God only knows what kind of vehicle Antonio Brown will arrive in Wednesday when the Steelers report to camp. I’m hoping for a tricked-out stagecoach or a fully functional forklift.
Or maybe a tricycle with Le’Veon Bell and James Harrison in the other seats (Harrison sleeping, of course, like he did during meetings last season, and Bell in an ejector seat that activates the instant he crosses campus lines).
It’s never boring on Day 1, right? The tedium usually sets in after that.
Not this year, though. This year should be different for several reasons.
The battle at inside linebacker opposite Vince Williams is one reason. Tyler Matakevich and free-agent signee Jon Bostic should wage an intense competition. I’m also curious to see how the Bud Dupree-T.J. Watt position switch unfolds, how big an impact potentially electric rookies Terrell Edmunds and James Washington make, if a quarterback sneak is added to the playbook, and whether the Steelers will be the first team in NFL history to employ an 11-safety package on defense.
But what separates this camp from any in recent memory is the presence of two fascinating backups: Mason Rudolph and James Conner.
Rudolph merely being here alters the atmospheric conditions, not unlike when Matt Murray entered the Penguins locker room late in the 2015-16 season. One could immediately feel a chill in the air, and the reason was obvious: For the first time in his long career, Marc-Andre Fleury was sharing space with his possible heir apparent.
The same now is true of Ben Roethlisberger. It’s not that Roethlisberger’s job is threatened (whereas Fleury’s was, in short order). Clearly, that is not the case and won’t be for quite some time, as long as he stays healthy. It’s just that he has never entered camp knowing a player the franchise pegged to one day replace him will be waiting in the quarterbacks room.
Rudolph is that player, and for whatever it’s worth, he showed out in spring ball, to the point where the Post-Gazette’s Ed Bouchette wrote this on June 14: “Rudolph showed them enough that few in the organization will be surprised if he earns the No. 2 job this year.”
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That is where the fascination lies for now: How soon might Rudolph, who impressed teammates with his strong and accurate arm, move into the one-play-away seat? How do Mike Tomlin and newly promoted offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner divvy up the camp reps behind Ben?
Landry Jones has been a functional backup. Rudolph is an uber-talented rookie whom the Steelers traded up to draft. Some might label this a minor story, especially since Roethlisberger has only missed one game that mattered over the past two years.
They’re wrong. There might be camp battles more pertinent to the won-loss record than backup quarterback, but the position itself makes it the most compelling one by far. More precisely, Rudolph makes it so.
Then again, he might only be the second highest-profile backup in town. Conner, ex-Pitt star and local hero, would relegate anyone to that designation. He is a special kind of person.
Now it’s time to prove he should be Bell’s primary backup — which could be a a vital position, given Bell’s mercurial history and uncertain future. Who knows what could happen as his potential pot of gold grows nearer?
The Steelers last year invested a third-round pick in Conner. It’s time to find out what they have. He showed flashes in limited action (albeit without much variance in the run calls) before an MCL tear ended his rookie year. He faces serious competition in veteran Stevan Ridley and especially 6-foot, 225-pound rookie Jaylen Samuels, whose all-around skills opened a bunch of eyes in spring.
Conner runs hard. No question about that. He must show he has mastered the details of his position, the things that either keep a running back on the field or assure his removal — blitz pickups, precise route running, etc.
One offensive lineman told me this: “Usually the biggest improvement for guys is from the first year to the second year. I’m excited to see Conner this year.”
Me, too.
I'm sure he'll get over it, but Le’Veon’s gonna miss a pretty compelling camp.
Joe Starkey: jstarkey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @joestarkey1. Joe Starkey can be heard on the “Starkey and Mueller” show weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
First Published: July 19, 2018, 4:51 p.m.
