this has been my stance all along even though the bell Bagdad Bob's would never address it
80% of bells production for 1/10th the cost or whatever the #s are is just smart business
use that money elsewhere and let another team overpay for his 2nd contract. we got bells best years at a reasonable cost and now we can cast him aside. that makes some bell fanboys very upset
it's just business is what they always say, so this is the other side of that. hope we trade him to the eagles now that ajayi is on IR
Last edited by Eddie Spaghetti; 10-08-2018 at 06:43 PM.
Conner's receiving yards so far (239) are ahead of both Gurley (230) and Elliott (155) so far this season as well.
In fact, Conner is top 5 in the league among RB's for receiving yards, behind only Alvin Kamara (351), Saquon Barkley (274), James White (270), and Melvin Gordon (261).
Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.
Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.
We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.
We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.
I need to see more from Connor before I put him in the Elliot or the Gurley (who I consider much better than Elliot) category.
That's not a knock on Connor. I'm a fan but I think it's a bit premature to make these comparisons.
Tomlin: Let's unleash hell and "mop the floor" with the competition.
Todd Gurley, Le'Veon Bell, David Johnson, and Zeke Elliott are on a different RB tier (those were the top 4 picks in virtually every fantasy draft this year), so it's unfair and premature to compare Conner to any of them at this time.
But he's easily been a top 10 quality guy for us so far this year, which is huge.
If we had to go from an eltie option like Bell to a below average RB to replace him, that would have been a massive hole to fill.
But Conner has proven to be comfortably above average for us so far, which is a huge relief for everyone (except for Bell, I suppose).
We knew the kid could run, but it's his pass catching and blocking that's been the difference here.
Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.
Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.
We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.
We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.
Big Ben: James Conner shouldn’t be on shelf if Le’Veon Bell’s back
Posted by Josh Alper on October 10, 2018, 10:22 AM EDT
The most recent report about running back Le'Veon Bell‘s plans for the remainder of the season have been that he plans to report to the Steelers during their Week Seven bye and play out the rest of the season with the team.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said on Tuesday that he hasn’t spoken to Bell and does not know if that is his plan, but he does know that he doesn’t think Bell should get all the work in the backfield when and if he does show up for work. During an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Roethlisberger said James Conner should not go “on the shelf by any means.”
“Now granted, I think Le’Veon’s one of the best in the business, I think we all understand that and can agree on that,” Roethlisberger said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “But what James needs to understand — and he’s gonna say the right things, and he should [as] a younger guy with a veteran, awesome football player ahead of him — but when Le’Veon comes back, in no way, shape or form should James just say, ‘OK, it’s all yours. I’m gonna sit back and when you need me, use me.’ And I will push for James to get as much run as we can because we’ve seen some great things from him in all phases of football. He’s picking up blitzes, he’s catching the ball, he’s running hard and making plays and playing with a passion, so we need to keep using that.”
Conner has 84 carries for 342 yards and five touchdowns and 22 catches for 239 yards this season. Given that production and Bell’s long layoff, it would seem likely that he’d continue to play a role on offense should Bell decide to rejoin him on the depth chart.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/10/10/big-ben-james-conner-shouldnt-be-on-shelf-if-leveon-bells-back/
Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.
Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.
We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.
We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.
Ben is right. Conner has earned the right to split carries with Bell. In fact, this would address Bell's concern of over use. Just let he and Conner split carries for the remainder of the season. Win/win for everyone.
Le'Veon Bell, James Conner duo 'can be very effective'
Oct 9, 2018
Jeremy Fowler
ESPN Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH – In an inconsistent season, the Pittsburgh Steelers have consistently praised James Conner. Several teammates publicly reveled in Conner’s 185-yard performance Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons in light of headlines swirling around Le’Veon Bell’s eventual arrival.
Left tackle Alejandro Villanueva referred to Conner as an “unbelievable human being” whom he’s proud to call a teammate.
But the Steelers will get a top-10 NFL player in their lineup soon enough, and he happens to play running back. Bell is an elite player regardless of what Conner does. Conner's showing that he can get hot with two big performances through five weeks only deepens the intrigue around the Steelers running back position for Week 8 against Cleveland, Bell’s targeted return game.
On the surface, there isn't much downside here. Bell can only help, and Conner can obviously play. But the offense is typically built for one workhorse, and if Conner starts in favor of Bell, an All-Pro will be sitting on the bench to collect $855,000 a week.
Villanueva understands the challenges but prefers to focus on the possibilities with two backs of differing styles.
"We’ve been working really hard to adjust to Conner’s style of running -- he’s very explosive, fast, hard-hitting,” Villanueva said. “Le’Veon is not the same. He’s more of a patient runner. That combo can be very effective. The preparation process that involves everybody else but those two guys is probably more important than their actions on the field. If they are able to understand what we’re doing, and everyone’s on the same page, it’s not going to matter who’s on the field.”
Villanueva doesn’t envy the coaches tasked with finding work for both players at the appropriate time, especially given Bell’s history as a workhorse.
Just remember DeAngelo Williams, who put up 467 rushing yards in five games to start the 2015 and 2016 seasons while Bell served suspensions, only to fade into the background upon Bell’s return.
"Le’Veon likes to stay on the field. I’m sure there will be [challenges],” Villanueva said. “It’s not up to me to decide that, and that’s a good thing.”
Conner has acquitted himself well as an improved blocker, better-than-advertised receiver out of the backfield and downhill runner. Apparently, he can deliver more punishment. Ben Roethlisberger told the media after the 41-17 win over the Falcons that he told Conner he should have “lowered the boom” more often instead of dancing.
But Conner needs to show more after averaging 3.0 yards per carry in Weeks 2-4, even if the Steelers abandoned the run at times during that stretch.
Plus, the thought of not using an All-Pro and arguably the best at his position seems silly. The Steelers might ease Bell back, but he’ll be on the field. He’ll be plenty motivated, too; he told ESPN last week that the Steelers will get “my best,” and he knows he’s “gotta show people” what he can do.
Navigating this lineup is a good problem for the Steelers, who have seen enough from Conner to believe that he can be the feature back in 2019 if Bell is signed to another team. With three consecutive AFC North games approaching, the Steelers will be handing the ball off.
The weather is changing. So is the lineup.
“It’s getting to the point of the season where we have to be a team that holds on to the ball and can run it consistently,” guard Ramon Foster said.
http://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh-...very-effective
Can't touch him
Through five weeks, James Conner is leading the NFL in missed tackles forced as a runner:
James Conner Steelers 32
Saquon Barkley Giants 27
Kareem Hunt Chiefs 26
Marshawn Lynch Raiders 23
Melvin Gordon Chargers 23
Christian McCaffrey Panthers 23
Source: Pro Football Focus
Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.
Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.
We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.
We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.
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