Should James Conner become a starter for the Steelers in 2018?

… will Tomlin play disciplinarian and bench Bell?

A year ago, James Conner’s football jersey was the hottest selling one in the NFL — even better than Brady.

Why do Pittsburgh fans love Conner so much? Some may call it the Brian Piccolo effect, but it is much more intense than that.

First, Conner starred at the University of Pittsburgh as a running back, earning Player of the Year honors in the Atlantic Coast Conference when he ran for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns, an average of just under six yards a carry.

However, what really motivated the fans to embrace Conner was how he battle back from big-time adversity. First, in 2015, his junior season, he tore his MCL in the first game of the season. Then, in December of that year, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

That led to a series of chemotherapy treatments, 12 in all, after which he was diagnosed as cancer-free.

Return

Conner returned in 2016, rushing for 1,092 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was named first-team ACC that season.

In his three seasons, he rushed for 3,733 yards on 668 carries (5.6/carry), scoring 53 TDs. He also hauled in 30 passes for 412 yards and four TDs, accounting for 4.145 yards overall.

That recovery endeared him not just to the Pitt Panther faithful, but to people throughout the country. That is what is called the Brian Piccolo effect, named after the former Chicago Bears running back who died from embryonal cell carcinoma at the age of 26. His life was leg ionized in the movie “Brian’s Song.”

Draft dilemma

Conner decided to forgo his senior season at Pitt, but some wondered if that was wise. Would any team be willing to take a chance on him because of his cancer history? Certainly, he had the physical tools, but …

Enter the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers, who draft Conner in the third round. That ended the speculation about whether teams thought that he was worthy of being taken higher than the fifth or sixth round.

First NFL season

The problem for Conner has been that he is behind Le’Veon Bell, the Steelers versatile running back who is also a talented receiver. In five years, Bell has been productive, albeit a head case and often unreliable teammate. He has carried the ball 1,129 times for 5,336 yards and 35 touchdowns (4.3/carry). He has caught 312 passes for 2,660 yards and seven TDs, an 8.5 per catch average.

He has also missed big games, missed parts of seasons due to drug violations, and has skipped training camp the past two seasons. Not exactly a team player.

For those reasons, many fans would like Conner to receive much more playing time since this is Bell’s last run with the Steelers. He has been the team’s franchise player the last two seasons, but turned down a huge offer from Pittsburgh so that he could test free agency next year. He was asking $17 million, but will likely not get it.

Tomlin should bench Bell for one game and start Conner

How can a coach look himself in the mirror and not discipline a player who thumbs his nose at his team and teammates and does not show up for training camp two years in a row? What Tomlin should do is suspend Bell, not let him dress, for one game, and start Conner.

Since the game is against the Cleveland Browns, why not let Conner show his stuff with the first offensive line? He did that in the preseason game against Green Bay and was named Digest Player of the Week.

Conner is just asking for a chance and says that he can also catch out of the backfield. “I feel like I am capable,” he told reporters last week. “Looking forward to the opportunity to show I can make plays in the passing game and in open space. I have to take advantage of the opportunity when it comes.”

Last year, he carried the ball just 32 times, rushing for 144 yards, 4.5 a carry, which was better than Bell. However, he needs to carry the ball more, and hopefully, he will get a shot.