run on the next-to-last play.
"They knew I was going to run the ball, too," Fuamatu-Ma'afala said. "I could hear them yelling, 'He's coming over here' and I knew I was in trouble. They even knew which side I was running to."
Fuamatu-Ma'afala welcomes the chance to play Sunday for another reason.
His older brother, Nick, 31, a former Hawaii defensive lineman, died in April of leukemia following a long illness. Fuamatu-Ma'afala keeps his picture in his locker, and has talked of wanting to do something special to honor him.
"I've had to wait my turn, but it's a long season and I had to be patient, just like Jerome said," Fuamatu-Ma'afala said. "He keeps telling me, 'Be patient and it will come.' Well, I'm ready now."