FOXBORO, Mass. — What word best describes Le’Veon Bell’s distinctive skill set? Let’s start with the one Malcom Brown used six times when praising the Pittsburgh Steelers’ All-Pro running back.
Patient.
“He’s a great back,” Brown said after Friday’s New England Patriots practice. “Many accolades, and he’s a patient back. You have to be on your game to play against him, and you’ve got to try to stop him before he gets started.”
As a defensive tackle, Brown is part of the first line of defense against Bell, who’s torn opposing front sevens to shreds this season. Despite being suspended for Pittsburgh’s first four games, Bell cruised past the 1,000-yard rushing plateau, ranking fifth in the NFL with 1,268 yards on 261 carries in just 12 regular-season contests. He also racked up 616 receiving yards on 75 catches, good for second among running backs behind Arizona’s David Johnson.
Bell has found an even higher gear this postseason, averaging 168.5 rushing yards in playoff wins over the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. And he’s done all this while employing the most distinctive running style of any back in the NFL.
Rather than identifying a hole, lowering his shoulder and plowing through it, Bell stands almost completely upright after receiving a handoff from Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He dances in the backfield — usually a no-no for ball-carriers — then deftly weaves his way through the mass of blockers and defenders, moving in apparent slow motion but gathering yardage with every step.
“(He’s) very patient,” Brown reiterated. “He’s real patient. He has good vision, good burst. When he sees the gap he wants to hit, he hits it hard. He’s just patient. Real patient.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8UoOp-EyZE
Few opponents have been able to shut down Bell or even limit him, especially in the second half of the season. He’s been held below 100 yards just once in the last two months (93 yards in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 18), and he’s averaging 146.5 yards per game during Pittsburgh’s current nine-game winning streak. Bell played in eight of those games, sitting out the regular-season finale.
Though All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown presents his own set of problems, stopping Bell as best they can will be one of the Patriots’ points of emphasis in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.
They did an adequate job of that when these teams met in Week 7, holding Bell to 81 yards on 21 carries, but that was when backup Landry Jones was playing quarterback for Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger will be under center this weekend, preventing New England from shifting too much of its focus away from the passing game and toward Bell.
What’s the best way to slow down the most patient back in football? The Patriots must be patient themselves, which against an offense as talented as the Steelers’ is easier said than done.
“Usually you just, once (a running back) hits the gap, try to come off the block and get on him more,” Brown said. “But with him playing, you’ve got to try to wait in there. You’ve got to try to see where he’s going to go. And then you’ve also got to play the cutback, and you’ve also got to play everything else.
“He’s just real patient. I don’t know how else to put it.”
Thumbnail photo via Jason Bridge/USA TODAY Sports Images
