Steelers RB Group Overview

[bradshaw2ben]

https://steelerfury.com/ front-page article for you asshats

[SteelerDayTrader]

steelerfury.com front-page article for you asshats

bad link

[SteelerDayTrader]

this should work

https://steelerfury.com/2020-steelers-p ... -overview/

[SteelerDayTrader]

good read b2b

[K_C_]

Nice read.

I believe Conner is a very good runner and receiver, even though Conner only knows how to run one way: HARD. While you might be right about his skinny lower body, I tend to think the many bouts of chemo he received to help him beat cancer simply makes Conner more susceptible to injury. He'll start this year and will be on IR before half the season is gone.

I also agree Samuels is far, far better than what he showed in 2019, but no matter what disadvantages he's fighting against, Jaylen needs to play much better. End of story. With Ben, I think Samuels makes a much bigger impression.

Excited about McFarland. We need a fucking home run hitter.

Whyte might be talented, but they just drafted his replacement. He's going to get cut.

Snail does absolutely nothing for me. Slow, no wiggle, no power. Snail's an absolute turd.

[bradshaw2ben]

Yeah, I believe Samuels, like the Switzinator, was greatly impacted by the loss of Ben. But if it were me, I'd keep Conner, Snell, Whyte and the rookie. I've just got a feeling Snell is gonna look a little different this year. I may have to huff some paint, get into a trance and look into the future to know for sure, but I hate to do that in the offseason. I've been keeping a log on potential jinxes for over a quarter of a century, and the data shows that this may be one of them.

I think that only works if you make Conner the 3rd down and 2 min drill back. He's good at that stuff and the others you list aren't so hot at it or are total unknowns.

[ToddHaleysNineIron]

I'm about to throw anything related to last year for this group out the window.

There was no threat to pass the ball from this offense due to both personnel and the trust in that personnel by the coaching staff. The other team knew exactly what was going to come.

There was no FB for much of the season. I'm guessing that severely changed and or limited the playbook. It also probably hurt in many ways in terms of what they could do.


I'd say the running game is going to look much improved this season if Ben is healthy.

I'm cautiously optimistic... This defense improved last year and I think they are going to get better. Offensively is going to be night and day with a QB (assuming he's good to go) and an expanded playbook.

[Stosh-67]

Yeah, I believe Samuels, like the Switzinator, was greatly impacted by the loss of Ben. But if it were me, I'd keep Conner, Snell, Whyte and the rookie. I've just got a feeling Snell is gonna look a little different this year. I may have to huff some paint, get into a trance and look into the future to know for sure, but I hate to do that in the offseason. I've been keeping a log on potential jinxes for over a quarter of a century, and the data shows that this may be one of them.

I think that only works if you make Conner the 3rd down and 2 min drill back. He's good at that stuff and the others you list aren't so hot at it or are total unknowns.

I like your thought process on this B.
Connor probably most well rounded of the back, run, catch, pass block,
Maybe smartest. Hence able to execute and improvise with pressure and the clock at a premium. Keep him fresh. Do not look at him as a 18-20-25 carry a game back.

Use all these guys. Break up the carries.
150
125
100
75

[Stallworth16]

Great article B2B. I like all the RBs in one way or another. I hope Whyte finds a way to stay around. But I also would like to see McFarland pan out. And I still like Samuels, Benny. Conner has to prove it again.

RBs tend to get banged up, injuries will help determine who plays as usual, but I like this group.

[Jobu]

I'm about to throw anything related to last year for this group out the window.

There was no threat to pass the ball from this offense due to both personnel and the trust in that personnel by the coaching staff. The other team knew exactly what was going to come.

There was no FB for much of the season. I'm guessing that severely changed and or limited the playbook. It also probably hurt in many ways in terms of what they could do.


I'd say the running game is going to look much improved this season if Ben is healthy.

I'm cautiously optimistic... This defense improved last year and I think they are going to get better. Offensively is going to be night and day with a QB (assuming he's good to go) and an expanded playbook.

Absolutely...don’t underestimate the ability of the vet QB to get then into the right play and line checks. That in itself, makes a big difference.

[cop1211]

I'd go with Conner ,Samuels, Whyte, and McFarland. Cut Snell or practice squad if possible.

[Steelafan77]

I'd go with Conner ,Samuels, Whyte, and McFarland. Cut Snell or practice squad if possible.

For me I have them all compete. The infamous Tomlin two dawgs one bone theory. In this case it's 7 dawgs likely only 3 maaaaaybe 4 bones... Best Players get their roster spot.

I think this is where position flexibility comes into play as well. Can McFarland play special teams? If not, Whyte has an edge there.

