Cancer behind him, Conner just another rookie with Steelers

The catharsis came inside a crowded restaurant on that raucous Friday night in late April when James Conner picked up the phone and Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was on the other end telling Conner he was about to be selected in the third round of the NFL draft.

That's when the tears came. That's when Conner took a deep breath and celebrated the final steps in his draining journey from marginal college prospect to record-setting running back to cancer patient to the highest level of his chosen profession.

There were no tears when Conner arrived at Saint Vincent College on Thursday to start training camp. No moment in the dorm room he's sharing with second-round pick Juju Smith-Schuster to think about just how far he's come.


http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/cancer-conner-rookie-steelers-48918604

At least with Bell being selfish it'll lead to Conner getting some more meaningful carries in camp, at least until Bell decides he's good and ready to show up for work.

I'm happy that Connor is getting more reps and was drafted. He just has a chance to be a hammer of a RB that guys don't want to tackle and establish a nasty attitude with that veteran O line in front of him.

Bell will be the feature back, but Connor can be a guy that an O line just loves to tee off on the guy in front of them and know that JC is good to run over a LB or DB.

Rookie James Conner turning heads at Steelers camp

By Nick Shook NFL.com
Published: July 30, 2017

James Conner hit headlines when his jersey was declared the highest-selling among rookies this summer. With Steelers camp underway, the rookie's star keeps rising.

Conner is getting plenty of carries with Le'Veon Bell absent from camp, and the runner with local ties and a battle with cancer under his belt is turning heads in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala reported everyone in the Steelers' organization has been really pleased with the new arrival, and that was before the pads had been put on.

Enter Sunday, the first day of hitting.

"He's got a reputation that he doesn't back down from physical confrontation, and I wanted to give him an opportunity to confirm that on Day One," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Conner in a Sunday interview with NFL Network's Ike Taylor. "He did in a lot of ways. He's a highly competitive guy, he showed some good technical things. Obviously, it's Day One, he's got a ways to go. His mental approach and demeanor is what we desire."

Conner is obviously not Bell, and we're not saying he'll usurp one of the league's best running backs. But half of the battle for rookies is answering when opportunity knocks, and Conner is apparently doing that about as early as possible.

to read rest of article:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... elers-camp

He tweaked his shoulder yesterday. Hopefully nothing serious. For someone who kicked cancer's ass, I doubt it will be.

Conner has sprained right AC joint, won't miss significant time

LATROBE, Pa. -- Steelers running back James Conner has a sprained right AC joint and won't miss significant time.

Conner underwent medical testing after suffering an injury during Sunday's practice, during which he acquitted himself well with physical play.

"It appears to be minor - days," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20230585/pittsburgh-steelers-running-back-james-conner-sprained-ac-joint-miss-significant

I'm excited to see him play in a real game. I think he will be a hard nosed no nonsense runner.

I actually like the fact Bell is holding out, it gives our backups a chance to get more reps in practice. We know Bell is going to produce when he's on the field. The others could use some reps however.

Good to hear nothing serious, but a sprained AC can be irritating. There isn't much to do but isolate the joint and rest it, which is hard to do in training camp. Hope he can get it healed up, but will be good to see Fitz and Davis get more action.