Connor

[Disco1981]

Is Connor eligible to play tomorrow

[NorthCoast]

Good question. Was reported positive on Nov. 28th I think. Tomorrow would be 9 days so I don't think he would be able to play. (unless his actual first positive was a day earlier, then maybe)

[NorthCoast]

Schefter says he is eligible but likely out:

Adam Schefter
@AdamSchefter
Steelers' RB James Conner is eligible to come off the Reserve/COVID list on Monday, but it still considered unlikely that he will play against the WFT, per sources. It's looking like another week of Benny Snell Jr.

[Chucktownsteeler]

He is likely still out. Need him fresh for the Bills.

[NorthCoast]

Had not heard this before. No timeframe given on when the injury occurred, but if in season it could explain some of his problems in the run game:



Ian Rapoport
@RapSheet
Ex-#Steelers RB James Conner underwent surgery to repair a very moderate turf toe-type injury this offseason, sources say, a procedure done by renowned specialist Dr. Robert Anderson. The injury incurred while riding in a recreational vehicle. A full recovery is expected in June.

[feltdizz]

Had not heard this before. No timeframe given on when the injury occurred, but if in season it could explain some of his problems in the run game:

I see other problems if he injured his to while riding a motorbike or 4 wheeler.

:wft

[Buzz]

has reportedly signed with the Cardinals

[feltdizz]

this is great news for Steeler fans.

I was worried he may not sign and end up back in Pittsburgh.

Damn shame he never put it together. He was a monster at PITT.

Getting hurt riding a recreation vehicle tho.. if we knew that during the season I wonder how fans would’ve reacted.

[pittpete]

More room in the hottub now....

[steeler_george]

Let's just all hope he signed over 2 M to calculate in the comp formula and AZ passes up RB.

[steeler_george]

More room in the hottub now....

so wrong ...
but so right...

[SteelBucks]

Good luck James in Arizona. I won’t speak any ill will but we need someone at RB who can stay relatively healthy. It hurts when the starter is out of games more than in.

[Chucktownsteeler]

Good luck, James!

[Ghost]

Good luck James in Arizona. I won’t speak any ill will but we need someone at RB who can stay relatively healthy. It hurts when the starter is out of games more than in.

Great story. Quality kid and character. Ran hard when healthy. But he sure did give "Captain Sweatpants" (Duce Staley) a run for his money...

[hawaiiansteel]

has reportedly signed with the Cardinals

good luck at Steelers West, being in a backfield tandem there may be just what the doctor ordered for James.

[Djfan]

Good luck to a great guy whose story is better than his production. You'll be missed. His Instagram is fun to follow, if anyone is interested. Quality guy.

[Joel Buchsbaum]

Good luck to James Conner. We could use a nice comp pick in 2022. What did he sign for?

[hawaiiansteel]

Good luck to James Conner. We could use a nice comp pick in 2022. What did he sign for?

it's a one-year deal, financial terms of the contract haven't been disclosed yet.

[flippy]

I hope he leads the league in yards from scrimmage. He’s a good dude and it’d be no harm to us.

[Northern_Blitz]

it's a one-year deal, financial terms of the contract haven't been disclosed yet.

Probably not too much if it's a 1 year deal.

Hope it's high enough to count toward comp picks.

[Steelerphile]

Here is a factoid I read about Conner "Conner had 55 receptions for 497 yards during his Pro Bowl season and that same year became the first player in NFL history to have four games in a single season with 100 or more rushing yards, 50 or more receiving yards and a touchdown."

Puts his name in the record books in a footnote, and indicates what he can do when healthy. Wish him well and will follow Arizona more closely now. I do think this makes it likely the Steelers will draft a running back in first round. Since the backs behind Conner averaged a full yard less than he did in 2020 and Rooney has publicly stated the emphasis on improving the running game.

[whatever]

Quality individual.
Good that he is getting another chance.

[papillon]

Problem now is the Steelers may try to fix the running game with a 1st round RB rather than a tackle or center. They could get the #1 back in the draft but running behind the line from last year minus Pouncey won't produce many more rushing yards than last year, imo.

