New mood for RBs this year
Coach and players learn from each other
After all the drama surrounding the Steelers running backs room last season, there is an air of freshness among the group heading into the 2019 campaign.
That is, in part, because of the obvious. There is no Le’Veon Bell, will-he-or-won’t he discussion to be had. The personnel is what it is.
Another reason is first-year running backs coach Eddie Faulkner. He was hired in January after the Steelers opted not to renew James Saxon’s contract.
This is Faulkner’s first NFL job, and, as he admitted at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the first day of the Steelers three-day minicamp Tuesday, it has come with a learning curve. For that, he has turned to James Conner, Jaylen Samuels and the rest of his group.
“Iron sharpens iron in that way, and they’ve done a great job of helping me out,” Faulkner said. “And I’m helping them out, and it’s kind of a two-way street. So that part of it has been fun.”
Of course, though improvements can always be made, the talent Faulkner is inheriting is likely enough to smooth over any first-year growing pains from the running backs coach.
“He’s kind of asking us, you know, how we did things last year,” Conner said. “And then he was like, ‘Well, this is the way they taught it to me.’ So it’s kind of like us talking about the same thing but really getting the language right, getting the terminology right. There’s nothing that the doesn’t know, it’s just getting on the same page as far as our terms and stuff like that. So, like I said, we’ve been learning from each other.”
Conner is the guy now. His 973 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns last season ranked 11th and third in the league, respectively. Faulkner’s only concern with him is potential wear and tear in Conner’s third season.
“It’s a long season,” Faulkner said. “You’ve [have to] be cognizant for sure. And at the same time, keep him sharp and playing at a high level throughout. So that is a challenge, especially with a guy like James who’s ready to go out there and he’ll play every stinking play of the season if he could.”
Samuels, whom Faulkner coached at N.C. State, can be the big-body, shortyardage backup when needed, as he has shown before. Faulkner was asked if Samuels might be used at H-back or other positions. He said the decision was ultimately up to offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner, but Samuels “could be involved in various ways.”
If any pop beyond those two is needed, fourth-round-pick Benny Snell Jr. is probably the man to provide it.
Who comes after that, if anybody, is the next question. For Faulkner, it is hard to make the distinction right now.
“They’re all good. They’re all doing well,” Faulkner said. “I mean, everybody in there was a 1,000-yard rusher, or the all-time leading rusher at Vanderbilt [Ralph Webb], or the all-time leading rusher at Kentucky, or a 1,000-yard rusher in the ACC. I mean, the skill set is ridiculous. So when you start to try to get the differences between guys, sometimes it’s fit on the current roster versus whether they are capable of doing it at this high of a level.
“... It’s just how things sort out and how they shake as we get ready for training camp.”