Bell still preferred choice at RB
celebrating with his appreciative, adoring offensive linemen after his scores instead of using the occasions for a look-at-me moment.
“Spectacular” is the word Ben Roethlisberger’s used to describe Conner’s game against the Browns.
Of course, everybody is going to root for Conner. I’m rooting for Conner. What I can’t understand, though, is the hatred for Bell, who made a tough business decision by not accepting the Steelers’ $14.5 million franchise tag. I don’t understand why so many people feel the need to bash him in order to praise Conner. Go ahead, raise your hand if you want the Steelers to put Bell out with the trash. Wow, that’s a sea of arms. But Bell remains, at least for me, the best back in football. I look forward to the day he rejoins the Steelers because he will make them a better team. Browns safety Jabrill Peppers noted the difference between Bell and Conner when he told ESPN after Sunday’s game, “Conner’s a good back, and he can do a lot of things. But he doesn’t offer everything Le’Veon offers as far as explosive ability.”
The Browns strategy was clear: Try to take away the Steelers passing game — especially Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown — and take their chances with Conner. It nearly worked. Brown had nine catches for 93 yards and a touchdown, but Roethlisberger threw three interceptions and was sacked four times, two of the sacks resulting in lost fumbles.
It’s reasonable to think the Kansas City Chiefs — the opponent Sunday at Heinz Field — will try a similar approach because they know they won’t have to deal with Bell, who has owned them. Last season in a 19-13 win at Kansas City, Bell ran for 179 yards and a touchdown. In an 18-16 playoff win at Kansas City after the 2016 season, Bell ran for a franchiserecord 170 yards. In a 43-14 win at Heinz Field earlier that season, Bell ran for 140 yards.
I just want to see Conner do it again and again and again. I want to see him stand up to the punishment the way Bell did last season. Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that won’t be a problem for Conner. That’s why the Steelers gave him the ball 31 times in Cleveland and threw it to him six more times.
“I watched that guy tote that ball a lot next door [at Pitt],” Tomlin said. “I think he’s been doing that a long time. I think he’s used to that. I think he gets better with use. He likes to carry the football. He warms up to it.” Ah, maybe not always. Conner’s final 14 carries Sunday — in the fourth quarter and overtime — went for 27 yards.
Would it really have hurt to give the ball to Stevan Ridley a few times?
Bell thrived on that kind of workload. He led the NFL with 406 touches last season. Conner might become that back one day. Maybe. His teammates certainly seem to believe in him. They love that same dedication that he showed at Pitt. They love the way he has worked, not just on his running, but on his receiving and blitz protection. They also loved his celebration after his touchdowns Sunday when he quickly dropped the ball and searched for each lineman to give him a hug.
“It’s funny because the one thing that I wanted to tell him the night before the game was, ‘Hey, listen, endear yourself to those guys. If you get a first down, don’t get up and do a celebration. Go pat one of the guys on the helmet. If you score a touchdown, don’t do a dance or do something crazy. Go jump in the lineman’s arms and have fun,’” Roethlisberger said. “He was like, ‘Ben, I was already planning on it.’ So it was great that he was already in that frame of mind. It was genuine. They loved it.”
Roethlisberger and Conner shared another, more meaningful conversation after the game about Conner’s fumble with 7½ minutes left, the only thing he did wrong all day. Conner lost the ball when he was tackled from behind by defensive end Myles Garrett — Al Villanueva failed to cut Garrett off with a block — on the play that turned the game the Browns’ way. They scored from the Steelers 1 on the next play to cut the Steelers lead to 21-14.
“He was definitely down on himself, was hard on himself,” Roethlisberger said. “I told him, ‘Listen, you played a heck of a game. You can’t put down yourself. You ran the ball, you caught, you blocked, you did a lot of great things for us. It’s bigger than just one man or one mistake.’ I said, ‘Shoot, look at me, look at all the turnovers I had. You think your one is any different than all of mine?’”
I understand Roethlisberger’s support for Conner. All of Conner’s teammates have his back, not that it’s necessary in this town. Is it just me or did everyone quickly forget that Conner’s fumble was the biggest reason the Steelers didn’t win?
I will finish with a question:
What would the reaction have been if Bell had produced 192 total yards and lost that fumble?