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Ben Roethlisberger: I hope we don’t run Le’Veon Bell into the ground
Posted by Josh Alper on December 2, 2014
The Steelers cut running back LeGarrette Blount two weeks ago, a day after giving Le’Veon Bell 33 carries in a Monday night victory over the Titans.
Bell played on all but three snaps in that game and all but seven against the Jets the prior week, an upward trend that continued against the Saints. Bell had 21 more carries last Sunday and added eight catches while playing on 88 of the team’s 90 offensive snaps in a 35-32 loss. On Tuesday, coach Mike Tomlin said, via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that he wasn’t worried about over working Bell because Bell has the “pedigree” for the job.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn’t disagree with Bell’s ability to handle the job, but admitted to more concern than Tomlin
“I don’t know of a running back since I’ve been here that has been able to basically play every single snap,” Roethlisberger said on 93.7 The Fan. “I think that speaks volumes for his conditioning and the work that he has put in. But you do have to be careful. I hope we don’t run him into the ground, if you will. It’s that stretch of the year where everyone is going to give it everything they have and I know he probably wants to be in there every single play because that’s the kind of player he is.”
As Roethlisberger noted, it’s that stretch of the year when teams fighting for playoff spots are going to lean on their best players. The Steelers are in such a fight and Bell’s usage and production make it clear he’s one of their biggest threats, so we’ll find out how he holds up under a heavy workload in the next four weeks.
[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...to-the-ground/[/URL]
Posted by Josh Alper on December 2, 2014
The Steelers cut running back LeGarrette Blount two weeks ago, a day after giving Le’Veon Bell 33 carries in a Monday night victory over the Titans.
Bell played on all but three snaps in that game and all but seven against the Jets the prior week, an upward trend that continued against the Saints. Bell had 21 more carries last Sunday and added eight catches while playing on 88 of the team’s 90 offensive snaps in a 35-32 loss. On Tuesday, coach Mike Tomlin said, via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that he wasn’t worried about over working Bell because Bell has the “pedigree” for the job.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn’t disagree with Bell’s ability to handle the job, but admitted to more concern than Tomlin
“I don’t know of a running back since I’ve been here that has been able to basically play every single snap,” Roethlisberger said on 93.7 The Fan. “I think that speaks volumes for his conditioning and the work that he has put in. But you do have to be careful. I hope we don’t run him into the ground, if you will. It’s that stretch of the year where everyone is going to give it everything they have and I know he probably wants to be in there every single play because that’s the kind of player he is.”
As Roethlisberger noted, it’s that stretch of the year when teams fighting for playoff spots are going to lean on their best players. The Steelers are in such a fight and Bell’s usage and production make it clear he’s one of their biggest threats, so we’ll find out how he holds up under a heavy workload in the next four weeks.
[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...to-the-ground/[/URL]
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