At halftime of the Week 1, running back James Conner looked like the perfect replacement for Le'Veon Bell, and the Pittsburgh Steelers seemed to be in good hands.

Since that point, Conner has only rushed for 104 yards on 39 carriers and Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner is taking the blame for that.

“I probably just need to do a better job heating him up,” Fichtner said, referring to giving Conner more carries via triblive.com. “It’s just like quarterbacks, too. You get into a rhythm. And all good running backs, they need that rhythm.”

In six of the Steelers possessions on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, Conner didn't get a carry, and that makes it very hard for him to get into a rhythm. The Steelers also opted to lineup Ryan Switzer in the backfield a lot, but he only had one rushing attempt.

The Steelers offense is really off balance right now, and although quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is taking a lot of blame for that, if the rushing game took off, it would take some pressure off his shoulders.

Fichtner has been impressed with what he has seen when Conner is in the game, and he does a fine job pass blocking so expect to see him more in the coming weeks.

“He’s a tough, hard-nosed inside runner. He’s a capable outside runner,” Fichtner said. “He’s done a really fine job in protection and in routes, so he’s been very complete, if you will.”

If they can get him going, and with Bell expecting to report to the team in the next few weeks, the two could turn into a powerful one-two punch.