Ravens preparing to confine Conner
Steelers’ attack lacks Bell’s versatility; more flopping expected from quarterbacks
The spotlight might not be as bright as it once was for starting running back James Conner.
After rushing for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 21-21 tie against the Cleveland Browns in the season opener Sept. 9, Conner has gained a combined 78 yards and one score on 23 attempts over the team’s past two games.
With 213 yards, Conner still ranks seventh in the NFL in rushing, but he has reaffirmed what many suspected: he is no Le’Veon Bell, the versatile running back who had 1,291 rushing yards, 655 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns last season but is embroiled in a financial standoff with the Steelers.
“Bell is a guy you can’t really replace,” Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “I feel like Conner has done a pretty good job. But I think not only could Bell get the ball in the backfield and run it, it’s just his ability to catch a little dunk pass and take it 20, take it 30 yards. That was something that I felt I is something that they’re maybe missing a little bit. But Conner has done a really good job. He’s a tough runner, hard, north-south guy. So we’ll definitely have to be alert for him also.”
The Ravens won’t have to worry about Bell, who is continuing to keep his distance from Pittsburgh in a protracted dispute over a long-term, lucrative contract. So for now, Humphrey and his defensive teammates will be tasked with confining Conner, a second-year pro out of the University of Pittsburgh, and turning the Steelers offense into a one-dimensional unit. The 6-foot-1, 233-pound Conner is as tall as Bell and eight pounds heavier, which he uses to his advantage, according to nose tackle Michael Pierce.
“He’s more of a downhill, right now kind of guy,” Pierce said. “So you definitely have to be on your keys early. Just knowing Le’Veon, he’s more bounce-around, and you have to stay assignment-strong on every second of the play. But those downhill runs hit quick, and those could be just as effective if not more. So you’ve just got to stay sharp on your assignments.”
Coach John Harbaugh noted Pittsburgh’s rushing strategy is the same despite the change in the starting running back’s identity.
“They really don’t change the scheme,” he said. “It’s the same scheme. It’s the same offensive line — big, strong guys. They grab hold of you and don’t let you get away. That’s kind of what they do. I think they have a couple good backs in there obviously, doing a great job. Conner, from Pitt right there, is capable of breaking tackles and those kinds of things and really is a good ‘make you miss’ guy, and he has some size.”
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who has grown weary of almost daily questions about Bell’s status, expressed his satisfaction with Conner’s play thus far.
“He’s done a heck of a job, but not that any of us are surprised by,” he said. “He’s had a heck of an offseason and preseason and training camp, and we expect our second-year guys to take a significant step. They’ve been a lap around the track, they’ve been a part of the program and understand how it goes.”
One day after practicing without eight players, including five starters, the Ravens are a much healthier bunch as they prepare for Sunday night’s game at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ravens getting healthier: Five players returned to Thursday’s session, and all five practiced fully. That group included four starters in wide receiver John Brown (not injury related), cornerback Brandon Carr (knee), left tackle Ronnie Stanley (left foot) and free safety Eric Weddle (not injury related), as well as rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson (illness). Steelers running back James Conner, fending off Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis on Monday night, made quite the splash with 135 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Pittsburgh’s opener. In the past two games, however, he has gained only a combined 78 yards.
Middle linebacker C.J. Mosley (bone bruise in left knee), Pierce (bruised foot) and defensive back Anthony Levine Sr. (hamstring) were upgraded from limited to full participation.
While leaving personnel updates to Harbaugh, defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale acknowledged the significance of a defense that included Mosley and Pierce — both of whom sat out Sunday’s 27-14 victory over the Denver Broncos.
“It’s the starting Mike linebacker [Mosley] and the starting nose and threetechnique with him [Pierce] and Brandon [ Williams] in there,” Martindale said. “Of course, it’s very valuable. It makes me sleep just a little bit better.”
Starting outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (knee) was absent for the second straight day, and his availability against the Steelers is uncertain. If he can’t play, Za’Darius Smith would likely start in his place. More flopping on horizon? Three days after Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger conceded that he did his part to “sell” a roughing the passer penalty by falling to the turf in Monday night’s 30-27 win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Martindale said Thursday he hopes more quarterbacks don’t begin flopping to get favorable calls from officiating crews.
“Let’s not turn this into the NBA flop-fest because now the quarterbacks are making a mockery of it to the officials in the league,” he said. “Now you’re insulting the officials and the league if you do that. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. I don’t know.”
On Monday, Tampa Bay defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul was penalized for brushing Roethlisberger’s helmet with his right hand, a flag that might have been encouraged by the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Roethlisberger collapsing. Afterward, Roethlisberger told 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh that he “might’ve went to the ground a little bit to sell it, but it definitely got me. So I think that’s a good call.”
Asked during Wednesday’s conference call whether he would lobby officials for a call against Suggs, Roethlisberger quipped, “Absolutely. If he gets close to me, I’m asking for [a] flag.” ‘Rough day at the office’: Special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg affirmed Thursday what Harbaugh said Monday about the team feeling vindicated that Denver safety Justin Simmons should have been flagged for leaping over long snapper Morgan Cox before blocking kicker Justin Tucker’s 43-yard field-goal attempt in the second quarter of Sunday’s 27-14 victory.
Although NFL rules prohibit players from running toward and jumping over the line of scrimmage to block a kick, Rosburg said he did not pin any blame on the officials.
“The player was not within the framework of the center. He was outside that,” he said, outlining the parameters for leaping over a lineman. “He was on the line of scrimmage because his foot was within the feet of the linemen. But from my vantage point, I saw movement. So I thought there was a foul. They didn’t, but they were obviously informed of this, and I would guess they thought it was going to be one thing, and it turned out to be another.”
In addition to the blocked field-goal attempt, there was also a blocked punt by Sam Koch, and Rosburg noted that Tim White’s opening kick return might have gone further than 18 yards if not for a blown blocking assignment.
“It was a rough day at the office,” he said. “Special teams is a game filled with fundamentals. Our fundamentals broke down. It’s my responsibility to coach those guys better. He’s going to have to have better technique if he’s going to be on the punt team. It’s one thing to guard the Gatorade cooler, it’s another to guard the club treasury. That’s the situation.” Decent debut for Sieler: With Pierce held out of Sunday’s win over Denver because of a bruised foot, rookie defensive end Zach Sieler was pressed into duty, playing 11 snaps in his NFL debut.
Despite finishing without a tackle, the organization’s seventh-round pick in April’s NFL draft felt encouraged by his effort.
“Obviously, there are some things I need to correct and clean up, but for my first game, I felt great out there,” the 6-foot-6, 290-pound Sieler said. “And hopefully, there’s a lot more to come.” Extra points: Wide receiver Ryan Switzer has handled every kick and punt return for Pittsburgh this season, but fellow wideout Antonio Brown has 233 combined returns for 2,932 yards and five touchdowns in his career. So does Rosburg anticipate seeing Brown in that role Sunday night? “They won’t let us watch their practices. So it’s hard for me to anticipate what they’re going to do,” he said with a smile. “But he’s a highly skilled player, a very competitive guy. Would it surprise me if he’s back there? Not in the least.” … The Ravens have surrendered a league-low nine points in the second half through their first three games, but Martindale declined to discuss the subject, likening it to talking about a potential no-hitter in baseball. “I understand that everybody wants to write a story,” he said. “But we need to talk about that after Week 16 because if we start looking at all of that stuff, you get lost on the focus.”