Bell ringing up yards but not TDs
PITTSBURGH – Le’Veon Bell has done a little bit of everything for the Steelers in the four games he’s played this season.
You want rushing yards? Bell is averaging 86 per game to rank fifth in the NFL.
How about receptions? In his four games back since sitting out the first three games this season under suspension, Bell has 30 catches for 245 yards.
One thing he has yet to do for the Steelers (4-3), however, is perhaps the most important to an NFL team – score a touchdown.
Dating to last season, Bell has now gone seven games without getting into the end zone, a streak he’d like to bring to an end when the Steelers play at Baltimore (3-4) Sunday.
It’s the longest such streak for Bell in his four-year career. It’s not, however, the thing that drives him.
“I guess a lot of people do look at touchdowns,” said Bell, whose last score came as time expired in San Diego last season to give the Steelers a victory.
“I don’t know, you can get three 1-yard touchdowns and have three yards (rushing). You had a great fantasy game but did you have a great game? The touchdowns will come. They’ll come over the course of a season.”
That’s especially true when you’re as integral a part of an offense as Bell.
The Ravens, against whom he’s had 100 total yards from scrimmage in three of four games, are certainly wary of Bell’s talent.
“He’s different. He’s a unique, unique running back – one of the most patient guys I’ve ever seen, just really exceptional,” said Baltimore defensive coordinator Dean Pees, whose unit is fourth in the NFL, allowing 81 yards per game on the ground. “He’s one of the best backs I think I’ve ever gone up against. He’s a very patient runner. If you jump off the block too quick, he’s going to make you pay.
“The difference with him is he’s patient, and then when he bursts, he bursts. He can hit the hole quick. He’s got great vision. The other thing is he’s a problem out of the backfield in the passing game. He’s just a super-talented guy. I think he’s different than most of the backs.”
And, unlike many running backs in today’s NFL, he is a player capable of taking on a heavy workload. In his four games since returning from a three-game suspension to open the season, Bell has touched the ball 99 times, 69 on carries and 30 on receptions.
“We’ve lost two in a row, so I’ve got to do whatever it takes to get the job done,” said Bell, who had his past two seasons ended with knee injuries.
“I feel a lot better now than when I first came back in Week 4. I feel like I’m getting stronger and better.”
The Steelers are 24-15 when Bell starts in their backfield since he joined the team as a second-round pick in 2013 and he’s averaged 134.5 yards from scrimmage since the start of the 2014 season, the best in the NFL. This season, he’s averaging an NFL-best 147.3 yards from scrimmage per game and enters Sunday’s game with 4,755 yards from scrimmage in his career.
Indianapolis’ Edgerrin James has the most yards from scrimmage in his first 40 games in NFL history with 5,627, while Eric Dickerson is second with 5,202.
Bell won’t catch either of those two players at Baltimore, but he could push his way toward the top five with just an average game. Clinton Portis is fifth with 4,901 well within reach if Bell hits his average.
“He’s that talented because there are multiple ways you can get him the ball,” said Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. “It’s not just line up in the I (formation) and hand it to him left and right. We can move him around. We can throw him the ball. We can throw him the ball out of the backfield, and we can throw him the ball from the slot, different places. So there are multiple ways you can get a guy like that the ball.”
But the lack of touchdowns is somewhat troubling for a back who touches the ball so often.
“I had a play where I down to the 2-yard line and (DeAngelo Williams) came in and got the touchdown,” Bell said of a run he had against Kansas City in Week 4. “I was fine with that. I just feel like they’ll come. I’m not really worried about that statistically. I just want to win games and do whatever it takes to win games.”
Roethlisberger was again limited at practice Thursday but is expected to be a full participant today and is on track to start against the Ravens. He had surgery to repair a meniscus injury in his left knee just over two weeks ago and missed Pittsburgh’s last game against New England. … Williams (knee) and offensive lineman Cody Wallace (knee) were the only Steelers who did not practice Thursday.