Time to face an ugly truth

Maybe 0-4, no one really knows. I do know Bell accounted for 1/3 of the Steelers offense last year(I'm sure someone will correct me if that isn't accurate) and any team is going to miss that kind of production.

 

Let's wait and see where he is at after more games. I think it has been pretty comparable so far. We're also, likely, going to be down in a lot of our games so the rushing stats may not be a good apples to apples comparison. Another issue I see with Conner is that after the Cleveland game he seems to be adopting Bell's running style instead of doing what he is best at. That could be for any number of reasons, but I think he should go back to being the hard runner, not the careful runner that Bell was. We also need to go back to being a more balanced offense, if we can, then we can really compare the two. This is Conner's first year as the starter so of course he's not going to be Bell right out of the gate. With that said, I still think he's doing comparable work to what Bell did in the first four games last year.

 

Again, I say wait and see. Conner has been more productive in the passing game than Bell was through four games last year. Also, I am not sure the lack of production running is all his fault when we are passing 50-60 times a game. I am a harsh critic, always have been, with a low tolerance for B.S. I have no complaints with Conner other than his trying to run like Bell instead of being the hard hitter than he is.

 

I'm not questioning Conner. He has shown he can be productive when given the chance, but I strongly doubt he's going to see Bell's workload. Twice now the Steelers have come out of halftime in tied games and abandon the run. Coach was asked why last night, he had no real answer. If it was Bell in the backfield instead of Conner, they would have run it more IMO.

 

You may be right. The coach also got criticized for using Conner too much in game 1 when he was our most productive player outside of JuJu. I also know that we've abandoned the running game before for reasons Tomlin only knows. He also may not want to answer that question because he doesn't want to look like an idiot when the reporters are really quite keen on protecting him. Better to let people wonder if you are an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. I am perfectly willing to accept being wrong about Conner and Bell. I know I am biased against Bell so that may cloud my opinion somewhat in that maybe I am seeing what I want to see rather than what is there which is why I went and looked at the stats. If Conner can't get the job done, we'll know at the end of the season and we'll probably have a high enough draft pick to address it.

 

So why is Conner supposed to carry the absence of Bell all by himself? Those are expectations that are not realistic. Bell is considered the top back in the league. Why aren't the coaches putting in Ridley or Samuels and try to get a spark or change of pace. Every RB has a different style. Maybe Conner's isn't working vs a particular team. That's why you have options. But they are on the sideline.

I think the o-line has regressed this year as well. That's why I'm hoping they use some draft picks on the interior of the line this next draft.

 

I will take the bridge if the Steelers would do this.

 

I sure didn't see many running lanes for Conner last 2 games. Offensive line also not doing the job. Bell or Conner or Ridley, there was nothing there and all clogged with no holes.