James Conner

You're right PWP, he needs the right system, like the old Pats. Interesting how former Pitt RBs have delivered very serviceable careers in the NFL - e.g. Shady McCoy, Curtis Martin, Dion Lewis, Kevan Barlow.........(Tony Dorsett doesn't count - he was other-worldly).

 

Power running attacks do not win Super Bowls anymore.

 

I really like Connors story, really happy to see he overcame so much to reach his goals.

My personal thoughts are he needs a change of scenery and we need a new back. He is a good blocking back, he is a good receiving back and if he is behind a dominate OL he’s a decent running back.

He is Not a feature back because he doesn’t have great vision as a back. All great backs have great vision, they see the hole before it opens, Connor cannot.

Cajun

 

I watched Conner a lot this season and lsat and honestly he's just not very good. Yes he runs hard and is not afraid of contact but he also has no instincts. I cant even say how many times i watched him get the ball and just run to where ever the play was designed even when it meant running into several players. If the hole isn't there at least try to go where there is one. The guy just isn't big or strong enough to just run into piles and mow people over.

 

Balanced offenses do

 

Conner actually reminds me a lot of Felix Jones. He has ability but as stated by other posters, doesn't have the vision or instincts.

 

I get what you are saying, but Parker was actually a really solid back. I can understand not liking his style but WP was good. Like had a 4 year stretch of being a top 10 back in the league good. Conner just was never good. Its unfortunate since he seems like a great kid and has a great story. I wish him the best.

 

I feel sorry for Conner; he was never brought here to be the Starter, and now he is going to be forced out the door because the team wants to move on from him being the starter.

You see this all the time in QBs, they are brought in to be quality backup and then because of nothing they have done they are elevated to the starting position and then asked to leave when they fail at the starting job. The team will not admit that there backup QB was just supposed to be a backup and they never planned on giving him the starting job in the first place.

Conner is still the same quality backup RB he was when he came into the league. It is the Steelers that tried to convince everyone that Conner was the starting RB they wanted.

Conner will go somewhere else and be a quality backup for the next 5 years.

 

Only 2 teams in the entire league had any interest in Haskins. This trade value is literally at 0. Teams could have just picked him up for free but nobody wanted to.

 

2 RBs and Haskins could have gotten them a working medical cart, or a battery for one.

 

As in poor you mean living under a bridge with a cardboard sign poor. Yea

 

I wouldn’t even say that. Teams need an effective run game. They need to be able to get 3 to 4 yards when they need it. They need to have a good enough run game for it to be something a defense needs to think about.

Both KC and TB pass more than they run. Most of the teams that made a deep playoff run pass more than they run. They don’t skew as hard as the Steelers but I wouldn’t exactly call it balanced, I’d call it effective. Oh, and none use a fullback more than a play or two.

 

The Bucaneers are 28th in rushing, the Chiefs are 16th.

Final four teams were top six in adjusted net yards per passing attempt, or ANY/A.

http://www.footballperspective.com/final-2020-passing-statistics/

It's a passing league. ANY/A and defensive ANY/A are two key indicators. Steelers were great on D ANY/A, not on O.

 

When KC needs it they can run back to back to back to back plays and move the chains. They have a 1st round pick as the featured back and and undrafted who kills it. The Steelers can't run at will. Its a mindset of balance. It doesn't matter that its a passing league, you need a strong running game when called upon. The Steelers need a total makeover and mindset on the offensive line as well as a featured back. But lets trot out the same old and see if it works...

 

And why were they not great on O? No run game! And an offensive line that was finesse. They need a total makeover and mindset of the offensive line and a featured back.

 

I don't believe the Steelers will draft Najee

 

Don’t mind if Connor stays on the roster, he’d be a good 2nd back cheap.
He just can’t be our 1st back. That’s been a disaster! We need a legit RB, and like an open wound, everyone including Rooney and Coach now see it. Connor was obviously their guy this past season. They thought we could get by with him. Not sure why the pros didn’t catch it while every Steeler homer begged for Dobbins last draft. I still agree with them taking Claypoole but the fact remains that Johnny poster knew to address the back position and they didn’t . We have to recognize the failure.

 

that’s a silly what I said, effective. KC is a pass first offense. Their running is mostly effective because if the fear of their pass.

I’m not arguing that the Steelers do not need a massive improvement in their running game, but people around here want to build an offense like it’s the 70’s which frankly wouldn’t win in today’s game.

 

KC won it all last year without a franchise back. Hunt had been thrown off the team the year before.

 

Exactly. If Kc didn't have a running game in the SB last year they lose it. Don't believe me go back and watch it

 

He was supposed to be a top 5 player and best rb in the nfl. What happen?

 

Agreed.

 

Almost lost it if not for the defense and Mahomes waking up. This is why they drafted a stud in the 1st. And I would take that undrafted Williams in a heartbeat.

 

We need a big strong back that can beat off defenders. But, seriously, we need a power back that can pound the ball in the 3rd quarter to eat up the clock after we have the lead. This seams to have been the Patriot model for years with Brady and they obviously had been successful with it. 4th quarter they go back to passing game and just blow it open. It was extremely frustrating to watch as they broke our will many times over the years.

 

Even when it's 1st & goal at the 1 ...Ben would be in shotgun with an empty backfield