Pappy

[NorthCoast]

Message to the 'Burgh from Conner. Good guy, wish him the best on his next opportunity;

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51114736592_0aa0696ca2_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2kSQonW)Capture (https://flic.kr/p/2kSQonW) by R W (https://www.flickr.com/photos/191750946@N04/), on Flickr

[Ernie]

Problem now is the Steelers may try to fix the running game with a 1st round RB rather than a tackle or center. They could get the #1 back in the draft but running behind the line from last year minus Pouncey won't produce many more rushing yards than last year, imo.

Pappy

Excellent post. You are one of those on this board who "Get it"

[Steel Maniac]

Problem now is the Steelers may try to fix the running game with a 1st round RB rather than a tackle or center. They could get the #1 back in the draft but running behind the line from last year minus Pouncey won't produce many more rushing yards than last year, imo.

Pappy

Exactly. Getting a stud runningback means nothing if the line isn’t improved.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

i'm honestly disappointed that a 1 year $1.75 deal and they didn't keep him in black and gold for that price... i just pictured he'd be the long-term backup....

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

I'm happy for him that he landed somewhere. Good guy, good story. I will cheer for him when I see him playing for Arizona in a game where I have no other rooting interest, but I am happy, and understand why, he is no longer a Steeler.

[feltdizz]

Problem now is the Steelers may try to fix the running game with a 1st round RB rather than a tackle or center. They could get the #1 back in the draft but running behind the line from last year minus Pouncey won't produce many more rushing yards than last year, imo.

Pappy

its possible to do both IMO.

This idea that you have to go OL first
or it will fail is a bad way of looking at it.

and if we can go OL first AND get one of the RB’s from UNC in round 2 I won’t be mad.

I think its possible to improve both positions on the first 2 days.

[Northern_Blitz]

I'm happy for him that he landed somewhere. Good guy, good story. I will cheer for him when I see him playing for Arizona in a game where I have no other rooting interest, but I am happy, and understand why, he is no longer a Steeler.

This.

Good luck #30

[feltdizz]

i'm honestly disappointed that a 1 year $1.75 deal and they didn't keep him in black and gold for that price... i just pictured he'd be the long-term backup....

honestly, not sure what people see on the field in Conner that makes people want to keep him.

The idea of Conner is awesome. I loved watching him at Pitt and defended the draft pick.l at the time. However, he just hasn’t shown enough on the field to warrant the amount of love he gets from fans.

Also, if the rumors are true that he hurt his toe on a recreational vehicle it shows a bit if irresponsibility.

I wonder if thats why he was “benched” during the season.

[Eich]

Also, if the rumors are true that he hurt his toe on a recreational vehicle it shows a bit if irresponsibility.

I wonder if thats why he was “benched” during the season.

Irresponsible? That's a stretch.

I don't think the injury is a rumor. It's been reported. It was also reported that the injury occurred in the off-season. You can injure yourself walking down the street. Expecting an athlete to do nothing other than play football and live in a bubble is completely unrealistic.

[feltdizz]

Irresponsible? That's a stretch.

I don't think the injury is a rumor. It's been reported. It was also reported that the injury occurred in the off-season. You can injure yourself walking down the street. Expecting an athlete to do nothing other than play football and live in a bubble is completely unrealistic.

wrong.. pretty sure most teams have things like recreational and dangerous activities written into contracts.

This is why you sometimes hear players saying they fell in the shower and then the real story comes out that they were doing something irresponsible.

there is a huge gap between walking down the street and skiing or riding ATV’s.

this is old but it was in Winslows contract when he was injured riding a motorcycle:

Section 3 of the NFL's standard player contract stipulates, in part, that a "player will not engage in … any activity other than football which may involve a significant risk of personal injury. … Player therefore agrees that club will have the right … to enjoin the player from engaging in any activity other than football which may involve a significant risk of injury."

[papillon]

its possible to do both IMO.

This idea that you have to go OL first
or it will fail is a bad way of looking at it.

and if we can go OL first AND get one of the RB’s from UNC in round 2 I won’t be mad.

