Ben Roethlisberger insists Steelers have faith in James Conner as Le'Veon Bell holdout continues
Wednesday 5 September 2018 21:07, UK
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is preparing to play Sunday's season opener against the Cleveland Browns without All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell.
Bell's contract holdout continues as he did not report to the team again on Wednesday. He has still not signed his $14.5m franchise tag.
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Roethlisberger says he is ready to go with James Conner, a second-year back who played his college football at Pitt, in the backfield.
'I think we're all excited for what he can bring to this offense and this team," Roethlisberger said. "We've got a lot of weapons. We'd like [Bell] out there, but we've got guys who can make plays for us.
"Football's the ultimate team sport. One guy doesn't make or break you.
"So I'd like to say that the linemen are more important than any skill position player, including myself, on this team. This offense is more than one guy."
Stevan Ridley and rookie Jaylen Samuels will back up Conner.
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Conner had a strong preseason, with 100 rushing yards on 19 carries to go with 64 receiving yards. He played in 14 games last season, gaining 144 yards on 32 carries for an average of 4.5 yards per carry.
In his first five seasons, Bell has average 128.9 total yards per game, the highest for any player since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.
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For each week he misses, Bell will lose $852,941.
"We know he's one of the best in the business and he helps each week," Roethlisberger said. "When he gets here, I hope he'll be ready to go."
His agent, Adisa Bakari, told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday that Bell will "get there when he's there" and said the 26-year-old intends "to make this the best statistical season of his career."