[COR-TEN]

I think Whyte is the odd man out. They acquired him because they needed him in the middle of the season after conner went down, iirc.

I think they like Mcfarland better. Same skill set only a bit more wiggle, a bit stronger, and just as fast.

[bradshaw2ben]

I think Conner starts as the 1st back, Samuels as the 3rd down/2 min back, McFarland as the change of pace guy, Snell in short yardage. Snell can stick with even a very narrow role because his STs play keeps him active.

[Jobu]

I think Whyte is the odd man out. They acquired him because they needed him in the middle of the season after conner went down, iirc.

I think they like Mcfarland better. Same skill set only a bit more wiggle, a bit stronger, and just as fast.

I saw an article suggesting that should Mac work out, he kicks both Whyte and Samuels to the curb. I don’t necessarily agree , but... well, there it is.
One dog...two bones.

[COR-TEN]

I think Whyte is the odd man out. They acquired him because they needed him in the middle of the season after conner went down, iirc.

I think they like Mcfarland better. Same skill set only a bit more wiggle, a bit stronger, and just as fast.

I saw an article suggesting that should Mac work out, he kicks both Whyte and Samuels to the curb. I don’t necessarily agree , but... well, there it is.
One dog...two bones.

I'd rather they kept samuels and ejected switzer and edmunds.

[shellwagnerblount]

Absolutely...don’t underestimate the ability of the vet QB to get then into the right play and line checks. That in itself, makes a big difference.

Couldn't agree more. I like Samuels but I don't think he's the 2nd coming or anything. I just believe his play will markedly improve with a (hopefully) rejuvenated arm attached to one Big Ben throwing to him. And that goes for everyone else too, especially our O-line.

As B2B notes, the ball was often 3 seconds late getting to it's target..lol. The timing and precision we got used to with Ben just wasn't there and I'm sure everyone had to make huge adjustments to that fact. Hardly a confidence builder.

Some say we shouldn't expect too much coming from an aging Ben. I am expecting a late career renaissance. He was moving so much better last year before the injury that I was actually impressed. He's not 2005 era Ben but he was moving the pocket so much better than the year before. Imagine him with a well rested, repaired arm that responded very well to surgery and treatment. I like our chances, given the D is starting to look like an elite level one again.

So much hinges on the QB and we are getting ours back. Now if we have a season..sigh....I'm already pumped.

[K_C_]

Some say we shouldn't expect too much coming from an aging Ben. I am expecting a late career renaissance. He was moving so much better last year before the injury that I was actually impressed. He's not 2005 era Ben but he was moving the pocket so much better than the year before. Imagine him with a well rested, repaired arm that responded very well to surgery and treatment. I like our chances, given the D is starting to look like an elite level one again.

So much hinges on the QB and we are getting ours back. Now if we have a season..sigh....I'm already pumped.

I love Roethlisberger and I hope you're right about the career renaissance, but I have to call BS here. Ben looked HORRIBLE against the Pats on opening night and he didn't look any better vs. Seattle before he got injured.

Folks will forget because of how he looked after the Earl Thomas hit, but Rudolph played well in relief of Ben vs. Seattle and if Edmunds could've considered covering somebody, and if Monqueef doesn't personally give the Seahawks 7 points, he should have got the win (same with Conner putting it on the ground with the lead and the ball late vs. the Niners).

I'm praying we get some vintage Ben this upcoming season (if we actually get to have a season) but last year's small sample was not encouraging at all.

[Scunge]

Kudos for the write up B2B, but shouldn't we mention our new FB Watt? He is a RB and I think they will use him more than they did Rosie Nix.

What has me intrigued about Watt is that the Chargers rarely used him as a receiving target but when they did, wow, 13 targets, 10 catches for 152 yards, a 15.2 yard average, for a Fullback!

Might Watt be used more as a Kyle Juszczyk? Could Watt catch 20-25 passes this year? Ebron and Gentry are not known for being good blockers, so it isn't like we have that 2nd TE who is a great blocker on the team, will we see less 2 TE sets and more of a traditional FB? I can see Watt getting as much as 10 snaps a game. I can imagine that when Ebron enters the game that the Steelers don't even pretend that he is a 2nd TE, that they line him up in the slot, even out wide and use him as a King sized WR.

Imagine a jumbo lineup where they have Conner and Watt in the backfield and then Claypool and JuJu as the WRs and then Eric Ebron lined up in the slot. Or you could have JuJu lined up in the slot and he can be used as the kick ass blocker on run plays as he did so wonderfully as a rookie.

All of that size and length at WR makes defenses back off, not stack the box and then Watt can lead Conner on some big gainers. No, we don't have that speedster to threaten defenses, make them honest but going in this different direction, having 6'4" targets that can move really well and dominate in contested catches works too.