I think its possible to improve both positions on the first 2 days.

Yeah, with Connor gone it will be difficult to not improve the running back group. Me personally, I'd rather try and make an average to above average back into a good to great back by improving the Oline.

I'm old school. I love having an offensive line that just moves people when necessary. I couldn't watch last year when it was nearly impossible for many reasons to rush the football for 1 or 2 lousy yards when they needed it and that includes using your 240 pound quarterback on a sneak. Anyhow, it looks like a top 3 tackle will be available at 1.24 and one of the top 4 center prospects will be available in the 2nd. From what I'm reading, Humphrey, Dickerson, Minierez and the other guy are all about the same so the Steelers will in all likelihood be able to grab one of them in the 2nd, not sure about the 3rd.

With the the RB position having an average length of service of around 3-4 years, I'd rather take players that, if they pan out, they will be around for 8-10 years and replace the RB when necessary. That's just me, I wouldn't be sad with a really good back in the 2nd or even the 1st but it seems that all great running games start with the guys up front and this year's draft seems to have an abundance of really good offensive linemen and, in particular, at the positions the Steelers need, tackle and center.

Pappy

[Northern_Blitz]

honestly, not sure what people see on the field in Conner that makes people want to keep him.

The idea of Conner is awesome. I loved watching him at Pitt and defended the draft pick.l at the time. However, he just hasn’t shown enough on the field to warrant the amount of love he gets from fans.

Also, if the rumors are true that he hurt his toe on a recreational vehicle it shows a bit if irresponsibility.

I wonder if thats why he was “benched” during the season.

I would have been fine bringing him back on a cheap deal to compete for playing time.

He's pretty good when healthy.

But I'm also fine with him not coming back.

RBs tend to get less healthy with age, and his performance will probably decline in that way too.

[Eich]

wrong.. pretty sure most teams have things like recreational and dangerous activities written into contracts.

This is why you sometimes hear players saying they fell in the shower and then the real story comes out that they were doing something irresponsible.

there is a huge gap between walking down the street and skiing or riding ATV’s.

this is old but it was in Winslows contract when he was injured riding a motorcycle:

Section 3 of the NFL's standard player contract stipulates, in part, that a "player will not engage in … any activity other than football which may involve a significant risk of personal injury. … Player therefore agrees that club will have the right … to enjoin the player from engaging in any activity other than football which may involve a significant risk of injury."

LOL.

Athletes are going to play pickup basketball, drive fast cars, surf, ski, ride ATVs, motorcycles and all of the other things that active people enjoy doing, all of which has a risk.

It's their body, they can decide if the risk is worth it. Calling it irresponsible is a stretch. They take a ton of risk on the football field every time they step on it. The only time I can see where a football team has a legitimate gripe is if they guarantee a large contract, even if the player is injured in non-football activity, which I doubt many teams do. And that certainly wasn't the case with Conner.

You're living in a dream world if you think that most NFL athletes don't do "risky" things, ESPECIALLY in the offseason. At least he didn't go all Plexico Burress and shoot himself with his own gun in a bar. Now THAT was irresponsible.

[Northern_Blitz]

LOL.

Athletes are going to play pickup basketball, drive fast cars, surf, ski, ride ATVs, motorcycles and all of the other things that active people enjoy doing, all of which has a risk.

It's their body, they can decide if the risk is worth it. Calling it irresponsible is a stretch. They take a ton of risk on the football field every time they step on it. The only time I can see where a football team has a legitimate gripe is if they guarantee a large contract, even if the player is injured in non-football activity, which I doubt many teams do. And that certainly wasn't the case with Conner.

You're living in a dream world if you think that most NFL athletes don't do "risky" things, ESPECIALLY in the offseason. At least he didn't go all Plexico Burress and shoot himself with his own gun in a bar. Now THAT was irresponsible.

Or blow off his finger with a firecracker.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

honestly, not sure what people see on the field in Conner that makes people want to keep him.

The idea of Conner is awesome. I loved watching him at Pitt and defended the draft pick.l at the time. However, he just hasn’t shown enough on the field to warrant the amount of love he gets from fans.

