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James Conner picks up yardage against the Seahawks Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019, at Heinz Field.
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James Conner 'confident' he'll play after knee injury, talks Ben Roethlisberger, Pitt-Penn State

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

James Conner 'confident' he'll play after knee injury, talks Ben Roethlisberger, Pitt-Penn State

James Conner has had an intense 24 hours, and not just because of his knee.

The Steelers running back left the team’s game against the Seahawks Sunday in the fourth quarter after suffering a knee injury. As of Monday, he’s feeling “pretty confident” that he’ll be able to play next Sunday against the 49ers.

“I don’t think it’s long term,” he said on his weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan. “I’m going to do my best this week to prepare. There were no significant tears, thank God. ... I’m pretty confident that I’ll be out there this Sunday.”

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He said that the knee he hurt Sunday wasn’t the one he had surgery on in college, and the Steelers decided to keep him out for the rest of the Seahawks game mostly as a precautionary measure.

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“It’s about being smart,” Conner said. “It’s about putting pride aside and doing what’s the best for the team. ... I would’ve been doing the team a disservice if I couldn’t accelerate and be the best I can be.”

Conner also touched on a more serious Steelers-related injury: the season-ending, surgery-requiring right elbow ailment to Ben Roethlisberger.

Going into Sunday’s game, Conner wasn’t aware of anything keeping Roethlisberger from playing at 100% of his usual capabilities. He didn’t realize the extent that his quarterback was hurt until he saw backup Mason Rudolph was preparing to come in at halftime.

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Just like the rest of us, he learned that Roethlisberger’s season was over this morning via the news and social media. He said that coach Mike Tomlin didn’t make a huge deal of it at the team’s meeting Monday.

“It’s not a topic because there’s no point in sitting back and sobbing about it,” Conner said. “He’s obviously a Hall of Fame quarterback and we’re going to miss him. But we have a lot of games left.”

To Conner, there’s not a huge difference in the preparation necessary with Rudolph under center as opposed to Roethlisberger.

“Mason has shown flashes of him being able to extend plays,” he said. “They’re both able to move around and they’re not small guys by any means. They’re both talented in terms of extending plays and giving us more time in the pocket. ... I don’t think we’re going to change too many things. I think we’re going to stick to the script and do what we do.”

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hangs his head late in the fourth quarter losing to the Patriots Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts
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Finally, Conner touched on another subject near and dear to him: the result of Saturday’s Pitt-Penn State game, which will be remembered for Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi opting to kick a field goal down 17-10 late in the fourth quarter.

Conner didn’t want to say too much — “I could say something, but then it’s going be a headline.” — but in terms of football strategy, he might’ve gone with a more aggressive approach.

“I would’ve tied it up and then had my defense stop them and put my offense back on the field,” he said. “That’s what I would’ve done.”

With his alma mater’s big game and the first two of the Steelers’ young season behind him, Conner is focusing on providing Rudolph with all the support he can as a running back.

“I have confidence in him,” he said. “Everybody has to do their own job. ... We got a job to do, and that’s how we go out there and approach it. I didn’t do nothing differently. We tell him we got your back. There’s not much else to it.”

Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jaxel222

First Published: September 16, 2019, 10:18 p.m.

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