It’s really a shame JC couldn’t stay healthy as a Steeler. If he had they probably wouldn’t have moved on from him and blown a 1st round pick on Najee Harris, and JC would be a productive TD scoring back in Pittsburgh instead of Arizona.
James Conner vs Najee
- Thread starter Fk_Pitt
- Start date
I think he's better than Najee, if Tomlin had him now and used him in tandem with Warren (60/40), more like how Arizona uses him, instead of running him until the wheels fall off like Tomlin thinks is the only way, split the carries, Conner is great in the red zone too, one year in AZ he had 15 TDs.
For being an RB and getting over cancer, it’s awesome that James is still going strong. Hell, his career stats aren’t too drastically different from Saquon Barkley’s.
The most important thing in the scenario, far more than the Pitt thing (which actually is a negative in this town), is that the Steelers could have either taken the OL they should have at 1, or a truly elite TE and then Humphrey at 2
Conner is a much better player than Najee. I didn't mind moving on from him but the way they replaced him was dumb.
Klever Kliff ain’t the coach anymore, so James is being used perfectly rigHt now.
Truth is they had the same hater UPS fans bashing him constantly as they are Pickett now.
I don’t think that was going to happen. Your most important ability is your availability, and that was a problem in Pittsburgh.
I think that’s revisionist history. JC was popular here. He just got hurt too often.
He has been doing very well in Arizona. He has over 4,000 yards and 45 Touchdowns in his career. The injury thing was overblown by a-holes like Mark Madden and the other usual suspects in the media.
On what?
James Conner was super popular here, what does that have to do with anything I said? It was the negative press, negative fan base and the hatred to all things Pitt by some.
It was obvious he is/was talented and had a great work ethic, the Conner bashing led us to getting rid of him and wasting a first rounder on Najee
But it wasn’t. I remember kevin colbert saying the exact thing.
And it’s not that colbert didn’t like him, he did. It’s just tough to invest in people who don’t stay healthy.
I’m glad he’s been relatively healthy in Arizona and has done very well. He deserves it. And I’m sure guys like Colbert aren’t surprised. His talent wasn’t the issue.
You said people hated on him because he was from Pitt. I don’t remember any hate. He was liked and respected.
People in the Pittsburgh media like Madden, Kaboly, etc. absolutely looked for ways to rip him unjustly.
the usual crew of Madden, Benz, Kaboly, Dulac....spewed the same garbage they are now doing for Pickett.
His inability to stay on the field was the only reason people didn't want the Steelers to keep him. They should have at a reduced cost and found a complimentary back. He's much better than Najee and would be a more productive option for the Steelers.
You guys have UPS derangement syndrome.
UPSDS. Lol.
Not everyone in the Pittsburgh media has an agenda against Pitt and former Pitt players.
UPSDS. Lol.
Not everyone in the Pittsburgh media has an agenda against Pitt and former Pitt players.
Exactly 💯!!! Madden as well the usual Pittsburgh media Pitt haters threw subtle jabs. Madden is a clown and should stick to succer
do you read what they write? I try to avoid it as much as possible but the evidence is right there in front of you. After one game, Cook was proclaiming Allar as being "worth the wait" among other superlatives. Yet, his article to preview the season, he said he "needed to see more" from Pickett before saying if he was a worthy replacement to big Ben. And of course Cook pounced all over Pickett after the Browns game.
I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.
Mark Madden listens to heavy metal, drinks Coors light, and has a cat. Need I say more? Lol.
James is a Baller. A pure baller. He ran out the clock and dominated at the end. Wow.
Conner had 98 yds against the Cowboys today, Harris had 74 total in the first 2 games.
Conner is off to a strong start this year. He is breaking off big runs the past two games. There is an article on espn worth reading where their OC says the offense runs through James and will open up the passing game. This is working so far and as a result Dobbs is looking strong. Steelers run game is doing no favors for Kenny other than giving him constant 3rd and long.
And I should probably add that he lived at home with his mother until he was 40, never had a girlfriend and has to go to a Nevada bunny ranch to be with a woman.
But he is witty on the radio. And knows how to troll Pittsburgh sports fans.
How much is Arizona paying Conner? As much as I like him, the way the NFL works with second contracts being the big ones, it's possible Najee is currently cheaper than him. Does anyone know?
James Conner signed a 3 year, $21,000,000 contract with the Arizona Cardinals, including a $6,000,000 signing bonus, $13,500,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $7,000,000.
Yeah, I don’t recall anyone hating on Conner as a Steeler. I just remember comments about him not being able to stay healthy. It was unfortunate because he is talented and seemed like a great teammate. Would’ve loved to kept him, as the OP suggests, and taken a guy like Rhamondre Stevenson to share carries later in the draft.
i was a huge Conner fan (Still am kind of) but i just think that Tomlin really should have used him as a Rb1 - Rb1-a situation, maybe even a 60-40. thought that would have helped his career and success..
he succeeded great as a backup for Cardinals his first year. of course he's been getting the bulk of the carries recently as a starter and holding up well so who knows.
Some people around here are just obsessed with PSU, sitting around thinking of "JoePa knew" and ancient history like that all day, most of the fan criticism of Pickett and Conner with the Steelers was and is TOTALLY LEGIT, I'm glad that last night FINALLY! Pickett didn't stink up the place and he actually threw TWO TD passes in the same game, TWO!!! hopefully that will continue so there will be less LEGIT CRITICISM of him. That said, I did want them to keep Conner, funny how he stays healthy in AZ, maybe the coach doesn't proudly run him until his wheels fall off.
Absolutely, half these guys have "JoePa Knew" tattooed on their chest
No, he got hurt every time he stepped onto the field. It was almost cartoonish.
He is the better back, but there was a 0% chance the Steelers could have moved forward with him as the feature guy, unless you were comfortable with a heavy dose of Benny Snell while Conner watched in street clothes.
I listen to classic rock, have 3 cats, but no thanks to the Coors Light.
Yeah I probably could have added that he likes soccer too…but so do I so…
Now as far as Liverpool…blah!!!
I still need to see a whole lot more from Pickett, A WHOLE LOT MORE, IMO he hasn't come close to proving himself worthy to replace Ben, last night was a start, now string together a stretch of 8 or 10 games like that consistently, then we can start the conversation.