Also, if the rumors are true that he hurt his toe on a recreational vehicle it shows a bit if irresponsibility.

I wonder if thats why he was “benched” during the season.
Nobody is saying that he's the guy that we're expecting to be all pro.
And no one is saying give him $10 mil a year.
Dude signed for $1.75 mil. For perspective, Terrell Edmunds is on his rookie contract and is making more than the $1.75mil this year that Conner just signed for.

Are you seriously arguing that he isn't even worth THAT, cuz that's just silly.

Personally, I saw him as the Charlie Batch to the RB - local kid, full-time backup who can save you in a pinch. You can still go get your starter, Conner's the backup and you get a scat-back to compliment them.

[NorthCoast]

Nobody is saying that he's the guy that we're expecting to be all pro.
And no one is saying give him $10 mil a year.
Dude signed for $1.75 mil. For perspective, Terrell Edmunds is on his rookie contract and is making more than the $1.75mil this year that Conner just signed for.

Are you seriously arguing that he isn't even worth THAT, cuz that's just silly.

Personally, I saw him as the Charlie Batch to the RB - local kid, full-time backup who can save you in a pinch. You can still go get your starter, Conner's the backup and you get a scat-back to compliment them.Agreed. He was at least average if not slightly better than when he was on the field.

[hawaiiansteel]

Dude signed for $1.75 mil.

I would have signed Conner to a one year contract for $1.75 mil.

[feltdizz]

LOL.

Athletes are going to play pickup basketball, drive fast cars, surf, ski, ride ATVs, motorcycles and all of the other things that active people enjoy doing, all of which has a risk.

It's their body, they can decide if the risk is worth it. Calling it irresponsible is a stretch. They take a ton of risk on the football field every time they step on it. The only time I can see where a football team has a legitimate gripe is if they guarantee a large contract, even if the player is injured in non-football activity, which I doubt many teams do. And that certainly wasn't the case with Conner.

You're living in a dream world if you think that most NFL athletes don't do "risky" things, ESPECIALLY in the offseason. At least he didn't go all Plexico Burress and shoot himself with his own gun in a bar. Now THAT was irresponsible.

No.. sorry. This isn’t how it works. I believe you ate in the dream world if you think teams aren’t frustrated when players are injured doing recreational activities.

While we know players will do risky things and things they shouldn’t in the offseason they still have a responsibility not to injure themselves doing it which is why contracts exist.

They are paid millions to play football. Of course teams don’t want them to get injured but if they do, they damn sure want it to happen while they are working on football related activities.

[feltdizz]

Nobody is saying that he's the guy that we're expecting to be all pro.
And no one is saying give him $10 mil a year.
Dude signed for $1.75 mil. For perspective, Terrell Edmunds is on his rookie contract and is making more than the $1.75mil this year that Conner just signed for.

Are you seriously arguing that he isn't even worth THAT, cuz that's just silly.

Personally, I saw him as the Charlie Batch to the RB - local kid, full-time backup who can save you in a pinch. You can still go get your starter, Conner's the backup and you get a scat-back to compliment them.

Obviously he wasn’t worth that to us because we didn’t sign him.

If that is all he signed for imagine what other teams thought he was worth?

Sorry dude.. Charlie Batch is the guy you rarely, if ever need on the field. I think your hometown feel good story is getting in the way of what you saw on the field.

Once again Edmunds is the punching bag. If Conner played as much as Edwards and played as well I believe he would still be here.

[Captain Lemming]

Obviously he wasn’t worth that to us because we didn’t sign him.

If that is all he signed for imagine what other teams thought he was worth?

Sorry dude.. Charlie Batch is the guy you rarely, if ever need on the field. I think your hometown feel good story is getting in the way of what you saw on the field.

Once again Edmunds is the punching bag. If Conner played as much as Edwards and played as well I believe he would still be here.

Nobody is making Edmonds a puching bag...key point is he is on his ROOKIE DEAL and Conner signed for less than that.

[Oviedo]

Over/Under on games missed due to injury.

