As the Le'Veon Bell standoff continues into late October -- something that seemed unthinkable two months ago, when we all assumed Bell would report to the Steelers on the eve of the season -- Steelers running back James Conner, who has taken over for Bell, wants to dispel what might be a popular notion in Pittsburgh. He doesn't think Bell is being selfish, and the two have maintained a great relationship despite the circumstances. 

On Thursday, Conner appeared on FS1's "First Things First" where he shot down the idea that Bell is behaving selfishly.

"Anytime I do something good on the field, I always come back to the locker room to a text from him saying, 'Good game,' or, 'Nice move right there,'" Conner said. "Me and Le'Veon are super cool. He's a great person. With him holding out, people are going to call him selfish and all that, but that's not the case at all. It's just business. That's my guy."

Conner's not lying. Bell has been supportive of his former backup and current replacement.

Bell must be busy typing away, because Conner's provided plenty of good since he took over for Bell. In six games, Conner has rushed 453 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. He's added 257 yards through the air. He hasn't been as dominant as Bell has been at his peak, but he's been good enough for a Steelers team absolutely loaded on offense. And let's face it, not many running backs are capable of doing what Bell has done over the past few seasons. He's one of the most versatile running backs in football who's capable of carrying an offense on his own. Conner isn't doing that, but he's certainly adding something to the Steelers' offense.

As the Steelers enjoy their Week 7 bye after two straight wins that refueled their postseason aspirations, Bell's standoff continues. It's still not entirely clear when Bell will report to the team. He didn't report to the team during their bye week as some expected he would. He could report Monday as the Steelers begin preparations for their Week 8 game against the Browns. If he does report, he might not hang around for long. Trade rumors have persisted throughout the standoff. If he does report and doesn't get traded, he might not play immediately considering he's been absent for so long and the Steelers are managing just fine with Conner.

By now, it's clear that there's zero clarity about the situation and there's no way to know how any of this will turn out. 

As CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported on Sunday, "the Steelers still have yet to hear anything from Le'Veon Bell or his agent about if or when the running back plans to sign his franchise tag and report, sources said, and the team remains hopeful of trading the star." La Canfora went on to explain that "some in the organization believe that Bell is most likely to sign the tag a week from Tuesday -- after the 4 p.m. trade deadline passes," which would make it impossible for the team to trade him.