I would be more than happy for Bell to carry the ball 26 times per game for the rest of the season (and, hopefully, post-season)...Originally Posted by WindyCitySteel
With is current YpC, that ends up being more than 130 rush yards per game...I'll happily take that...that would give him 320 carries for the season, tied for 140th on the list of most carries in an NFL season...
Last edited by Slapstick; 12-08-2014 at 01:07 PM.
Actually, my post was NOT about you...but, if the shoe fits, feel free to lace that &!+€# up and wear it.
dmaRCO MURRAY is already in the 320 carry range IIRC
A hidden reason why Le'Veon Bell is an MVP candidate
December, 9, 2014
By Scott Brown | ESPN.com
PITTSBURGH -- A play that largely went unnoticed in the Pittsburgh Steelers' 42-21 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday is a big reason why I think running back Le'Veon Bell has emerged as a legitimate NFL MVP candidate.
It came on a first down with a little less than three minutes left in the first half.
Bell took a handoff from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Bengals defensive end Wallace Gilberry was in perfect position to drop him in the backfield. But Bell spun away from Gilberry leaving him clutching for air and turning what should have been a loss into a 9-yard run.
Why was the run so significant?
The Steelers' defense had started leaking some serious oil after a strong first quarter. The Bengals put together a pair of 80-yard touchdown drives in the second quarter and they took a 14-7 lead after their second score.
Markus Wheaton brought the ensuing kickoff out of the end zone and was dropped at the Steelers' 14-yard line. Had Gilberry thrown Bell for a loss on the next play the Steelers might have gotten conservative and gone three-and-out -- leaving Cincinnati enough time to get its offense back on the field for one more drive before halftime.
The Steelers instead built on Bell's run and drove inside the Bengals 5-yard line before settling for a Shaun Suisham field goal before the half.
A 14-10 halftime deficit could have easily been 17-7 or even 21-7 had the Steelers given the Bengals the ball right back late in the second quarter.
Bell's run did not allow that to happen and the Steelers later erupted for 25 fourth-quarter points to blow past the Bengals in a game they had to win.
That wasn't the first time that Bell turned in the kind of play on which games turn.
The Steelers were trailing the Houston Texans by 10 points late in the second quarter a week after getting embarrassed in Cleveland. Their fans, none too happy with the Steelers' 3-3 record and a slow start against the Texans, let them hear about it.
Then Bell turned a reception on a short crossing route into a 28-yard gain. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Martavis Bryant on the next play and the Steelers added two more touchdowns after the two-minute warning.
That outburst propelled them to a 30-23 win and launched a three-game winning streak that included victories over the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens.
The Steelers' best stretch of the season might not have happened without Bell's catch-and-run late in the first half against the Texans.
Plays like that as well as the run Bell made late in the first half against the Bengals are the ones the build MVP arguments every bit as much as numbers such as 1,231 rushing yards in 13 games and 71 receptions for 693 yards.
And testimonials such as that one that center Maurkice Pouncey offered after Bell piled up 235 all-purpose yards in Cincinnati.
"I keep telling you guys all the time as an offensive line you can really appreciate a running back like that," Pouncey said. "He sets up the blocks good. Some plays you can't hit it as fast as others. He gets the gist of that. He has great vision. He cuts on you real quick and makes guys look stupid. He makes it easy. Trust me."
No arguments here.
[URL]http://espn.go.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/post/_/id/11115/a-hidden-reason-why-leveon-bell-is-an-mvp-candidate[/URL]
Those two are best RB and the best WR in the game right now, and that isn't Steeler glasses homer hyperbole. Add in a QB with Super Bowl pedigree, an OL that has been improving in its first year under HoF tutelage, and we really could have something here this season, even if the defense is mediocre at best.
Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.
Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.
We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.
We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.
You have to factor in all plays from scrimmage for Bell. It's the hits he takes when being tackled that count as wear-and-tear. This goes for receptions as well as carries.
But, statistically, the threshold has been 370 carries. IMHO, getting the ball in the backfield and running through walls made of 300lb men into the waiting arms of a 250lb LB is different than catching the ball in the flat...
Actually, my post was NOT about you...but, if the shoe fits, feel free to lace that &!+€# up and wear it.
The man got game!.
We got lucky in grabbing this guy.
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