When James Conner gets the ball behind Roosevelt Nix, he knows the first person who gets in their way will get a big helping of hurt from a 5-foot-11, 248-pound fullback.
When we talk about how the Steelers need to balance the offense and power through the run game more, part of that equation includes a heavier dosage of Conner and Nix plowing through defenses.
I've written a lot about how Conner's natural style of running is in a power offense. He excels with a lead blocker and there are few better lead blockers than Nix. When people think of the old school reputation of the Steelers, a strong and imposing run game like that of Jerome Bettis comes to mind.
Nix is a football player in the late 2010s who would've fit in anywhere from the 1960s to the 2000s with his style of physical play. Conner feeds off that energy well and it can be seen with how six of his 12 rushing touchdowns came when Nix was on the field.
Here's an example of how Conner's patience and timing works well behind Nix. Conner and Nix go wide with the only player in their way being linebacker Duke Riley. Nix gets right on Riley and gives him a strong punch that knocks him back just enough for Conner to get the corner and score:
Notice how Conner didn't rush to pick where he was going but did accelerate right when Nix made contact with Riley. That's the better instincts you see from Conner when he has a blocker to follow and Nix is a guy that he depends on a lot.
One of my favorite blocks to watch from Nix in 2018 was how he took on two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Melvin Ingram II. The Steelers' offensive line had parted the Chargers' defensive line like the red sea and the only player in A-gap that could get to Conner was Ingram, a tough linebacker in the hole.
Nix comes in with the lower pad level and throws everything he has at Ingram, stopping his momentum and letting Conner run in clean for the score:
When I put together the running backs' final grades from 2018, I gave Conner a B and Nix a B-, but both were contributors who looked like they just needed more chances to pound defenses late in games.
Simply putting these two together more often won't solve every challenge the Steelers' offense faces in 2019, but it's another piece of the big puzzle they have to put together for the whole picture of the offense. Having the ground game behind a dominant offensive line with a battering ram like Nix helped the Steelers become the NFL's best red zone offense in 2018.
Finding more ways to use that strength seems like a smart play for Randy Fichtner.
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