Life after LeVeon: Steelers RB trio ready to forge own path

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The same words kept popping up as James Conner, Jaylen Samuels and Benny Snell Jr. talked. Words such as we and us and relationships and my guys.No personal agendas. No campaigning for more touches or playing time. No talk about contracts or specific roles. The Pittsburgh Steelers running backs just dont see the point of personal pronouns.Were trying to be the best running back group in the world, Samuels said. One thatready to escape LeVeon Bellshadow for good https://www.steelerssportinggear.com/143-Mason_Rudolph_Jersey.The versatile and dynamic three-time Pro Bowlerlong goodbye ended in March when he signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the New York Jets. For Conner and Samuels, that means no more keeping one eye on the playbook and another on the door to the locker room waiting for Bell to step through.He never did last fall, though that didnt stop the seemingly endless debate over his intentions and his future, discussions the teammates he left behind tried to avoid even as they combined to put up numbers that rivaled Bellat the peak of his considerable powers.Conner and Samuels put up 1,925 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2018. Bell had 1,946 total yards and 11 touchdowns in 2017. Oh, and Conner and Samuels did it at a tenth of the price and an even smaller fraction of the drama.We didnt know what the situation with LeVeon was going to be last year, Samuels said. We just had to come to work every day like he was going to show up. Now that henot here, were going to do the same thing. Just going to push even harder because we know the pressure is on us. Weve got to get the job done T.J. Watt Jersey.One theyre focused on doing together.While Conner made the Pro Bowl after running for 973 yards and a dozen touchdowns and adding 497 yards receiving, he also missed time at various points because of minor injuries Chase Claypool Jersey. Samuels a rookie fifth-round pick last fall filled in capably, including a memorable performance in a victory over the New England Patriots in which he racked up 172 total yards.Conner spent a portion of the winter bulking up in an effort to hold up better under the wear and tear of a 16-game season. His biceps and his shoulders look as if someone inserted a hose into them and just started puffing away, not stopping until his arms and neck appear to be bursting out from under his shoulder pads.I dont know whatgoing on with him, Samuels said with a laugh and a shake of his head.Conner is reluctant to discuss specifics about how much weight headded. Healso reticent to declare himself the starter Derek Watt Jersey. Entering his third year as a pro, hebecome well-versed in how fast life can come at you in the NFL. He joined the Steelers as a third-round pick in 2017.Sixteen months later he found himself lining up behind quarterback Ben Roethlisberger when Bell opted to work on his music and his tan rather than sign his franchise tag and show up for work.Still, all those yards and all those touchdowns didnt stop Pittsburgh from taking Snell in the fourth round of the draft following a record-breaking career at Kentucky. Conner didnt take it personally. This is how things work.Coach told us a while ago that hetrying to replace us every year, Conner said. Didnt mean that in a bad way. Doesnt mean were not doing our job. Itjust you know, therealways a young buck up and coming. Youve seen the talent that Jaylen got. Seen the talent that Benny has. All those guys are talented, really good running backs.Samuels excelled catching passes out of the backfield at North Carolina State where he left as the schoolall-time leader in receptions and spent the offseason refining his route running.The Steelers are looking for ways to have Conner and Samuels on the field at the same time, even if that means moving Samuels into more of an H-back role that would allow him the freedom to move around in search of favorable matchups.Weve both got unique skillsets, Samuels said. James can do a lot of running and I can do a lot of catching but we can also feed off each other. That was just Year One. Year Two we hope to build off that, exceed and make some noise.Theyre not the only ones. Snell left Kentucky with a year of eligibility left after breaking every important rushing record in school history. He didnt panic when he didnt hear his name called until the third day of the draft. He knows how well the Steelers develop mid-round picks. The rise of Conner and Samuels offers tangible proof.Those are my guys, those are my brothers, Snell said.A bond they will lean on as the post-LeVeon Bell era begins, one more focused on sharing the burden rather than hogging the ball or the limelight https://www.steelerssportinggear.com/81-Juju_Smith_schuster_Jersey.Itbigger than making plays on the field, Conner said. Like, football is like a game of life. So the friendships and the relationships we have off the field, it helps us on the field. Everything is not just competition and who can make plays on the field. Itimportant to be a good person, have good character.