I agree with some of the comments about how the Steelers don't really have a plan for rotating their RBs, it always seems robotical to me, like every 3rd series we put in someone to spell the starter. To me they should not be afraid to liberally rotate players in and out of the lineup in one drive, every drive if need be.

And they have to be smart at the end of games. Don't let people pad their stats, get them out of there if the game is well in hand. If you want to close out a game, why let Conner, who maybe at that point has already 16-17 carries, why force another 6, 7, 8 carries on him? Let Benny Snell do it, let him take those hits, that punishment.

I would even say the same thing on defense, they need to do a better job of protecting and preserving Heyward, Tuitt, Dupree, Watt on defense, so that they are fresher at the end of the season and into the playoffs. But too many times you see those 4 players with an unreal number of snaps compared to other players at their respective positions.

[El Kabong]

Some say we shouldn't expect too much coming from an aging Ben. I am expecting a late career renaissance. He was moving so much better last year before the injury that I was actually impressed. He's not 2005 era Ben but he was moving the pocket so much better than the year before. Imagine him with a well rested, repaired arm that responded very well to surgery and treatment. I like our chances, given the D is starting to look like an elite level one again.

So much hinges on the QB and we are getting ours back. Now if we have a season..sigh....I'm already pumped.

I love Roethlisberger and I hope you're right about the career renaissance, but I have to call BS here. Ben looked HORRIBLE against the Pats on opening night and he didn't look any better vs. Seattle before he got injured.

Folks will forget because of how he looked after the Earl Thomas hit, but Rudolph played well in relief of Ben vs. Seattle and if Edmunds could've considered covering somebody, and if Monqueef doesn't personally give the Seahawks 7 points, he should have got the win (same with Conner putting it on the ground with the lead and the ball late vs. the Niners).

I'm praying we get some vintage Ben this upcoming season (if we actually get to have a season) but last year's small sample was not encouraging at all.

But last year's small sample size was pre-surgery. We're hoping it's the surgery that gives him the renaissance.

[Kodiak]

But last year's small sample size was pre-surgery. We're hoping it's the surgery that gives him the renaissance.

I don't read anything into that. Ben has been starting slow for several years, some of that is turnover at the skill positions and some clearly because he was taking less reps because he knew his elbow was deteriorating.

NE almost always pwns us, so I draw no conclusions from that game. SEA? Mehhh, we prepared for that game expecting their defense to be much better (read: ease in, prove, play it safe).

I'm really not worried about Ben, and I can pretty much ignore 1.5 games last year as meaningless. I want to see Ben taking more reps in preseason, and I want to see a team that doesn't view Week 1 as the real start of preseason.

[Ice]

Unless he's just lying, "pre-injury" is essentially meaningless, since Ben has said he'd been playing in pretty severe pain for a few years.

[Kodiak]

Unless he's just lying, "pre-injury" is essentially meaningless, since Ben has said he'd been playing in pretty severe pain for a few years.

Ben in 2014-15 was throwing the ball as well as anyone I've ever seen, dropping dimes all over the place. His YPA was 8.4 and 8.1, significantly higher than the previous 2 years and subsequent 3. Of course, those two years correspond to Bryant before his sizzurp spiral.

The 2016 year was also, I think, when he started dialing back reps in camp and throughout the year with more "vet days off". However, that's also true of a number of other high profile vet QB's.

I see no reason a pain-free Ben won't return to that 2014/15 form. OK, that's optimistic about his prognosis, but the odds are 100% recovery and an arm with a couple extra mph on his fastball.

[steelmann58]

I think Ben will be back healthy and hopefully pain free it will open up the whole offense IMO. But as far as RB go no way do they keep Edmunds.

[Ice]

2016 would actually pretty much be right at the beginning of the timeline Ben outlined in the interview, which gives me hope as well, Kodiak.

[jebrick]

Once Connor is injured again this season they will not offer him contract #2. Can't pay a lot for a player that is sometimes there. Personally, I think the chemo takes/took a toil on the body which will only add to his injuries over time.

It makes much more sense to spread out the carries. We have to hope Snell really shows something otherwise they are screwed.

[Jobu]

I think Ben will be back healthy and hopefully pain free it will open up the whole offense IMO. But as far as RB go no way do they keep Edmunds.

Never say never when it comes to the Steelers roster decisions. This is a team that continues to cling to Daniel McCullers and his 35 tackles in 6 seasons....

[steelmann58]

they like Big Dan and he can push a pocket

[Jobu]

they like Big Dan and he can push a pocket

Oh, they definitely like him.

[K_C_]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/291 ... ear-option