Conner vs gurley/elliott

[KYPITTFAN]

Just some stats here:
Conner is ranked 7th in rushing so far.
Elliott who is number #1 in rushing is only ahead of Conner by 138 yards
Gurley is in second place and is only 73 yards ahead of Conner
Gurley and Conner both have a 4.1 average
Gurley has 17 more carries. 17x4.1= A tie between Gurley and Conner if both had equal carries.

Conner is getting it done compared to his peers. Also if Pitt had not been behind so much on the score board Conner would have many more carries.
If I'm the coach when Bell comes back Conner is my started and Bell plays on third down creating problems for the defense in passing/running situations ie 3rd and 2.

[K Train]

Conner kind of runs like elliot. He is a downhill runner who can hit the hole with some explosion and punishes tacklers whether hes getting hit after 1 yard for 10 yards.

Still a bit of a small sample size to put him in the mix with league elites but when hes been impressive as a runner and surprising as a receiver

[Steel Maniac]

Conner has shown if he gets the carries, he can deliver. What more is there to say? Bad game scripts have been the only thing hindering him. Conner is not as talented as Bell but he gives us 70-80 percent of what Bell gave us. And that's good enough moving forward.

**There was another story yesterday that said Steeler management is still trying to trade Bell. I don't think they want to deal with the awkwardness of him returning.

[SidSmythe]

Connor RUNS HARD, keeps his legs moving and is elusive enough. He's also a good pass catcher.

[Starlifter]

There is no doubt bell is the superior back (at this point). The question remains however is if the extra stuff bell brings to the game is worth the monumental difference in costs between the two.

I think it’s hard to make an argument that’s the case.

[Steel Maniac]

There is no doubt bell is the superior back (at this point). The question remains however is if the extra stuff bell brings to the game is worth the monumental difference in costs between the two.

I think it’s hard to make an argument that’s the case.

Exactly. It's time we all look to the future.

[Coolie Man]

Connor is not the best blitz picker upper

[K Train]

Connor is not the best blitz picker upper

Probably the most difficult thing about the position, comes with time (hopefully). He has the size and strength to be a pretty good one

[Northern_Blitz]

I thought that he'd be a good runner, but I think he's doing better than I thought re: catching and blocking.

I think he'd probably give at least average performance going forward. His performance has been up and down. It will be good to get more data before coming to a conclusion.

[pittpete]

Bell 2017 and Conner 2018 through 5 games

84 rushes for 342 /4.1 avg / 5 rushing TDs (tied for NFL lead) >2-2-1 record
102 rushes for 371 / 3.6 avg / 3 rushing TDs > 3-2 record

Just the facts

[Northern_Blitz]

Bell 2017 and Conner 2018 through 5 games

84 rushes for 342 /4.1 avg / 5 rushing TDs (tied for NFL lead) + 239 rec yards (22 recs) / 10.9 YPR / 0 Rec-TDs >2-2-1 record
102 rushes for 371 / 3.6 avg / 3 rushing TDs + 144 rec yards (27 recs) / 5.3 YPR / 0 Rec-TDs > 3-2 record

Just the facts

I added the receiving numbers in gold.

I was expecting that adding these numbers would make the comparison look worse for Conner (I wondered if that was why you didn't include them when that's clearly one of the things that Bell excels at).

I think its crazy is that they actually make Conner's performance look better wrt Bell.

I don't know of an easy place to find (fumbles / carry) or (fumbles / reception) for either player. It is worth noting that Conner's fumble against the Browns hurt and his fumble against the Falcons could have hurt if it didn't go out of bounds. I feel like Bell fumbled less, but don't have the data at hand and am too lazy to look it up.

Otherwise, I think that Conner's doing way better than I expected.

I still think that Bell is better because I think he'll draw more attention from the D and that he's less likely to be made obsolete like Conner was against the Rats last week. His rushing totals by game are 135 / 17 / 61 / 19 / 110, but it's tough to really tell because the Steelers have been great at giving huge leads to opposing teams. Even with these potential negatives, I'm becoming cautiously optimistic that we won't have to burn a high pick on RB in next year's draft.

[pittpete]

I left out the receptions because they both had 0 TD's

[Iron City Inc.]

Took some heat here for comparing Conner to Carlos Hyde when we drafted him. Having seen both in person a few times I thought it was a good comparison. Conner does many things well enough and his strength is in his balance... can block, catch, break first contact, has enough speed enough quickness in the hole and doesn't put the ball on the ground much. Star player? Perhaps not a star but has upside to be close. Versatile player who fits our system well. We're fortunate he lasted to the 3rd round. Watt n JuJu n Conner made a nice pick 3 last year.

[Steelerphile]

I always loved Conner. Nothing he has done surprises me and I expect he will continue to do well and at times be able to carry the offense, like he did yesterday. I had so much faith in him because I know he will always give a great effort. One thing he said when he was being treated for cancer impressed me so much. His statement was something along the lines of when people have something like this happen then they often say "why me?" He responded with "Why not me?" He was very strong in his belief he would overcome it.

He's kind of fast, not a blazer but has good football speed. He will run through contact, he will put a nice move on you, a stutter step or a spin. He is blocking more than adequately I think. Someone suggested he wasn't doing the job there, but you don't see Ben getting sacked a lot, maybe sometimes hurried. I just don't want too much on his plate. They don't need to spend a high pick on a back if Bell doesn't come back, just someone kind of good.

[williar]

My problem with the Steelers and their usage of a single back is they will literally run him until the wheels fall off, when he is productive. Now, that might sound like a good thing to do in some cases, however, I like how the patriots use their running backs. They use them all and play to each of their strengths working them in the offense! I guess that's why their the patriots and we're not.