Another playoff loss... Another back-up RB playing

I tried to ignore this for as long as possible. I don't think the outcome changes with Bell playing but I think we can all agree we wish we got to find out. DWill stepped in and played great so it overshadowed the issue at hand but we basically played the AFC Champ game/another playoff game without Bell because he was injured. Because they ran him into the ground. Back to back playoff games with 30 carries.


So the problem at hand.. Why is our coach so against a two RB attack? We all saw how it messed with the Patriots who clearly game planned for Bell. Just imagine what it would do to these horribly coached teams. It also keeps both running backs fresh.


I just don't get it. Anybody go to the University of Mike Joblin and can explain this?

 

Bell/ Williams and Karlos Williams next year. 3 headed monster

 

and one will play....

 

Bell is a stud, and was the team MVP he was the main reason the team won 9 straight games. You don't take him off the field when he has it going like that.

 

I feel like this line of thought has been proven wrong 3 years in a row but screw it. Same team that stayed in zone all game. Apparently we don't learn from our mistakes.

 

While D-Will isn't playing at the same level as bell, that's not why the Steelers lost this game.

 

D Will played fine. In one single game they used him more in the passing game than they did LevBell all year.

 

That's exactly what I said in OP but the point still remains. We can't keep our starting RB healthy and we have a great back-up. 3 years in a row.

Also, regarding the game. Their defense changed once Bell was out. Made the passing game harder and while DWill was able to get some chunks of yards. It was nothing serious.

 

Dwill is great, but he just doesn't bring what Bell does. If he would have been able to play that game he would have found ways to get yards. There has been plenty of running backs in the league that have the amount of carries he has and don't get injured. I guess IMO the amount of carries had nothing to do with getting injured. However; if they knew he was injured they should have lowered his carries. Injuries are injuries and some people can play a lot without getting dinged up and some people are prone to injury. He did get a whole week off the last game of the year before we started the playoff push. He should have had plenty in him.

 

They need a 1-2 RB combo.

Bell 15-20 carries
2nd RB 5-10 carries a game
3rd garbage/breather


But nope it will be bell 50 carries a game and he will be like



No offense to that guy btw

 

Bell only played 12 games and Top 8 for carries. He was like 15 carries away from being Top 5. #2 is 30 carries away. Only player that clearly got the ball more in regular season was Zeke and he's a rookie with no injuries. Now post-season Bell was #1 in carries with 65 pretty much double every other RB.

Add total carries for the season including playoffs and he's #1 or #2 while still playing less games and coming off an injury and we have arguably the best back-up RB in the league. Him getting suspended/last game bye made it so he could at least play 2 playoff games but it caught up to him. He gets all those touches and misses no games in regular season, no doubt in my mind he's injured for a 3rd straight playoffs.

Point is we got a great back-up. Give him 5-10 carries a game to take the load off Bell. It's not ****ing rocket science.

 

Bell is a special player, no doubt, but can we stop pretending that this team would be nowhere without him? DW has shown he can fill in just fine for him. Over the last 2 season he's missed a ton of games and this team has survived. I'm not saying they're better off without him, that's silly, but like it or not, Ben is the real key to this offense. Without him the team is lost. Without Bell the team survives. Without Brown the team survives. The QB is the key. With Bell and Brown how good were we with Jones?

 

sorry for pissing you off. He had 261 carries in the reg season and 65 in the post season thats 326. That is a crap ton. It is good for 122nd place on the all time list. Tricky thing is Larry Johnson had 416 in the regular season in 2006. Jerome Bettis beat that mark 3 times in his career not counting the playoffs. mendenhall beat that mark. willie parker twice and Franco Harris also topped Bells mark. I realized he did not play 4 games this year, but a few people have almost doubled his carries. If Bell would have seen 15-20 carries in the KC game we wouldn't have had a chance to play the CHeatriots. I never felt this year like Bell was tired or look fatigued. The only way we win 9 in a row is exactly how we did it. Give the best plyer the ball and let him work. Its not ****ing nuclear physics.

 

261x2 is 522. Johnson's NFL-record tally is way less than double, and they just get lower from there. Assuming Johnson didn't make the post-season, he's got 30% more carries than Bell's 2016 workload.

 

Bell is a great back. With that said, we weren't winning that game with a three headed RB tandem of Bell, Franco Harris, bus.

 

I can't explain it, but I agree I've been saying for the past couple years why are we not letting Williams spell Bell? Why are we not lining both up in the backfield? Why aren't we putting Bell in the slot and DeAngilo as our RB? I understand Bell's a workhorse, but I
knew he was going to bog down soon with all those carries. Especially coming off two consecutive knee injuries. I know they put Bell in the slot, but never with Williams in the backfield. I don't get why we run Bell every down and not spell him with Williams consistently?

 

Lining em both up is too much creativity for the OC to handle obviously. Been saying it's since DW got here. The options are unlimited with keeping the D guessing. Doubt we'll see it, don't know how much tread DW has left.

 

Ok so I am not the best mathematician, but I still don't think he was tired. If the coaches didn't limit his carries after a known injury (groin) that is crap, but I still say give him the rock if the O-line and him are on a roll like that.

 

The question is how many carries should bell get, and how many carries are too much? Bell hasnt had a 300 carry season here yet and playing in only 12 regular season games this year he had 261 carries which wasnt an overload of carries by any stretch, he had 290 carries in 2014 in 16 games, at any rate he should have had fresh legs in the playoffs, I compare him to Eric Dickerson in physical make up both tall backs weighing 220 and Dickerson had 404 carries early on in his first 4 years, his rookie year he had 390, then 379 the following year 292, and in his 4th year 404 carries, amazingly he set the nfl rushing record of 2,105 yards with only 379 carries: Is Bell just not as tough of a back as dickerson or even Bettis who had 5 300 plus carry seasons during his career, is he just injury prone, or is he a special back like everyone says he is, if so 300 plus carries a season shouldn't be too big for him?????

 

he is an elite athlete. we are far from running him into the ground. its not like he played 16 games or carried 35 times a game. please

 

I've watched games and could never understand why they won't put both of them in the backfield. As I mentioned in my last post they could put Bell in the slot and Williams in the backfield or line them both up either split back or both in the eye formation. It seems that Haley is set in his ways and can't see the limitless plays he can run. Now our offense was really good for the most part this year but could of been better. Hopefully Haley will change it up more this next year especially with Bryant coming back. We really need to sure up the defense with a pass rusher and a really good corner. Hopefully we can get a diamond in the ruff in the draft for our defense. Never mind Ben's replacement needs to come very soon.

 

I think everybody is forgetting he's injury prone. Didn't he come to us injured and miss some games his rookie season? Then he's injured the next 2 seasons and doesn't play in the playoffs. Then he was basically injured heading into the AFCCG game. So he's been injured every season and we have a reliable back to take some carries. Steelers usually try to protect their assets. The way they have been using him suggest to me he's not getting a long term deal with us after they tag him. No way. They will run him into the ground next season as well.

 

Aside: every time I read the subject, I think ...

"Another season,
Another reason
To fire Tomlin."


(I.e., the "Making Whoopee" melody.)

 

http://stillcurtain.com/2016/05/30/steelers-leveon-bell-is-not-too-injury-prone/

This has probably been posted before, but worth considering some of the points they raise before people jump on the injury-prone wagon.

 

rotoworld reporting Bell is seeing doctors and could need surgery on the groin. Groins are pesky injuries.

 

He's had an injury every season in the NFL. 4 for 4. That's injury prone. His coaches aren't helping him by any means. Best back-up in the league and don't use him.