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 无毛视频� The cavalry无毛视频檚 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无毛视频檚 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无毛视频檒l wait until Thursday morning to see if problems arise.
无毛视频淚 did OK,无毛视频� Smith-Schuster said of practice. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 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.无毛视频�
Smith-Schuster无毛视频檚 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无毛视频檚 averaging 52.4, but is excited with the strides the offense has made.
无毛视频淲e have a young group that无毛视频檚 coming along,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淓verybody无毛视频檚 just doing their part. It无毛视频檚 not like anyone无毛视频檚 being asked to do too much. You just do your part, one-eleventh of the squad, the team, and you get the job done.无毛视频�
Smith-Schuster might无毛视频檝e been asked to do too much more earlier in the season, since he was the only receiver who knew all the positions.
无毛视频淏ut now that James Washington无毛视频檚 playing inside it helps out the team a lot,无毛视频� Smith-Schuster said. 无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 not so much on me now, so it should be fun.无毛视频�
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.
无毛视频淚 felt good,无毛视频� he said of Wednesday无毛视频檚 practice.
Does he assume he无毛视频檚 going to play Sunday night?
无毛视频淚 didn无毛视频檛 say that. Those are your words,无毛视频� Conner said. 无毛视频淚 said I felt good.无毛视频�
RALLY 无毛视频楻OUND THE FAMILY
The Edmunds brothers 无毛视频� Trey, Terrell and Buffalo无毛视频檚 Tremaine 无毛视频� all expect to play in Sunday night无毛视频檚 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.
无毛视频淚 think they said 92, 93 years. That无毛视频檚 crazy,无毛视频� said Terrell Edmunds, the Steelers无毛视频� strong safety and middle brother of the three. 无毛视频淏eing out there with all of my brothers, it无毛视频檚 a dream come true. It无毛视频檚 a blessing. A lot of people can无毛视频檛 really say that they无毛视频檝e done that and it无毛视频檚 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.无毛视频�
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无毛视频檝e all been planning for this moment. 无毛视频淎bsolutely,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淓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无毛视频檛 ever really know if it无毛视频檚 actually going to happen. And now that we无毛视频檙e a couple days away from it, we无毛视频檙e excited. Emotions are going to be everywhere, but it无毛视频檚 going to be a good opportunity for our family.无毛视频�
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.
无毛视频淲hat Mike did, he gave me a blueprint a little bit for what it looked like,无毛视频� said McDermott, who无毛视频檚 in his third season at the helm of the Bills. 无毛视频淗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无毛视频檝e always looked at him as kind of an older brother in the profession because of where both of us started.无毛视频�
Did they encounter each other on the practice field?
无毛视频淗im being a wide receiver and myself being a defensive back, we had our battles,无毛视频� McDermott said. 无毛视频淢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.无毛视频�
X无毛视频檚 & O无毛视频檚
Duck Hodges got his first taste of wintry weather at Wednesday无毛视频檚 practice and confirmed that his passes cut through the wind rather well. 无毛视频淭ook me a couple throws to get adjusted, get used to it,无毛视频� Hodges said. 无毛视频淚 haven无毛视频檛 played in the snow. We did play in Youngstown, Ohio, one time so I have played in the cold weather before. 无毛视频� I无毛视频檓 going to be fine.无毛视频� 无毛视频� Missing practice with injuries were TE Vance McDonald (concussion) and RB Jaylen Samuels (groin).