I'm betting he misses at least 4

[flippy]

i'm honestly disappointed that a 1 year $1.75 deal and they didn't keep him in black and gold for that price... i just pictured he'd be the long-term backup....

Agreed. I think we shoulda kept him for this.

[flippy]

Obviously he wasn’t worth that to us because we didn’t sign him.

If that is all he signed for imagine what other teams thought he was worth?

Sorry dude.. Charlie Batch is the guy you rarely, if ever need on the field. I think your hometown feel good story is getting in the way of what you saw on the field.

Once again Edmunds is the punching bag. If Conner played as much as Edwards and played as well I believe he would still be here.

If Snell or Little Booger have to pick up a free blitzer on 3rd down that gets our QB killed, we might remember Conner could do a couple things that were pretty useful.

He coulda had Derek Watt’s money if we’re comparing relative value.

[Captain Lemming]

If Snell or Little Booger have to pick up a free blitzer on 3rd down that gets our QB killed, we might remember Conner could do a couple things that were pretty useful.

He coulda had Derek Watt’s money if we’re comparing relative value.

Derek has TREMENDOUS value...right up until we sign TJ long term. :)

[feltdizz]

If Snell or Little Booger have to pick up a free blitzer on 3rd down that gets our QB killed, we might remember Conner could do a couple things that were pretty useful.

He coulda had Derek Watt’s money if we’re comparing relative value.

I said the same thing about Conner after his first year and rumors of his struggles blocking early on.

Will you say the same about LT, Center, etc??? Anyone who gets the QB killed will make us think of the last guy who may have been better.. or we just conveniently forget when Conner whiffed on a Black or 2.

[feltdizz]

Nobody is making Edmonds a puching bag...key point is he is on his ROOKIE DEAL and Conner signed for less than that.

yeah.. sure. I bet there were other examples but Edmunds is used for obvious reasons.

Like I said.. if that is all one team thought he was worth then maybe Conner just isn’t as valuable as fans want to believe.

If he wasn’t a former PITT player who beat cancer I bet the same people celebrate that we moved on from him.

Again, I was a fan of his early on but he never put it together and he faded late in every season when we needed him to show up.

[Northern_Blitz]

Agreed. I think we shoulda kept him for this.

It does take two to tango though.

If I was JC, I want to go to a place where I think I'm going to get a lot of playing time in a good situation so I can try to raise my value.

Two big question marks for a rb coming to us are (i) RB is clearly high on our draft radar, a rookie 1st round pick is going to get a lot of touches and (ii) our OL doesn't look like it will be a strength as of today. Maybe (ii) changes after draft day, but it's hardly a safe bet that we'll have a good situation for a RB looking to rebuild their fair market value.

[feltdizz]

It does take two to tango though.

If I was JC, I want to go to a place where I think I'm going to get a lot of playing time in a good situation so I can try to raise my value.

Two big question marks for a rb coming to us are (i) RB is clearly high on our draft radar, a rookie 1st round pick is going to get a lot of touches and (ii) our OL doesn't look like it will be a strength as of today. Maybe (ii) changes after draft day, but it's hardly a safe bet that we'll have a good situation for a RB looking to rebuild their fair market value.

I also think our OC looked at Conner and didn’t see him fitting in with our scheme moving forward.

I’m sure Conner also looked at last year and how often he was ignored in our offense and realized he needed a change of scenery.

[hawaiiansteel]

Cardinals sign RB James Conner (1 year, $1.75 million): B+ Grade

It's no surprise that the Cardinals signed a running back. They lost Kenyan Drake this offseason when the Raiders overpaid him in free agency. Thus, the only viable runner on their roster was Chase Edmonds, who hasn't shown that he can carry a full workload over the course of an entire season.

