Tag: Le’Veon Bell

Former All-Pro Steelers RB says what (almost) everyone’s been thinking

Le’Veon Bell has thoughts on the Steelers quarterback situation.

Former First-team All-Pro and Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, came to the defense of his former team and quarterback Russell Wilson on Thursday on social media.

Things got heated on Wednesday, as CBS Sports Analyst Pete Prisco offered criticism of the Steelers’ newly announced Week 1 starter, Russell Wilson, which many consider to be a freezing cold take.

Not only does Prisco believe Pittsburgh is the worst team in the AFC North, but Prisco argued that Russell Wilson was ‘barely’ better than the QB situation the Steelers found themselves in for 2023.

Le’Veon Bell begs to differ, however, with Bell questioning the integrity of the analysis. Bell took to social media and kept it very simple in his questioning of Prisco’s analysis.

Sarcasm aside, the stats also back up what Bell and the Steelers fandom already know about the differences between Pickett/Trubisky/Rudolph and former Super Bowl champion and 9-time Pro-Bowler Russell Wilson.

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Le’Veon Bell re-opens wound of Steelers fans everywhere

Le’Veon Bell re-opened the wound of Steelers fans everywhere with a simple question posed on X.

Horrible, nay atrocious, calls are made in nearly every NFL game of the season. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been on the receiving end of their (un)fair share over the decades (as most fans think about their own teams’). However, one that resurfaces a few times a year is the infamous Jesse James touchdown reversal versus the New England Patriots in 2017.

The play that never happened.

And Le’Veon Bell — obviously seeking mad engagement — re-opened the wound of Steelers fans everywhere with a simple question posed on X early Tuesday morning: “Is this the worst missed call in league history?”

For Steelers fans, it certainly ranks. And considering the pivotal consequences of playoff seeding, it should. With the painful 27-24 loss, the Steelers ceded control of the top seed to the Patriots.

Pittsburgh still had an opportunity to win the game when Ben Roethlisberger tossed a pass targeting Eli Rogers that was deflected and landed in the hands of Patriots safety Duron Harmon.

What do you think? Is the overturned touchdown the worst missed call in Steelers history? Let us know in the comments below.

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Le’Veon Bell blasts former HC Adam Gase for playcalling

Le’Veon Bell blasts former HC Adam Gase for playcalling

Former Jets and Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell took to Twitter/X Thursday to blast former Jets head coach Adam Gase for his playcalling, including telling Bell to just get a few yards so the Jets can get into a “third and manageable”.

“I still randomly think about how P—ED I used to be in the huddle when Adam Gase would call ’21 dive’ on 2nd & 10,” Bell tweeted. “That’s a HALF BACK DIVE FROM SHOTGUN for the people that don’t understand what that fully means… lol.”

Bell, who spent the 2019 season in New York, added that Gase used to tell him to just get three yards to give the Jets a manageable third-down opportunity. “The reasoning behind the HB dive. I kid you not,” Bell posted.

Gase spent two seasons as head coach of the Jets, finishing with a record of 9-23, including their 0-13 start in 2020 that saw Gase relinquish play-calling duties to then-offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, who is now the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at South Carolina.

Bell played in 15 games for the Jets in 2019, rushing for 749 yards on 245 attempts, scoring three times. He added 66 catches for 461 yards and one receiving touchdown. Ironically, that’s a rushing average of 3.22 yards per carry, just enough to get that third and manageable Gase wanted.

Bell even claimed quarterback Sam Darnold would shake his head as he was calling out the play in the huddle and added “I don’t even wanna tell y’all Gase’s thought process when it came to ‘rain’ games. It would truly shock the h*ll out of you.”

Needless to say, the Jets have recovered from that season, at least to an extent. The offensive is going to be much more explosive with Breece Hall in the backfield. Nonetheless, as if things weren’t crazy enough already under Gase, this story sees light.

Le’Veon Bell details the one Adam Gase play call he’s still “pissed” about

Le’Veon Bell hasn’t played in Adam Gase’s offense since 2020, but there’s one Gase play call that Bell still has nightmares about.

From 2013 through 2017, Le’Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers was one of the best running backs in pro football. The Michigan State alum mystified enemy defenses with a running style that alternated between patient and explosive, and receiving chops unparalleled among players at his position. I’ve said before that Bell could have succeeded in the NFL if he were just a slot receiver.

