Near-perfect return for Bell brings smiles
NEW ORLEANS — So it wasn’t all perfect for Le’Veon Bell.
There was that lost fumble on a slip-screen pass at the New Orleans 22 that derailed what could have been a third consecutive scoring drive to start the game.
But, eager to show everyone he was recovered from a seasonending knee injury just 10 months ago, Bell did just that for most of the first half in the
Steelers’ 27-14 preseason victory against the Saints Friday night at Mecedes-Benz Superdome.
It was just what he needed from his first time back since missing the final 10 games of the 2016 season.
“I still got to be the same player,” Bell said. “I got to be aggressive and deliver punishment and still be a physical guy. But I have to be smart. That’s what I have to do.”
While Ben Roethlisberger threw touchdown passes on his first and only two series of the preseason — one to Antonio Brown for 57 yards — the most satisfying aspect for the Steelers was the sight of Bell looking like his old self.
“The guy worked his rear off to come back,” center Maurkice Pouncey said. “He looked like his old self out there.”
He carried three times for 21 yards and caught a teamhigh five passes for 37 yards, giving him eight touches for 58 yards in two quarters. And enough to show everybody that his surgically repaired knee is fine. Or certainly appears to be.
“Thank God for his recovery,” Brown said. “He looks like his normal self. The guy’s resilient.”
Bell was making his first appearance since multiple knee ligaments were torn on a tackle by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict in a Nov. 1 game at Heinz Field. At the time, he was leading the AFC in rushing with 556 yards and averaging 4.9 yards per carry, despite missing the first two games of the season because of a suspension.
“It’s always great to have 26 out there,” said Brown, who caught four passes for 87 yards. “You know what he’s going to bring to the field when he’s out there. You know what kind of challenges he brings.”
Bell wanted to play in the preseason because he wanted to show everyone he is fully recovered from the injury. He was even more determined after learning his appeal of his four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance of abuse policy was reduced to three games. He will serve the suspension beginning with the regular-season opener Sept. 12 against the Washington Redskins.
“I definitely still feel a little rusty, but I think with me playing first half, I tried to shake a little of the rust off,” Bell said. “The more situations I play I’ll be better. That third-and-18, I had the fumble, that’s just a situation I haven’t been in in a long time. I just got to get back into my rhythm. I’m glad I got the fumble out of the way in the preseason.”
It would have been easy for coach Mike Tomlin not to play Bell in the preseason and use the three-game suspension to give his knee ample extra time to be fully recovered. But, since he began taking part in live team drills in training camp, Bell has insisted his knee is fine and there are no lingering concerns.
That certainly appeared to be the case in his first game back. Except for the fumble.
“I want to use that time I’m suspended to try to [let] my knee get better, because in three or four weeks it’s going to better than it is today,” Bell said. “And I feel great today. I can only imagine how I’ll feel tomorrow.”