Q&A: Jerome Bettis on James Conner, Darryl Drake and paying running backs

[polamalubeast]

When The Bus gets going, it’s hard to slow him. That applies to both his battering-ram running style and his motor mouth.
Legendary Steelers running back Jerome Bettis was on hand at his North Side restaurant Thursday afternoon promoting his recent partnership with sports gambling powerhouse FanDuel and the launch of mobile gaming in Pennsylvania.
He was also more than game to discuss everything from how he feels about the 2019 Steelers, to his thoughts on how the running back position has evolved, to catching deep balls thrown by former Steelers quarterback Mike Tomczak.
Strap in and enjoy this talk with The Bus:

What do you think of the squad this year, especially the offense?

You know what, I think they have a chance to be really good. Some guys have to step up, obviously. James Washington has to play big this year for them. He’s the unknown kind of factor. James Conner has to stay healthy for the entire year. They have some question marks they have to answer internally. But they have a chance to be really good.

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Can you expand a little bit more about how you’re feeling about Conner in his first full season as a starter?

I love what he did. I watched him in college, so I knew quite a bit about him in terms of his running style and how physical he was. So now it’s, can you take that to the next level? You had an opportunity, you had a taste, you had a really good year last year. Can you take it to the next level and become that very special running back? He understands what’s next, but he’s got to go out and do it, and he has to stay healthy for an entire season.


Can I get your thoughts on [Steelers wide receivers coach] Darryl Drake and his passing?

It’s so devastating, obviously for his family. You’ve got a lot of young players in that room. So to lose an influence like him, you don’t know how that affects the young players. This guy spent as much time with you as anybody. You’re in camp, but in the offseason you’re talking, you’re going through things, you see each other every day. You have that relationship, and it’s not just a football relationship, it’s a personal relationship. So when you have a loss like that, it affects you deeply. Hopefully, it inspires those guys to go out and play in his honor in a way he would’ve wanted them to go out and compete.

...

How much more juice do you think Ben [Roethlisberger] has left in him?

I think he’s got a few years left, at the very least three very high-level, productive years, if he can stay healthy. ... What’s happening now, because it’s becoming more of a passing league, it’s not as physically demanding on the quarterbacks. They’re able to shine a lot longer, and it’s a different era. Everybody’s getting smaller.
In my era, everybody was 320, 330 [pounds]. It was a proud thing to have your offensive line at 330, 340, but now the idea is smaller is better, which leads to a longer career. I think with that, if he can stay healthy, [he has] three more highly productive years maybe followed by another two years of good football.


read more

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...s/201908150178

[polamalubeast]

[polamalubeast]

[Lamberts_Lunatic]

Great article. I miss the Bus.