'There's No Question Ben Is Still The Leader': SB Nation Interview With Jerome Bettis

Jerome Bettis, who ranks 5th all-time among the leaders in NFL rushing yards, could enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame following this season. SB Nation had an interview with Bettis discussing the immediate future of his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as some of his thoughts about the upcoming season and his HOF prospects.

SB Nation: So you're doing the rounds for something called the Guinness Pro Challenge competition. Why don't you tell me a little bit about that.

Bettis: It's a competition where fans post their boldest athletic moment on the Guinness website. The winner and three of their friends get to come to Dallas to challenge me in a competition to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. Basically, someone wins the right to come to Dallas to get beat.

SB Nation: So it'll be the week of the Super Bowl, right?

Bettis: The week of the big game, yeah. I can't use the specific term you said, but you can.

SB Nation: Ah yes. The trademark stuff. Of course.

So... let's talk about some NFL stuff. Your former team is going to be going with Dennis Dixon starting for at least the first week of the season. Obviously, the guy came around a few years after you retired, so you don't have firsthand impressions of playing with him, but have you talked with any of your former teammates about his progress?

Bettis: I haven't yet. I talked with the offensive coordinator, Bruce Arians, about [Dixon] during the off-season. This was well before the decision was made to start him. Arians said he was making progress in OTAs. It was hard to say at the time that he was at the point of being ready, but they were bringing him along. I'm sure they've had to accelerate that process now with him having to start.

SB Nation: At the end of last season, Arians reportedly came very close to being let go by the team. The most common criticism from fans has been that there wasn't enough of a commitment to the running game. After he was retained, that was the promise, that the running game was going to be a bigger focus of the offense. Obviously the team will have to run the ball more with Dixon starting, but do you see that emphasis continuing even after Roethlisberger returns?

Bettis: I think so. By the time Ben returns, that will be the identity of the offense. The Steelers have had more and more a passing offense ever since Ben came into the league. The last time it was really about the run were my last few seasons with the team. The suspension is gonna lend itself to making the identity more about the run. That's a little different with Dixon or Ben at QB, but that focus will already be in place by the time the suspension is over.

SB Nation: It came out over the weekend that Roethlisberger wasn't elected as one of the Steelers captains on offense. What does that mean? Does it mean he might have lost the trust of some of the players in the locker room?

Bettis: I don't think so. The captain of the football team is different from the leader of the team. The captain is the face of the team. With what happened in the off-season, you couldn't really expect Ben to be the face of the team, you know? When he's in the huddle, there's no question that Ben is still the leader, but right now the players must have felt that he shouldn't be the face of the team.

SB Nation: Are you involved with fantasy football at all?

Bettis: I don't play it, no, but I discuss it a lot and people are usually asking me for my thoughts on certain players.

SB Nation: All right. In that case, which running backs do you see having a big year? Aside from the obvious Chris Johnsons and Adrian Petersons of the world.

Bettis: I like Frank Gore to have a standout year. With Alex Smith making some strides, I think that is going to open things up even more for Gore and the running game. He's always been a solid guy and this looks like it might be the best year of his career.

SB Nation: You're up for possible Hall of Fame induction at the end of the season. What are your thoughts on that? Are you expecting to get in?

Bettis: You really can't expect anything. I've certainly got my fingers crossed but it's up to the voters to decide. From my standpoint, you can only hope. The writers are all savvy guys, but you can't base your expectations one way or the other.

SB Nation: If you do in fact get in, have you given any thought to who would give your induction speech?

Bettis: I haven't given that much thought. Maybe my brother because he was a big Steelers fans growing up while I was a big Cowboys fan. I think that would be interesting.

SB Nation: Does it bother you not to be on the NBC network show anymore?

Bettis: It was one particular stage of my life. I still do a local NBC show in Pittsburgh and have a column for SI. It was a good opportunity and I'm glad I got a chance to do it, but I'm still moving forward with my life and doing other things.

SB Nation: All right, Bus, thanks for taking a moment to talk.

Bettis: Thank you.