Smith-Schuster, Conner return to practice
Associated Press
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster mingles with fans before the game against the Cleveland Browns Dec. 1.
Associated Press
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Benny Snell (24) leaps in celebration with injured running back James Conner (30) after he scored against the Cleveland Browns during the second half of a game played on Dec. 1 in Pittsburgh. Conner returned to practice Wednesday.
PITTSBURGH 鈥� The cavalry鈥檚 coming for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pro Bowlers JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner returned to practice full-time Wednesday, but neither was ready to proclaim himself fit for Sunday night鈥檚 critical game against the Buffalo Bills.
Smith-Schuster has missed the last three-plus games with a sprained PCL in his left knee, and after participating in his first full practice since before the Thursday night game in Cleveland said he鈥檒l wait until Thursday morning to see if problems arise.
鈥淚 did OK,鈥� Smith-Schuster said of practice. 鈥淚鈥檓 still trying to get in the groove, trying to get it right for the last couple of weeks, and trying to get my conditioning and get in shape, too.鈥�
Smith-Schuster鈥檚 production has fallen off this season from his team MVP levels of 2018, when he averaged 89.1 receiving yards per game. This year he鈥檚 averaging 52.4, but is excited with the strides the offense has made.
鈥淲e have a young group that鈥檚 coming along,鈥� he said. 鈥淓verybody鈥檚 just doing their part. It鈥檚 not like anyone鈥檚 being asked to do too much. You just do your part, one-eleventh of the squad, the team, and you get the job done.鈥�
Smith-Schuster might鈥檝e been asked to do too much more earlier in the season, since he was the only receiver who knew all the positions.
鈥淏ut now that James Washington鈥檚 playing inside it helps out the team a lot,鈥� Smith-Schuster said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not so much on me now, so it should be fun.鈥�
Conner was less committal to playing Sunday. His shoulder injury cost him Games 8-9. He returned for Game 10 at Cleveland, but reinjured himself, left that game and missed the last three games.
鈥淚 felt good,鈥� he said of Wednesday鈥檚 practice.
Does he assume he鈥檚 going to play Sunday night?
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 say that. Those are your words,鈥� Conner said. 鈥淚 said I felt good.鈥�
RALLY 鈥楻OUND THE FAMILY
The Edmunds brothers 鈥� Trey, Terrell and Buffalo鈥檚 Tremaine 鈥� all expect to play in Sunday night鈥檚 game. It will mark the first time since 1927 that three brothers have played in the same game.
The Rooney brothers of Duluth, Minnesota, played for the Eskimos in that long ago season.
鈥淚 think they said 92, 93 years. That鈥檚 crazy,鈥� said Terrell Edmunds, the Steelers鈥� strong safety and middle brother of the three. 鈥淏eing out there with all of my brothers, it鈥檚 a dream come true. It鈥檚 a blessing. A lot of people can鈥檛 really say that they鈥檝e done that and it鈥檚 something we can say we accomplished as a family. A lot of hard work went into this journey, and now we get to live out our dreams.鈥�
Trey, the eldest, is a running back with the Steelers, and according to Terrell has been assured he will play, even with the return of Conner. Trey is also a core special-teamer for the Steelers.
Trey said they鈥檝e all been planning for this moment. 鈥淎bsolutely,鈥� he said. 鈥淓very single day, while we were going through little league, through high school, college and just being there to actually see it happen right now is huge. You think about it and you dream about it, but you don鈥檛 ever really know if it鈥檚 actually going to happen. And now that we鈥檙e a couple days away from it, we鈥檙e excited. Emotions are going to be everywhere, but it鈥檚 going to be a good opportunity for our family.鈥�
HEAD COACHES ONCE TEAMMATES
Mike Tomlin was a redshirt junior wide receiver at William & Mary when Bills coach Sean McDermott was a sophomore defensive back at the school. McDermott said he looked up to Tomlin at the time.
鈥淲hat Mike did, he gave me a blueprint a little bit for what it looked like,鈥� said McDermott, who鈥檚 in his third season at the helm of the Bills. 鈥淗e was such a role model for a lot of us, myself included, on campus as a younger player. He was a good example for me as well as many others. And then to watch him go off and graduate and begin his coaching career, and the way he did it, and the way he climbed the ladder, I鈥檝e always looked at him as kind of an older brother in the profession because of where both of us started.鈥�
Did they encounter each other on the practice field?
鈥淗im being a wide receiver and myself being a defensive back, we had our battles,鈥� McDermott said. 鈥淢ore so I was a walk-on and he was a scholarship athlete, and he was established and I was just trying to get a pair of cleats. So, really, it was just me, again, watching him battle some of the older DBs, and yet having a good personality and a good rapport off the field with teammates.鈥�
X鈥檚 & O鈥檚
Duck Hodges got his first taste of wintry weather at Wednesday鈥檚 practice and confirmed that his passes cut through the wind rather well. 鈥淭ook me a couple throws to get adjusted, get used to it,鈥� Hodges said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 played in the snow. We did play in Youngstown, Ohio, one time so I have played in the cold weather before. 鈥� I鈥檓 going to be fine.鈥� 鈥� Missing practice with injuries were TE Vance McDonald (concussion) and RB Jaylen Samuels (groin).