PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) -- After every Pittsburgh Steelers game this season, at least some of the reaction talk has been centered around comparing running backs James Conner and Le'Veon Bell and trying to determine if the Steelers miss Bell, if Conner is better than Bell and how the carries should be split if/when Bell returns.
Forget all that.
After Conner's performance Sunday in the Steelers' 23-16 win over the Baltimore Ravens, here's a more relevant question: Can he sustain the entire season being the feature back? Can he be over-used?
Steelers players are no longer concerned about Bell. There will be time to be concerned about him if and when he ever shows up. Conner is one of the best backs in the league right now.
What's more important now is Conner's durability. He has 151 carries through the first eight games of the season, a whopping 141 more than the next running back in Stevan Ridley. Ben Roethlisberger is second on the team in carries with a mere 17.
Conner runs with a tough "downhill" style in which he absorbs contact, bounces off defenders and even delivers his own blows. But much like the conversations we've had in the past about Bell when he was getting 30-plus touches per game ... how much is too much? Can Conner be over-used and be too battered by the time the playoffs roll around?
How long can this last? Can Conner, essentially a rookie running back with just 32 carries last season, be just as effective in the playoffs as he is right now?