James Conner could be a nice complement to Edmonds. He's a highly known name due to fantasy football and his previous medical history, but he's not as good as people think he is, so I don't deem this to be a bargain. There's also a current injury issue with Conner, who underwent toe surgery this spring. He could be 100 percent by the start of the season, but that's no guarantee. That said, there's not much risk here, so I think a B+ is a fair grade.


https://walterfootball.com/freeagentsigninggrades.php

[Northern_Blitz]

Cardinals sign RB James Conner (1 year, $1.75 million): B+ Grade

It's no surprise that the Cardinals signed a running back. They lost Kenyan Drake this offseason when the Raiders overpaid him in free agency. Thus, the only viable runner on their roster was Chase Edmonds, who hasn't shown that he can carry a full workload over the course of an entire season.

James Conner could be a nice complement to Edmonds. He's a highly known name due to fantasy football and his previous medical history, but he's not as good as people think he is, so I don't deem this to be a bargain. There's also a current injury issue with Conner, who underwent toe surgery this spring. He could be 100 percent by the start of the season, but that's no guarantee. That said, there's not much risk here, so I think a B+ is a fair grade.


https://walterfootball.com/freeagentsigninggrades.php

So, is this below the comp threshold? Or is it too early to tell?

For some reason I had $2M in my head. Not sure if that's a league imposed low cut off (e.g. percentiles down to $2M), or if it's only be percentiles for deals that get signed.

[NorthCoast]

So, is this below the comp threshold? Or is it too early to tell?

For some reason I had $2M in my head. Not sure if that's a league imposed low cut off (e.g. percentiles down to $2M), or if it's only be percentiles for deals that get signed.The Depot says the Steelers get absolutely nothing for Conner. And Dulac claims the Steelers didn't want him back at any price.

[steelguin]

Pay him to watch the hot tub? Etienne please.

[Chucktownsteeler]

I never was a huge fan of JC (because of his fumbling early in his career), but I was just warming up to the idea of Najee Harris and a JC duo.

Anyway, good luck James.

[feltdizz]

The Depot says the Steelers get absolutely nothing for Conner. And Dulac claims the Steelers didn't want him back at any price.

damn.. that sounds harsh.

Again, I wonder if the FO was furious over his recreational vehicle injury.

[Blitzburgh]

damn.. that sounds harsh.

Again, I wonder if the FO was furious over his recreational vehicle injury.

they might also have been concerned about his recovery from what I read was like a turf toe injury.

[feltdizz]

they might also have been concerned about his recovery from what I read was like a turf toe injury.

yup.. he injured that toe while riding a recreational vehicle.

If Edmunds, JuJu or Claypool injured themselves the same way fans would rip them a new one.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

A combination of constant injuries and timely fumbles is not good for a feature back.

[hawaiiansteel]

Gerry Dulac: Why let James Conner walk? It's all part of the plan

GERRY DULAC
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
APR 16, 2021

The decision to move on from James Conner should come as no surprise. It’s all part of an incremental plan to fix one of the NFL’s worst running games.

Since the end of the 2020 season, after they ranked last in the league in rushing yards (1,351) and yards per carry (3.6), the Steelers set about to overhaul all aspects of their running game.

It started when they decided not to renew the contracts of offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett. It continued when they promoted quarterbacks coach Matt Canada to change the offense and put Adrian Klemm in charge of changing the scheme and technique used by the offensive line.

The last step was changing the personnel, and it started with Conner, a three-year starter whose contract expired after the season. It will end on draft day. The Steelers appear to be content with Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland Jr. as backups, possibly even Kalen Ballage, who was signed in free agency. But they want a more dynamic feature back, a player who can put back in the offense a dimension that has been missing since the departure of Le’Veon Bell. They will do that in the draft, most likely in the first round, no later than the second.

Keeping Conner was not part of the plan. They were not going to give him a new contract with an amount befitting a three-year starter. And why would Conner want to stick around to be a backup on a team where he has been the starter since 2018? That’s why he signed with the Arizona Cardinals, where he is reunited with running backs coach James Saxon.

The Steelers want to fix every aspect of their running game. They are not interested in merely trying to tweak it or make a commitment to run the ball better — words we have heard them use the past couple years. Basically, the plan has been to hit the detonate button and start again.

The decision to let Conner go elsewhere was just another step.


https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2021/04/16/pittsburgh-steelers-james-conner-nfl-draft-ryan-switzer-gerry-dulac/stories/202104160021