When the 2015 season started, if someone would have said Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman would be who the ground game was going to depend on in a key postseason game, you never would have believed it.
At that point, quiet honestly, most Steelers fans didn't even know who they were.
Neither Todman nor Toussaint were with the team in training camp. Todman was signed to the active roster before the start of the season, after being let go by the Carolina Panthers on the final mandatory roster cut, and Toussaint was brought in for a spot on the practice squad at the same time.
Fast forward to today and once again the tandem could be the go-to backs for the offense when the Steelers play the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Playoff game on Sunday with Le'Veon Bell' status up in the air. Williams missed last week's Wild Card game and the two stepped in to carry the load, and whether he plays this week or not is still a question mark.
"DeAngelo is still kind of on the outside looking in," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "I will leave the door ajar for him. He is a savvy veteran player. If he perks up at the end of the week I have no issue in terms of giving him an opportunity to assist us in our efforts. We will see where the week of rehabilitation and so forth takes us with him."
If Williams can't go, the duo is ready to do whatever is asked of them.
"We both have been patient here," said Todman. "We have a great stable of running backs here, from Le'Veon to DeAngelo. They set the bar at a high standard for us. We have to go out and perform."
The combination of Toussaint (58) and Todman (65) combined for 123 yards, while Martavis Bryant helped the cause with a 44-yard end around, to give the Steelers an NFL-high 167 yards rushing over Wild Card weekend.
"We just went out there and prepared all week," said Toussaint. "We went out there and handled business. We prepared for it. I feel like we went out there and got the job done and there is more to come."
During the regular season Toussaint and Todman combined for only 64 yards rushing, getting limited work as Williams, and before he was injured Bell, were the workhorses for the offense. But the two should see plenty of reps in practice again this week, getting them prepared for whatever lies ahead on Sunday.
"We just prepare for the task and throughout this week we are going to get ready to do it," said Toussaint. "There is a rhythm. When you have both guys out there making big plays, then both of us are confident.
"You get a lot of experience in this facility. You might not have it on the field, but you get it from a guy like DeAngelo and I am able to take it out there."