Then, there was the contract dispute. The Steelers gave Bell the franchise tag for the second straight season in 2018, and he sat out the entire season in response. He then signed a four-year, $52.5 million deal with the New York Jets before the 2019 season, and that put him in head coach Adam Gase’s sights. That match did not go well at all — Bell ran 245 times for just 789 yards and three touchdowns in his first season with the Jets, and managed just 74 rushing yards on 19 carries in 2020 before the team released him.

Gase was not highly regraded as an offensive mind when he was the head coach of the Jets or the Miami Dolphins before that, and as Bell revealed on social media this week, there was one particular play call that drove him nuts.

It’s not uncommon for players to blame their coaches at least in part when play designs don’t work, but Bell had a point. 21 Dive, which required Bell to hit the line between the tackles as quickly as possible to try and get yardage that way, is generally more of a short-yardage and red zone concept that takes advantage of penetrating defensive linemen. Gase seemed to think that it was just fine for disadvantageous situations.

And in Bell’s case, it REALLY wasn’t.

Bell retired after the 2021 season, but it’s clear that this one play call still gets quite a distance up his nose.

Ex-Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell tweets harsh criticism of Justin Fields

Everybody’s a critic during the offseason and Le’Veon Bell is no different.

Everybody’s a critic during the offseason and Le’Veon Bell is no different.

The ex-Pittsburgh Steelers running back retweeted a video that originated on TikTok from @routegod813. James Everett Jr., a.k.a. “Route God,” is a former player-turned-trainer who’s working with quarterback Justin Fields. Everett has trained several other players, including former Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson and current cornerback Cam Sutton.

Bell’s observation of the footage is that Fields’ ball was getting to the receiver late.

“that ball getting there lateeeeeee .. I know it’s routes on air, but this is telling you a lot,” Bell posted in a retweet of the training video from TikTok.

Of course, that started a debate on Fields’ mechanics.

“lol he’s waiting like 7 years for the ball to get there on a 5 yard hitch,” Bell responded to a fan who said his take was wrong.

To a fan who said Fields is trash: “I ain’t say all that, but he definitely gotta bunch of room improve .. which can also be scary with all the talent he has.”

All subjective, I suppose, but Route God was on-site witnessing and coaching what was going down in the video. His reply to Bell’s criticism was this: “The Balls Ain’t Late His QB Trainer Was There And They Was Working Progressions He A Great Q And Everything Was on The Money.”

It’s just private drills. Fields and the Steelers are on their own until the team reconvenes in Latrobe for training camp in late July. That’s when a clearer picture of Fields’ progression will unfold.

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Former Steelers Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are back on the same team

Antonio Brown joined Le’Veon Bell at his latest boxing match.

Former members of the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to find themselves in the news. And when it comes to Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, it always seems to be quite bizarre.

The latest happened this week when Bell stepped into the ring for his latest boxing match in full Steelers garb and had Brown by his side as his hype man heading to the ring. You can check out the pics and video below.

Seeing two former players who left under such unfortunate circumstances of their own creation repping the Steelers in this scenario is going to be too much for many Steelers fans. Bell won the fight and he shared some photos from the win.

Bell and Brown spent their best NFL seasons with the Steelers and both saw their NFL careers spiral after forcing their way out of Pittsburgh.

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Steelers RB Najee Harris takes the advice of Le’Veon Bell a year later

Najee Harris is finally focusing on his fitness and conditioning.

Last year, former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell offered up some friendly advice to current Steelers back Najee Harris. Bell’s advice was to do what he did, lose some weight, and trim down as a way to improve his game. This advice came at a time when Harris’ weight was a topic of discussion and a worry for many fans.

Anytime the topic came up, Harris downplayed it and made it seem like his conditioning was a non-issue. Fast forward to now and maybe Harris is finally starting to get it but is it too late?

This offseason, the Steelers declined Harris’ fifth-year option sending Harris into his final season without a contract and lo and behold, we now find out Harris is working hard on his fitness and is trimming down for the upcoming season.

“One of the main things he’s done, personally, was make some big changes to his eating habits,” Harris trainer Josh Scott said. “Anytime you’re looking to recomposition your body and drop body fat, that’s going to be the first place you look.”

This might be too little too late if Harris wants to stay with the Steelers. The team is going to focus heavily on the run game this season but Harris is going to be splitting carries with Jaylen Warren and the comparisons will be there every week.

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Steelers fans push return of Le’Veon Bell after his reaction to Russell Wilson signing

Steelers fans are clamoring for Le’Veon Bell to return to Pittsburgh after he posted reaction to Russell Wilson signing on X.

A prominent former Pittsburgh Steeler reacted to the Russell Wilson news on X this morning: “Russell to Pitt,” Le’Veon Bell posted.

Comments to Bell’s tweet mainly consisted of Steelers fans pushing for his return. “You next,” wrote one fan, and “You coming back big bro?” wrote another.

Bell accumulated 5,336 rushing yards, 2,660 receiving yards and 42 all-purpose touchdowns in the Black and Gold. He last suited up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 and played for four teams after his messy and very public 2018 exit from Pittsburgh. Though he played as many years for other teams as he did in Pittsburgh, Bell never came anywhere near the production.

The Steelers former All-Pro didn’t respond to fans urging his return, but he’s made it clear in the past he’d like to return to Pittsburgh.

Last spring, Bell, 32, told the Steel Here podcast that he wants the opportunity to show he’s in the best shape of his life.

Bell returning to the Steelers would make for a great story, and that’s about it. The offense has a good thing going with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Too many cooks in the kitchen rarely works out, and it can’t be something Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers even considered.

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Cam Heyward sounds off on Le’Veon Bell’s latest proclamation to return to Steelers

Cam Heyward offers his take on Le’Veon Bell’s most recent announcement that he’d like to return to the Steelers.

In a recent series of SnapChats, Le’Veon Bell shared his desire to return to the NFL. Though he purposely didn’t name the team, we all know it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This wasn’t the first time Bell has expressed his intention to return to Pittsburgh and it won’t be his last.

“He was a guest on our show and he already said that,” Cam Heyward said on the Feb. 5 episode of his “Not Just Football” podcast. “I don’t know why we are acting like this is brand-new news. Le’Veon said he wanted to come back for one team and one team only. If you need to, go listen to our show and we will give you the info because we got people that are getting this done before it even hits.”

Heyward is all for a Le’Veon Bell return to the Pittsburgh Steelers, even if it were for a depth and mentorship role for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.

“If he comes back, we would love to have him,” he said. “He looked like he was in great shape the last time we saw him. I know we got some great running backs, but he could provide some knowledge for the group.”

But as a veteran and defensive captain, Heyward doesn’t play favorites with any player who wants to come to Pittsburgh.

“I welcome anybody. I don’t really play the game where … if anybody can be my teammate, I’m always for it because as lucky as I am to be their teammate, I’m very lucky for them to be my teammate. It’s an honor playing this game and when you get great players playing with you, it’s special to see.”

If the improbable happened, it’s unlikely Bell would be special this time around. But it certainly was special when he spent the first five years of his career in Pittsburgh.

Bell accumulated 5,336 rushing yards, 2,660 receiving yards and 42 all-purpose touchdowns in the Black and Gold. He last suited up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 and played for four teams after his messy and very public 2018 exit from Pittsburgh. Though he played as many years for other teams as he did in Pittsburgh, Bell never came anywhere near the production.

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Before you ask: No, Le’Veon Bell isn’t coming back to the Steelers

Le’Veon Bell says he’s planning an NFL comeback.

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. This is a hard lesson many former Pittsburgh Steelers learn when they leave in free agency for more money. One of the best examples of this was when running back Le’Veon Bell left for the New York Jets and watched his career crumble. Bell himself has admitted it was a mistake, and now he’s taking it a step further.

Bell took to Snapchat and said that he plans to start training in March for an NFL comeback. He also said there is only one team he’ll come back for. Bell wouldn’t say who, but he indicated we all knew who it was. Obviously, it’s the Steelers.

While we can appreciate Bell’s renewed loyalty to the franchise that made him a star, there’s no spot for him on this team, and he knows it. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are both young stars at running back and aren’t giving up reps to a guy who hasn’t played since 2021.

Had Bell re-signed with the Steelers and not put the team through all his nonsense, he could easily have had a Hall of Fame career.

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