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UpdatedAug 7, 2011 11:20 AM ETLATROBE, Pa. (AP)John Clay kept waiting for the phone to ring during the NFLDraft in April.One round passed. Then a day. Then three.The former Wisconsin running back never saw his name pop up onthe ticker through seven excruciating rounds and 224 picks.He didn't anticipate not getting selected, not after running formore than 2,500 yards and 32 touchdowns during his sophomore andjunior seasons at Wisconsin, his 6-foot-1, 248-pound frame servingas a battering ram behind the team's massive offensive line.He left school a year early, figuring he was a lock. He wasn'tand going undrafted hurt. In a way, Clay says it may be the bestthing that happened to his career.Otherwise, he wouldn't be in camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers,the ''perfect'' place for him to prove the doubters wrong.''You definitely want to use that as motivation,'' Clay said.''You want to show that you can play at this level.''Playing in the NFL and staying in the NFL are two differentthings. The defending AFC champions appear to be just about set atrunning back. Rashard Mendenhall is firmly entrenched at the topafter consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Isaac Redman and third-downspecialist Mewelde Moore are next.After that, things get murky. At 5-11 and 235 lbs., second-yearman Jonathan Dwyer would seem to fit the mold of the ''big'' back,yet didn't exactly distinguish himself last year.There appears to be room for a rookie to make some headway,although the newcomer creating the biggest buzz during the firstweek of camp isn't Clay but Baron Batch.Though Batch's college numbers were ordinary next to Clay's, hedid manage to get drafted. The Steelers chose Batch in the finalround, intrigued by his versatility.Batch ran for 816 yards and five touchdowns last year whileadding 32 receptions and three more scores. He's comfortableoperating in a complicated offense thanks to former Texas Techcoach Mike Leach's complex attack.He's held his own while competing in the ''backs on backers''drill that pits a running back against a hard-charging linebackercoming on the blitz.Still, Batch isn't exactly ready to call himself the rookie tobeat. Sure, he's looked good in one-on-one drills. However, thegame is played with Batch and 10 teammates working as a unit. Heknows he's not as sharp as he needs to be when it comes to learningwhere to go and when to get there.''You guys see that stuff, `God, he did good in backs onbackers' but to me stuff like that doesn't really matter muchbecause if I get in team and I miss on a blitz, that's all it takesto get a quarterback hurt,'' Batch said.Batch understands that because of his size - he's just 210pounds and he played in a system in college that relied heavily onthrowing the ball - he's considered soft.''The fans that saw me in college, they would say, `He runshard, he's tough,''' Batch said. ''I'm just going to show (theSteelers) what they saw when they drafted me.''What the coaches have seen from Batch is an ability to stick hisnose in uncomfortable places. He's been eager to contribute onspecial teams and aggressively worked between the tackles during agoal-line competition on Saturday.The exercise pits the goal-line offense against the goal-linedefense. The offense gets a point if it scores a touchdown from twoyards out. The defense gets a point if it stops the ball short ofthe end zone.Coach Mike Tomlin likes to play the series best-of-seven. Batchand Clay both had opportunities to show what they can do.Batch made it to the end zone at least once, while Clay wasstuffed at the doorstep on the final play.It was the ''welcome to the NFL'' moment for both.Though he didn't come through on the last snap, in truth therewas little room for him to maneuver. Clay, who ran a painfully slow4.8 40-yard dash before the draft, has displayed nimble feet attimes.He spent the NFL lockout trying to get into ''football shape,''and though he hasn't lost weight, he'd like to think he'sredistributed it a little better.Clay understands he'll never be confused with a breakaway back.He's hoping to get the tough yards he's always gotten.His teammates want to see it happen. Moore said he's hoping fora glimpse of ''that Wisconsin style of running'' from Clay.''You know, I just want to pound it, pound it, pound it and getthat home run in the end,'' Clay said. ''If I keep working at it,I'll get a shot.''
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