Tomlin: Choice between Bell and Lacy was easy (SI)

[Rod Polamalu]

Is that what you know Lacy is going to do? I certainly believe that Bell has the skills to be a perennial 1200 yard rusher and a top 5-8 back in the league, he needs to stay healthy. will he? That's a different story.

Pappy

Never said i expect that from Lacy. I was not and will never be a proponent of taking running backs in the first rnd unless they are undisputed once in a generation players.

Just saying that imo Bell does not look exceptionally impressive as a Rb period. He's solid,...but,....not the guy that many of the fanbase would like to believe that he is or will become.

If you or others believe so,...that's cool,... and everyone else will just sit back and listen to you, the Pittsburgh press and talking heads whom do not really care if we suck or not say "This is gonna be his big year i tell ya !" for the next 4-7 seasons while he languishes in mediocrity. lol smh

[Steelerphile]

So, you are saying on record,....that you believe Bell is a pure and fluid running back and will go on to not only consistently rush for 1000 yards a season for at least the early portion of his career,...but will also be regarded as one of the top 5 at his position by his peers ?

No question, Bell is a pure fluid running back. He has good running instincts, in that he is patient to see a hole develop and then has a good burst to exploit the opening. He executes a nice hurdle. spin move (which is something I am not opposed to as some are). Comparing him to TE is ridiculous. Whether he is regarded as top five at his position by his peers is a changeable judgement that would not be a necessity from my standpoint to consider him very good and valuable asset.

Certainly if he stays healthy, 1,000 yards should not be that hard for him to reac, but total yards for him would be an even better barometer because his receiving skills for a back are above most.

[papillon]

Never said i expect that from Lacy. I was not and will never be a proponent of taking running backs in the first rnd unless they are undisputed once in a generation players.

Just saying that imo Bell does not look exceptionally impressive as a Rb period. He's solid,...but,....not the guy that many of the fanbase would like to believe that he is or will become.

If you or others believe so,...that's cool,... and everyone else will just sit back and listen to you, the Pittsburgh press and talking heads whom do not really care if we suck or not say "This is gonna be his big year i tell ya !" for the next 4-7 seasons while he languishes in mediocrity. lol smh

I have no idea what he'll be, but he certainly has shown the ability to move a pile (he rarely loses yards), he has shown the ability to operate in space, playing behind a patched up offensive line and he has 40+ catches as a rookie. I'm not sure what more you would like to see from the kid and I'm not sure what running back has had a bigger impact on his team's offense than Bell.

If he stays healthy, the Steelers offense will continue to get better, in case you haven't noticed the offense is putting up a lot of points over the past 4 or 5 weeks (27, 20, 28, 30 and 3. You should win 4 of those games and certainly have a chance in the 5th.

Bell wasn't a 1st round selection, the Steelers took him in the 2nd and I agree about the first round RB 100%, I'm not even sure I'd take AP in the 1st, if there was a top player at another position that I could draft. That being said, Bell looks like the real deal to me and if you like Lacy, then you have to like Bell, because they were both impressive yesterday.

Pappy

[Oviedo]

Bell is living up to his billing and that is great, but let's not forget that to be successful over a course of the season you need two really good RBs. Bell is the only one we have under contract for next season. Do you resign Dwyer? Jones? Howling Stephens?

IMO, they really need to keep Dwyer. He has been solid since coming back and I still think he has a ton of potential to be a solid fill in if Bell would ever go down.

[Rod Polamalu]

I have no idea what he'll be, but he certainly has shown the ability to move a pile (he rarely loses yards), he has shown the ability to operate in space, playing behind a patched up offensive line and he has 40+ catches as a rookie. I'm not sure what more you would like to see from the kid and I'm not sure what running back has had a bigger impact on his team's offense than Bell.

If he stays healthy, the Steelers offense will continue to get better, in case you haven't noticed the offense is putting up a lot of points over the past 4 or 5 weeks (27, 20, 28, 30 and 3. You should win 4 of those games and certainly have a chance in the 5th.

Bell wasn't a 1st round selection, the Steelers took him in the 2nd and I agree about the first round RB 100%, I'm not even sure I'd take AP in the 1st, if there was a top player at another position that I could draft. That being said, Bell looks like the real deal to me and if you like Lacy, then you have to like Bell, because they were both impressive yesterday.

Pappy

Well said Pap,...perhaps i am just old school and pining for the type of ground games that we had with Barry Foster and Bussy in his prime.

Like i said,...i think Bell is a solid player and seems like he's a good kid with his head on straight. I just don't see him as the kind of back that teams will have to game plan for to any great degree even at his best.

He's got tools, weight, is strong and has a huge heart,...but he is not explosive at all to me and even seems a little clumsy to me at times and runs too upright.

This may be a matter of his height which i don't think is ideal for the position. Unless of course you're a freak like Bo Jackson, Adrian Peterson or Eric Dickerson. Players who were/are,...the aforementioned rare generational type players.

