Running back James Conner is entering a pivotal year with the Pittsburgh Steelers and he is confident that the Steelers can bounce back in 2020. Following a dismal season in 2019, Conner is setting the bar high for Pittsburgh and is ecstatic to get Ben Roethlisberger back and healthy for the upcoming season.
James Conner asked if Ben has what it takes to lead Steelers back to a SB: "No question about it. … he's a winner and he wants another one bad before whenever he decides to hang it up. I hope it's not for a while. He wants another one and I want to be able to get one too."
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) June 15, 2020
James Conner asked about Big Ben's return. Says the ball was "whistling."
"He's confident. He worked so hard to get back to where he was playing confident. We're excited for him. That's our leader, that's our guy. Just so thankful that we got our quarterback back."
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) June 15, 2020
In Week 2, Roethlisberger sustained a season-ending elbow injury versus the Seattle Seahawks. Upon his entry to Injured Reserve, the Steelers were forced to start Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges.
Altogether, Rudolph and Hodges would combine for only 2,828 yards, 18 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. As a result, Pittsburgh would miss the postseason for the second consecutive season. The Steelers haven't missed the playoffs in three straight seasons since 1998-2000.
While Roethlisberger was sidelined with an elbow injury, Conner battled through shoulder and ankle injuries. The former third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft would miss six games. Furthermore, in the past two seasons he's missed a total of nine games due to injuries.
Last season, amid the slew of injuries he dealt with, Conner finished with only 715 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns. But as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, the Pittsburgh product believes the Steelers can compete for a Super Bowl.
Even though the offense struggled last season, Pittsburgh's defense was one of the best groups in the NFL. After adding Minkah Fitzpatrick via trade, the Steelers would conclude the year as the No. 1 defense in terms of takeaways, with 38.
Provided that, positive results for the Steelers are dependent on Roethlisberger staying healthy in 2020. While some people question whether or not Roethlisberger will revert back to the level he played at before, Conner thinks No. 7 can lead Pittsburgh to Lombardi Trophy No. 7 next season.
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