Conner still dealing with high ankle sprain
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� James Conner likes the sound of Pro Bowler James Conner, but he doesn无毛视频檛 like the sound of injured James Conner.
That appears to be the case once again this week as Conner 无毛视频� the Steelers无毛视频� second-year Pro Bowl running back 无毛视频� struggles with what he admitted is a high-ankle sprain suffered against the Los Angeles Chargers.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 trying, man,无毛视频� Conner said with a sigh after sitting out of Wednesday无毛视频檚 practice. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 day-by-day. These high-ankle sprains, they无毛视频檙e deceiving. I can walk around fine and not limp around but when I无毛视频檓 out there on the field cutting and stuff it无毛视频檚 无毛视频� I无毛视频檓 not ready yet.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 the reason we have three guys on the team. You see the way Jaylen (Samuels) and (Stevan) Ridley are playing. They无毛视频檙e capable. I want to go, but if I无毛视频檓 not feeling like me then I wouldn无毛视频檛 be James Conner. I won无毛视频檛 go out there less than ready. I无毛视频檓 day-to-day with it.无毛视频�
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.
无毛视频淲e didn无毛视频檛 know he had that much personality,无毛视频� said Maurkice Pouncey. 无毛视频淏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, 无毛视频楳an, look at that (stuff). That无毛视频檚 pretty cool.无毛视频�
无毛视频淭hey ran him out of bounds and he literally sat down with two defenders and was like, 无毛视频楬ey what无毛视频檚 up guys?无毛视频� They pushed him out, but it was funny. He showed a great personality. That was awesome.无毛视频�
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无毛视频檛 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.
无毛视频淵eah, I can run a little bit of everything,无毛视频� said the man dubbed 无毛视频淪mooth无毛视频� in college.
无毛视频淭hey called me Smooth because I run smooth,无毛视频� Samuels said. 无毛视频淢y strength coach back in college used to call me that. That无毛视频檚 all we did was run, so he saw me run every day.无毛视频�
Samuels comes off as a quiet and humble rookie, but what about this trash talking his linemen were so proud of?
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e been doing that since college,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 really talk too much off the field, but on the field, when it无毛视频檚 game time, I kind of get caught up in that moment sometimes where I get yapping too much.无毛视频�
Why so quiet off the field?
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 my personality,无毛视频� Samuels said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 real chill, pulled back. I don无毛视频檛 have a problem with anybody. I just stay to myself. I无毛视频檓 cool with everybody. But when the game comes, I just 无毛视频� I don无毛视频檛 know. It无毛视频檚 just me.无毛视频�
So much for rookies being seen and not heard.
无毛视频淯ntil they start playing like that,无毛视频� Pouncey said of Samuels无毛视频� 142-yard performance. 无毛视频淣ow he can say whatever the hell he wants.无毛视频�
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无毛视频檝e been inducted, only Mike Webster, with nine, has more Pro Bowls.
无毛视频淗onestly, and I promise you this that I无毛视频檓 being dead honest, I don无毛视频檛 think about any of that,无毛视频� Pouncey said. 无毛视频淭he accolades? I just love playing football. Me and my brother, our whole entire life, our whole entire family, it无毛视频檚 a football family. This is what we do. All the other stuff comes with winning football games I guess.无毛视频�
Pouncey was one of three Steelers offensive lineman named to this season无毛视频檚 Pro Bowl. It无毛视频檚 David DeCastro无毛视频檚 fourth Pro Bowl in seven years and Alejandro Villanueva无毛视频檚 second in four years 无毛视频� although Villanueva said if he had to rank himself it would be 32nd.
无毛视频淎l无毛视频檚 very humble because of the way he came in,无毛视频� Pouncey explained. 无毛视频淚 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无毛视频檚 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无毛视频檚 doing better than everybody else.无毛视频�
And DeCastro?
无毛视频淚 think me and Dave are the same way,无毛视频� Pouncey said. 无毛视频淲e just love playing football. We无毛视频檙e linemen, you know what I mean? Linemen just look at it as we无毛视频檙e the team guys. We don无毛视频檛 think about all the other stuff that comes with it. We无毛视频檙e football men. And we无毛视频檙e so close. Our camaraderie? We have fun. I know we work hard and it无毛视频檚 a lot of hard work, but our guys have a lot of fun.无毛视频�
INJURY REPORT
Conner was joined on the sidelines Wednesday by Ben Roethlisberger (coach无毛视频檚 decision), Bud Dupree (knee) and Pouncey (coach无毛视频檚 decision). Terrell Edmunds, who entered the concussion protocol Monday, was limited. Cameron Heyward suffered a hyperextended knee Sunday but was a full participant Wednesday.