Pittsburgh Steelers Running Back Baron Batch Looking to Bounce Back in 2012

Baron Batch is no stranger to adversity. In his football career he has overcome injuries in his first two years at Texas Tech to become one of the toughest players in recent memory for the Red Raiders. Now, a season removed from a training camp injury, Batch is set to make his mark on the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Batch injured his right knee during a drill doing cuts, but had become a notable commodity to his first professional team. Batch went head to head with Linebacker James Harrison and stood his ground with one of the hardest hitters in the game currently during pass protection drills.

Batch is in a crowded backfield for the Steelers which include the injured starter Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman and 2012 fifth round pick Chris Rainey. Batch has had a successful, yet sometimes difficult rehabilitation stint. Batch told the Associated Press, "It still is a process. I've had my ups and downs but it's nice to be back on the field."

The opportunity for Batch to break into the two-deep seems to be much like the camp entering the 2008 season at Texas Tech, his redshirt sophomore season. That year Batch ran for a team leading 756 yards with seven touchdowns. The amazing part of his season that year was he averaged 6.7 yards for every rush of the football. Batch followed up his first season on the field with another great season on the ground rushing for 884 yards and fourteen touchdowns. In his Texas Tech career, Batch ran for more than 2,600 yards in his college career.

Will Baron Batch break into the two-deep? I wouldn’t bet against the best writer in the NFL anytime soon.