Worst-case scenario - COTY and extension

Jackson did win an MVP and he has a real shot at another one this season, though the fumbles should definitely count against him.

He isn't even close to being the best passer in the NFL, but is the the most productive quarterback overall? You could make that argument right now.

The same is true with Bell. There may have been better runners than him in those seasons, but there is more to a running back's job.

 

In 2014 Bell had 46 less total yards from scrimmage than DeMarco Murray. Bell had 2 less touchdowns than Murray, but he also had 5 less fumbles. Nobody else was within 400 yards of Murray. I'll take the 46 less yards and you can keep the 5 more fumbles. I'll also take maybe the best pass protector while he was in the league.

Bell was the best all-around RB in football that season.

In 2015 Bell only played in 6 games but was averaging about 115 scrimmage yards per game. Played 6 games and was ranked #100 in the NFL in scrimmage yards.

In 2016 Bell only played and started 12 games. He finished 3rd in the NFL in scrimmage yards. However, he averaged the most scrimmage yards per game by a mile with 157 scrimmage yards per game. Projecting a full 16 games, he would have been #1 in the NFL by nearly 400 yards with a projected 2512 yards over 16 games.

Bell was clearly the best running back in the NFL that season when on the field.

In 2017 Bell had 1946 yards from scrimmage in 15 games...#2 in the NFL to Todd Gurley by 147 yards. He had 2 less fumbles than Gurley and was the better pass protector.

Some other important points:

In 2016 he averaged 157 scrimmage yards per game to lead the NFL by a big margin.

Bell played in 4 playoff games with the Steelers. He had 515 scrimmage yards in those 4 games. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry rushing the football and 128.75 yards from scrimmage per game. Sounds like an incredible, elite running back to me.

From 2013-2017 with the Steelers, Bell averaged 128.97 scrimmage yards per game. That was the highest yards from scrimmage per game of any player in history at the time he played his last snap with the Steelers.

When you combine his rushing, his receiving prowess, his ball security, his pass protection, and how well he played in the playoffs, I think Bell was the best RB in the NFL over the 2014-2017 stretch.

There are a lot of reasons to believe he was the best running back in the NFL during that timeframe.

 

All said. He was never the best RB in any season. Also what everyone skips over....is how great the RB did that took His place while He was suspended.....He actually was leading the league in rushing. I can't think of that happening for any of the other RBs that actually had been the number 1 rb that season. . He was great, but never was the best RB in the league ....at any season. It is what it is.

 

So He won the MVP because He led the NFL in total tds, but now that He isn't even top 5 in tds for Qbs....even adding his rushing tds....people are saying he could win the MVP for other reasons....the same reasons that if we went by the 1st time He won a MVP ....would make Him not have won it. LoL what the hell. So we just change what makes a Qb MVP to fit whatever Lamar is doing good at. LoL

 

I forgot about ball security. Good catch.

 

This argument is why I find it hypocritical that you want to use that tiny sample size to imply that Bell was just taking advantage of a great situation, but you want to ignore that Murray and Elliott were doing the same thing, just with larger sample sizes.

 

That's your opinion. I disagree. So do others here.

That's why things are discussed. People have different views.

You also said he was never #1 in any stat, yet he averaged the most scrimmage yards per game a few seasons, plus at the time he left the Steelers he was the all-time leader in yards from scrimmage per game in the history of the NFL. All-time leader.

That is certainly leading the league in something.

 

Don't forget we also had a supposed HOF QB during this stretch plus AB and still couldn't win anything.

 

It did not help that Bell was out in the playoffs in 2 of those years(2014 and 2015) and his backup was either not a caliber NFL player(2014) or was also out(2015),AB was out for the game vs Denver in 2015,the supporting cast after Bell and AB was just some pratice squad caliber players in 2016,still make to the AFC title game that year and our defense were just awful in the 2017 playoffs game....But it was all because of Ben for some reason

 

It also doesn't help when the defense is routinely giving up 40 points. Nobody wins in the playoffs when defense is that bad.....nobody.

 

Same for Tom Brady....I mean he won only 2 playoffs game in his career when his defense give up at least 30 points and one of those game was against a bottom 5 defense(2018 chiefs) and the pats had also around 200 rushing yards in that game...We can't blame Ben for the game vs Jaguars who had the best pass defense in the NFL that year but our defense had been just awful in that game and after almost every game after the Shazier injury....This defense gave up 38 points against the ravens and a washed Joe Flacco in december too...It was that bad

 

What???

 

Funny how some of You have to validate what You say by saying......"so do others on here"....I don't need validation from anyone. I have never ever cared whether others agree with Me....Nothing....shows He was the best .....besides You wanting Him to be the best. Popularity of opinions doesn't make it correct. Remember this....McDonald's sells more food in a day than most anywhere, and is very popular.....in no way does that make their food the best....Correct....makes it correct. Again....He was great, but at no time was He the best RB in the NFL for a season. You maybe can say as an average over a 5 year period, or something like that, but no season by season was He the best rb. Those are the facts.
Also...when I look up this all time leader in yards from scrimmage....that You said He was the best in history....I see L. Bell at 118.....guess who is higher....ranked....Elliott....one of the guys I said who was better than Him during one of the years some of You claimed Bell was the best.

 

I'm not trying to validate anything to myself. I already know how I feel. I'm simply saying that there are obviously people that think he was the best running back in the NFL when he was here. There are also people that don't. I'm not really sure what you're reading into me saying that other people here believe something contrary to what you're saying.

I clearly stated that when Bell took his last snap as a Steeler, he was the All-time leader in scrimmage yards per game. You are listing stats and saying things to try to make it seem that the stat I gave is incorrect, but it's a fact. It is a fact, no matter how you try to spin it. After the 2017 season he was the leader in scrimmage yards per game for his career to that point. The whole point of the discussion was Bell's time here 2013-2017. That's what the whole discussion was about. At that point in his career, he was the All-time leader in scrimmage yards per game. For that 5-year period, he averaged more yards per game for his career than anyone else had...period.

If you feel like you're reasoning above makes you correct, that's your opinion. I listed stats and gave my own opinion.

 

BUMP.

Because some of the replies on here are looking comical now just a month later. I bet a few posters would like to have a mulligan.

 

It was so obvious that the steelers were a fraud team from the start...They were so lucky with so many wins when they were like 6-3 but some were blinded by that.Same for the steelers last year when their 7-2 record after the bye when they had a very weak schedule