Wilson: Mendenhall thriving after early-season benching

Benched against the Cincinnati Bengals in late September because coach Mike Tomlin questioned his grasp of the playbook and attention to detail, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall has come a long way since that setback.

Starting five games as the Steelers have won five in a row, Mendenhallhas averaged 105.6 yards per contest in that span.

"I have a level of respect for Tomlin and the way he does things," Mendenhall told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "He's very fair, honest and straightforward. With that alone, being negative about it is not going to help things. Learn a lesson from it and move forward, that's what I tried to do."

Now, Mendenhall ranks fifth in the AFC in rushing with 573 yards and second in the NFL behind Chris Johnson with a 5.7 average per carry.

"It kind of heightened my awareness and the level of seriousness of how everything's run here, still being young and figuring things out," Mendenhall said. "It was a lesson and kind of helped me in my career."

Added Tomlin: "It was not punitive in nature. You have to educate. He's a young guy, he's got a lot of talent, and I think so far so good. That was the intent, more detailed preparation, more attention to detail. For a young guy, not only does it prepare him, but it instills confidence in him from coaches and from other people in the huddle."

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