[Rod Polamalu]

No question, Bell is a pure fluid running back. He has good running instincts, in that he is patient to see a hole develop and then has a good burst to exploit the opening. He executes a nice hurdle. spin move (which is something I am not opposed to as some are). Comparing him to TE is ridiculous. Whether he is regarded as top five at his position by his peers is a changeable judgement that would not be a necessity from my standpoint to consider him very good and valuable asset.

Certainly if he stays healthy, 1,000 yards should not be that hard for him to reac, but total yards for him would be an even better barometer because his receiving skills for a back are above most.

Understand your perspective. I just see him as more of a compliment back, not the type that you solely hang your ground game hat upon.

[papillon]

Well said Pap,...perhaps i am just old school and pining for the type of ground games that we had with Barry Foster and Bussy in his prime.

Like i said,...i think Bell is a solid player and seems like he's a good kid with his head on straight. I just don't see him as the kind of back that teams will have to game plan for to any great degree even at his best.

He's got tools, weight, is strong and has a huge heart,...but he is not explosive at all to me and even seems a little clumsy to me at times and runs too upright.

This may be a matter of his height which i don't think is ideal for the position. Unless of course you're a freak like Bo Jackson, Adrian Peterson or Eric Dickerson. Players who were/are,...the aforementioned rare generational type players.

Im with you about the old school running attack, unfortunately, it's a thing of the past. I would however, make Bell the #1 (I mean rarely, if ever, off the field) and give limited carries to the others. He's a complete back and the steelers don't really have a change of pace guy. They have players that can give him a breather, that's about it.

Pappy

[feltdizz]

Bell is fine.. he is a rookie and hasn't hit his stride yet but those gashes we witnessed yesterday will be the norm if our OL blocks like a normal OL. The difference is the passing attack.. teams definitely have to game plan for it or we will continue to move the chains with dump offs.

Ben is cleaner, the O is more efficient, what's not to like about our RB?

Lacy IMO is still the better rushing back but he prolly wont last as long due to his running style.

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers rookie running back Bell shines in clutch

By Ralph N. Paulk
Published: Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013



GREEN BAY, Wis. — Running back Le'Veon Bell walked onto storied Lambeau Field on Sunday with a chip on his shoulder.

He said all week that he wanted to prove the Steelers were right to opt for him instead of Green Bay's Eddie Lacy in the second round of the NFL Draft.

The Michigan State product delivered his first 100-yard performance: 124 yards on a career-high 26 carries and the winning 1-yard touchdown run with 1:25 remaining to lead the Steelers to a thrilling 38-31 victory.

“It's crazy that I got a chance to play at Lambeau Field,” Bell said. “It was everything I wanted. The crowd was loud. It was cold, and there was snow. Growing up, it's what I saw on TV, so I was happy to play in it.”

“(Bell) is a good player, and he's getting better every week,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “He is a complete player, an all-situation player. We'll keep working him and try to keep him humble.”

Lacy, who left in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury, posted impressive numbers: 84 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He hurdled cornerback Ike Taylor at the goal line on a 14-yard run that gave the Packers a 14-7 lead late in the first half.

But his efforts were wasted by penalties that often altered the Packers' game plan to lean on the ground game.

“Those penalties definitely set us back a little,” Lacy said.

For Bell, it was a game of ebbs and flows. His highs often were tempered by the lows: three dropped passes and a fumble at the Steelers' 3-yard line that led to a 2-yard touchdown run by Lacy in the third quarter.

“As a runner, you look forward to opportunities to put the game away,” Bell said. “(Lacy) is a great player, but it was definitely a challenge on my part. My single charge was to play to his level or better.

“Besides the fumble, I'm happy with my performance.”

Bell showed his mental toughness after his fumble. He responded with a 25-yard run to spark a six-play, 68-yard scoring drive that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger capped with an 11-yard pass to tight end Matt Spaeth that put the Steelers ahead 24-21 late in the third quarter.

“The fumble is something that really got to me. It made me angry,” Bell said. “I went to the coaches, the offensive linemen and Ben and told them I wanted the ball. Whatever we were going to do, I wanted to go out there and make a play.”

Bell's resiliency didn't go unnoticed.

“Bell is the total package,” receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. “He is mentally tough, so we were confident he could come back from the fumble.”

[URL]http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/5299138-74/bell-yard-fumble#ixzz2oJzCCTTq[/URL]

[Slapstick]

The fumble didn't lead to Lacy's 2 yard TD...

The fumble led to a blocked FG...the ref's mindbogglingly piss poor call led to Lacy's 2 yard TD, which was not deserved...

[thor75]

Steelers rookie running back Bell shines in clutch

“The fumble is something that really got to me. It made me angry,” Bell said. “I went to the coaches, the offensive linemen and Ben and told them I wanted the ball. Whatever we were going to do, I wanted to go out there and make a play.”

Bell's resiliency didn't go unnoticed.

“Bell is the total package,” receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. “He is mentally tough, so we were confident he could come back from the fumble.”

[URL]http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/5299138-74/bell-yard-fumble#ixzz2oJzCCTTq[/URL]

Great response to the fumble. He definitely wanted to back up Tomlin's comments on him vs. Lacy. I thought both RBs played great with Lacy being a load to bring down but Bell a little more versatile. I don't have any reservations about Bell being our #1 back.