Performance improves in second game
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Le’Veon Bell has more than 1 million followers on his Twitter and Instagram accounts, and he hasn’t been immune to the criticism he has received from Steelers fans.
He reads the comments in his notifications and is well aware the paying customers haven’t been thrilled about his decision to turn down $12 million annually.
So when the Steelers decided to introduce their offense Sunday before their home opener at Heinz Field it created some drama. Would the fans boo or would they cheer?
The 65,971 cheered and the moment meant a lot to Bell.
“Truthfully, I didn’t think about it until I ran out and heard the ovation,” Bell said. “I look back on it, and it’s amazing I got that ovation because I get some much mixed emotions on Twitter and Instagram and things like that. It was good to feel the crowd.
“They made a crazy ovation. That meant a lot to me.”
Bell’s second game was much better than his first. After rushing for just 32 yards in the opener against the Cleveland Browns, he rushed for 87 yards on 27 carries Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
It was hardly a dominating performance, but it was enough to loosen up a stout Vikings defense and create some one-on-one opportunities for Steelers receivers. Martavis Bryant had 91 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Antonio Brown added 62 receiving yards. They also drew pass interference penalties of 22 and 49 yards.
“I think us running the ball against that front seven, not allowing those guys to pin their ears back and just rush the quarterback, keeping those guys honest helped a lot,” Bell said.
“Those guys are good up front. With us keeping the balance between running and passing, keeping them guessing really helped us get the W.”
One of the biggest differences between the first and second game was Bell’s usage. Against Cleveland he touched the ball just 13 times.
Against the Vikings, he touched the ball 13 times by halftime.
He had 10 touches on the first three drives, two of which produced touchdowns. For the game, he had 30 touches, which is more in line with the workload he had a year ago.
“The run game is pivotal for us,” veteran offensive lineman Ramon Foster said.
“They were ranked third against the run last year. If we’re able to run the ball against a good defensive line, then you can open it up a little bit. It causes problems for the linebackers. The guys get outside get open more, and you make big plays.”
Bell averaged just 3.2 yards per carry and his longest run of the game was just 11 yards. Through two games he has just 138 yards from scrimmage. That’s a far cry from the pace he set in the second half of the 2016 season when he averaged 182 yards per game over a six-game stretch late in the regular season.
Versatility used to be such a big part of his overall game, but his contributions in the passing game have been close to nonexistent. In that six-game stretch late last season he had three games with 55 receiving yards or better. Sunday, he had four receptions for only 4 yards. For the season, he has seven receptions for 19 yards.
Bell reported to the Steelers 17 days ago after missing all of training camp in a contract dispute. His time away from the team is at least part of the reason for his early season struggles.
“He’s going through a process from time missed,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “[Sunday] was a significant step. He was better than a week ago. But again, much like Martavis you’re not looking at a finished product. We’ll continue to work him back and along the way he’s going to give us above the line contributions like he did [Sunday].”
Bell feels like he’s close to breaking out.
“It’ll come,” Bell said. “I’m due for an explosion play. It hasn’t happened yet. I almost had, like, three today. I almost made one on a screen, a run. They made the play. We’re two games in. We’ll watch the film and get ready for next week.”