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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.
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.
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