Conner still dealing with high ankle sprain
PITTSBURGH 鈥� James Conner likes the sound of Pro Bowler James Conner, but he doesn鈥檛 like the sound of injured James Conner.
That appears to be the case once again this week as Conner 鈥� the Steelers鈥� second-year Pro Bowl running back 鈥� struggles with what he admitted is a high-ankle sprain suffered against the Los Angeles Chargers.
鈥淚鈥檓 trying, man,鈥� Conner said with a sigh after sitting out of Wednesday鈥檚 practice. 鈥淚t鈥檚 day-by-day. These high-ankle sprains, they鈥檙e deceiving. I can walk around fine and not limp around but when I鈥檓 out there on the field cutting and stuff it鈥檚 鈥� I鈥檓 not ready yet.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the reason we have three guys on the team. You see the way Jaylen (Samuels) and (Stevan) Ridley are playing. They鈥檙e capable. I want to go, but if I鈥檓 not feeling like me then I wouldn鈥檛 be James Conner. I won鈥檛 go out there less than ready. I鈥檓 day-to-day with it.鈥�
Rookie Samuels carried the biggest workload as a running back of his football life Sunday, and turned in his first ever 100-yard performance. He carried 19 times for 142 yards in the win over New England. But it might have been his demeanor that impressed teammates most.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 know he had that much personality,鈥� said Maurkice Pouncey. 鈥淏ut he was out there, the guys were trying to talk trash to him and he was responding back. It made us proud. And the funny thing, he got tackled and went down and sat down on their bench. We were all like, 鈥楳an, look at that (stuff). That鈥檚 pretty cool.鈥�
鈥淭hey ran him out of bounds and he literally sat down with two defenders and was like, 鈥楬ey what鈥檚 up guys?鈥� They pushed him out, but it was funny. He showed a great personality. That was awesome.鈥�
Samuels is certainly unique. The proverbial Swiss Army knife throughout his high school and college careers, this H-back/tight end/wide receiver/fullback/wildcat quarterback/running back might have lasted until the fifth round in the last draft because he didn鈥檛 have one position to call his own. But at 225 pounds he ran a 4.54 40 at the NFL Combine, the same time as 213-pound deep threat James Washington.
So, this 100-yard rusher can also line up wide and run a go route.
鈥淵eah, I can run a little bit of everything,鈥� said the man dubbed 鈥淪mooth鈥� in college.
鈥淭hey called me Smooth because I run smooth,鈥� Samuels said. 鈥淢y strength coach back in college used to call me that. That鈥檚 all we did was run, so he saw me run every day.鈥�
Samuels comes off as a quiet and humble rookie, but what about this trash talking his linemen were so proud of?
鈥淚鈥檝e been doing that since college,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 really talk too much off the field, but on the field, when it鈥檚 game time, I kind of get caught up in that moment sometimes where I get yapping too much.鈥�
Why so quiet off the field?
鈥淚t鈥檚 my personality,鈥� Samuels said. 鈥淚鈥檓 real chill, pulled back. I don鈥檛 have a problem with anybody. I just stay to myself. I鈥檓 cool with everybody. But when the game comes, I just 鈥� I don鈥檛 know. It鈥檚 just me.鈥�
So much for rookies being seen and not heard.
鈥淯ntil they start playing like that,鈥� Pouncey said of Samuels鈥� 142-yard performance. 鈥淣ow he can say whatever the hell he wants.鈥�
POUNCEY: PRO BOWL TO HoF?
Pouncey was named to his seventh Pro Bowl in his ninth season in the league. Still only 29, that puts him on the Hall of Fame radar. Among the other modern centers who鈥檝e been inducted, only Mike Webster, with nine, has more Pro Bowls.
鈥淗onestly, and I promise you this that I鈥檓 being dead honest, I don鈥檛 think about any of that,鈥� Pouncey said. 鈥淭he accolades? I just love playing football. Me and my brother, our whole entire life, our whole entire family, it鈥檚 a football family. This is what we do. All the other stuff comes with winning football games I guess.鈥�
Pouncey was one of three Steelers offensive lineman named to this season鈥檚 Pro Bowl. It鈥檚 David DeCastro鈥檚 fourth Pro Bowl in seven years and Alejandro Villanueva鈥檚 second in four years 鈥� although Villanueva said if he had to rank himself it would be 32nd.
鈥淎l鈥檚 very humble because of the way he came in,鈥� Pouncey explained. 鈥淚 get it. But look at Jason Peters. He worked his (rear) off. He was an undrafted guy. He was a tight end. And now he鈥檚 one of the best in the league. It happens. If you have the athletic ability, the size, the power, you can become a great player, and Al has. But he never wants to set himself apart. You watch his game film, he鈥檚 doing better than everybody else.鈥�
And DeCastro?
鈥淚 think me and Dave are the same way,鈥� Pouncey said. 鈥淲e just love playing football. We鈥檙e linemen, you know what I mean? Linemen just look at it as we鈥檙e the team guys. We don鈥檛 think about all the other stuff that comes with it. We鈥檙e football men. And we鈥檙e so close. Our camaraderie? We have fun. I know we work hard and it鈥檚 a lot of hard work, but our guys have a lot of fun.鈥�
INJURY REPORT
Conner was joined on the sidelines Wednesday by Ben Roethlisberger (coach鈥檚 decision), Bud Dupree (knee) and Pouncey (coach鈥檚 decision). Terrell Edmunds, who entered the concussion protocol Monday, was limited. Cameron Heyward suffered a hyperextended knee Sunday but was a full participant Wednesday.