It's a new season for the Steelers, and they're ready to capitalize on it.
Speaking Wednesday on "Good Morning Football," third-year running back James Conner sounded optimistic about a potentially drama-free season after Pittsburgh plummeted into turmoil and tabloids in 2018.
"We got a great vibe," Conner said. "We don't need no attention. We don't need nothing. We just going to go out there and play."
Without naming names, Conner highlighted the importance of team building and working together as one unit.
"We're gonna try to be the most physical team on the field every game," Conner added. "Play for one another. Just play disciplined football. That's gonna take care of itself. We got talent over here. We're gonna put it all together and play for one another and we'll see what happens."
The Le’Veon Bell saga finally ended in March as the star rusher signed with the Jets, but not before Antonio Brown was shipped off to Oakland. The disgruntled receiver found a way to overshadow the Bell-dominated headlines through his apparent disconnect with Ben Roethlisberger, which Brown angrily revisited last month on Twitter after the quarterback expressed his regret over mishandling the situation.
But the Steelers won't be roped back into the drama, and instead are focusing on the players they have and the future they are in control of.
"Every year in the NFL, each year is a different team," Conner said. "We drafted guys coming in, so the roster is never the same year after year. It's a different team this year and that's only because we got new players, additions, we had a great draft class.
"Every year the goal and the agenda is the same and that's to win — win it all. Everybody here, that's what we talk about, that's why we work, that's why we go to practice every day."
Conner appears to have earned the stamp of approval from the greatest running back in Steelers history, as Jerome Bettis expressed his excitement about watching the second-year starter this week on Twitter.
Much love for my brother @JamesConner_ 🙏🏿 Ready to watch him work this season. #HereWeGo #SteelerNation pic.twitter.com/MxJj1i6RS4
— Jerome Bettis (@JeromeBettis36) September 1, 2019
The Steelers have no time to waste getting to work, as they play the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots on the road at 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday.