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At what point should Haley and Tomlin limit Bell's touches?

C

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History shows us he wears down / gets hurt at the end of the season.

Bell leads the NFL with a 169 rushes. If you combine his catches, its a safe bet he's been tackled the most in the NFL. How much longer can he keep this up with out a decline in play, and wouldn't it be wiser to limit his carries a bit so he has something left at the end of the season?
 
Connor will play when his pass pro improves. Because he cant come in just to run. That will get old real fast. He got Ben hit the last time he was asked to pick up the blitz. When they can trust him in pass pro he can get more carries.
 
It is a difficult balance. If he is producing, do you take him out and use a lesser player without his abilities or change your offense? Some of the runs he made were not through wide open holes and another RB might not have made them. OTOH, the more touches the more possibility for injury.

I would have rested him yesterday before we did. The game wasn't, exactly, in the bag, but, if the other RB didn't produce, you could put Bell back in.
 
They're giving short yardage to Watson. Conner got a couple carries. He doesn't have a long term deal with us so **** it, run the wheels off him.
 
I think his blocking will pick up with repetition, but let that be practice reps. Until then feed him a series here and there. Like they have been.........
 
Coach said:
History shows us he wears down / gets hurt at the end of the season.

Bell leads the NFL with a 169 rushes. If you combine his catches, its a safe bet he's been tackled the most in the NFL. How much longer can he keep this up with out a decline in play, and wouldn't it be wiser to limit his carries a bit so he has something left at the end of the season?
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I agree with ya coach.
BUT without bell having these massive games we are little more than a pro bowl wide reciever and a great although aging qb, thats behind an overrated line with coaches who cannot gameplan, make adjustments, or even manage the clock. We lose to bad teams with Bell, I doubt we win any games without Bell getting 30 touches and 150+ yds. Look what happened the last couple years when he gets hurt.
Conners pass blocking would be a huge downgrade, he has ran ok but looks closer to a Jonathan Dwyer than a Le'veon Bell talent wise.
Unfortunately Coach the answer to your question lies within your question itself. If we limit Bell's work to keep him fresh for the playoffs, we won't be in the playoffs.
Not to go down the contract rabbit hole but I think fans and even the front office themselves underestimate Bell and his contributions to this team.
When the gameplan is run Bell behind Nix we win games.
 
Steeltime said:
Conner has been pretty productive when given a chance. 17 carries, 88 yards, 5.2 YPC. I think Conner should get a series each half. He gets 6-8 carries and eases the physical toll on Bell.
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UP that to 10-12 and I'm with yaz


Salute the nation
 
I'd like to see Conner and Watson get a few more touches. Not only to spell Bell, but to get some game flow. It can't be easy getting one carry on a short yardage play once or twice.
 
Slash#10 said:
They should start to limit his touches during the regular season bye week, 1st round of the playoffs bye and immediately following the Lombardi presentation to Rooney, Colbert, and Tomlin.



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Probably the week before the superbowl too. You want him fresh!
 
What I don't get is they show no concern in resting Bell, yet put Bell on the bench in third/fourth-and-short situations for Watson. Doesn't make sense.
 
SteelerFan448 said:
What I don't get is they show no concern in resting Bell, yet put Bell on the bench in third/fourth-and-short situations for Watson. Doesn't make sense.
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Maybe he dances too much in short yardage runs when the D has their bigs in

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bigben said:
I agree with ya coach.
BUT without bell having these massive games we are little more than a pro bowl wide reciever and a great although aging qb, thats behind an overrated line with coaches who cannot gameplan, make adjustments, or even manage the clock. We lose to bad teams with Bell, I doubt we win any games without Bell getting 30 touches and 150+ yds. Look what happened the last couple years when he gets hurt.
Conners pass blocking would be a huge downgrade, he has ran ok but looks closer to a Jonathan Dwyer than a Le'veon Bell talent wise.
Unfortunately Coach the answer to your question lies within your question itself. If we limit Bell's work to keep him fresh for the playoffs, we won't be in the playoffs.
Not to go down the contract rabbit hole but I think fans and even the front office themselves underestimate Bell and his contributions to this team.
When the gameplan is run Bell behind Nix we win games.
Click to expand...


25 carries a game for Bell, unless the game is close then run him as needed. We need to use Conner who has been very capable more often.

I complete agree that Nix nd McDonald are key for the running game. We run so much better when they are playing. Also Ju-Ju is a nice blocker on the outside.

I'd promote McDonald to a starter.
 
Sensing that James Conner had improved to the point where he can begin providing needed rest for Le'Veon Bell, I asked him last week about increased playing time. He reacted with surprise and genuine interest. "Why? What do you know?" he asked as his eyes probed intently. But I had no inside info for him. I told him it was just a hunch, and he withdrew, probably in disappointment.
* Conner turned out to be right. He carried only three times, and that included two carries in mop-up. We all know he can produce with the ball. We all know Bell needs someone to help carry the load. What we don't know is whether the pass-blocking error Conner committed three games ago against Jacksonville is still haunting him and/or the coaches.

https://scout.com/nfl/steelers/Arti...s-locker-room-following-a-big-divis-109384459
 
Coach said:
25 carries a game for Bell, unless the game is close then run him as needed. We need to use Conner who has been very capable more often.

I complete agree that Nix nd McDonald are key for the running game. We run so much better when they are playing. Also Ju-Ju is a nice blocker on the outside.

I'd promote McDonald to a starter.
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I agree with this. We saw Tomlin run the wheels off Willie Parker, and saw Cowher ruin Barry Foster. Bell may still be here next year.
 
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