Bell Played, and Steelers Needed Him

Bell played, and Steelers needed him
By Rob Rossi
http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/...#axzz3CSal2mjG

As a blowout turned into a sweat-it-out at Heinz Field, a question came to mind: Who are these guys?
Not the Browns. The Steelers.
On Sunday afternoon, at least in the second half of their NFL opener, the Steelers again were a team that couldn't cope with a no-huddle offense and a squad that failed to seize an opportunity to impose its will on what seemed a hapless opponent.
They were uninspiring and lacking an identity, and that was against the Browns!
It was nice of linebacker Lawrence Timmons to call the Browns “a great team,” but it also was ridiculous.
The Browns are a bad football team, and the Steelers aren't much better for having needed a last-second field goal by Shaun Suisham to sidestep a collapse by claiming a 30-27 victory.
Coach Mike Tomlin said there was “a lot of negativity” in the second half.
That was sweet of Tomlin to sugarcoat 30 minutes of football when the only thing the Browns didn't do better than the Steelers was execute a fake punt.
Neither of these teams looked like a playoff contender, but at least nobody thought the Browns were one before this contest.
Does anybody think the Steelers still are one?
They're not with the defense that showed up for the second half — and please don't put any stock into the late stop that set up the winning drive.
“In crunch time, our guys stood up,” Cortez Allen said.
Hey, it's not like standing around was working, though that's all the Steelers appeared to be doing once Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer rolled out the no-huddle offense, threw in some misdirection and started doing his best impersonation of Tom Brady against defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's once-feared defense.
Know what's worth fearing these days? An offense that plays with pace, as the Browns did in a second half, when they scored 24 points and gained 289 yards on 40 plays.
Brett Keisel, who has been around to witness LeBeau's defenses transition from demoralizing to demoralized units, guessed the Baltimore Ravens will go fast a lot earlier Thursday night than the Browns did Sunday afternoon.
“We've had trouble with that,” Keisel said, referring to the past two seasons, not just the past two quarters, played by the Steelers.
Trouble is, there is no defensive fix for these Steelers.
The secondary is suspect. The linebackers are fast but easily pushed around. The defensive line barely is noticeable, and not in the way defensive lines went unnoticed in the glory days of LeBeau's linebacker-friendly scheme.
So what can the Steelers do?
Turn to Le'Veon Bell is what.
He should not have played Sunday. Not because he smokes pot, but rather because he was caught by a cop smoking pot while driving about an hour before the Steelers' flight to their third exhibition game.
That was disrespectful to his teammates. They deserved better.
Now, though, those same teammates need a lot more of what he provided against the Browns.
Bell had 27 touches. He rushed 21 times for 109 yards and caught six passes from Ben Roethlisberger for 88 yards. He was responsible for about 40 percent of the Steelers' net yardage.
That percentage actually needs to increase if the Steelers are to become a legitimate playoff team.
Bell might not be for them what Marshall Faulk was for the “Greatest Show On Turf” St. Louis Rams, but he does offer Tomlin and Roethlisberger something they've never enjoyed. He's a dual-threat stud back that must be overly accounted for on every play.
He's the weapon to draw attention away from Antonio Brown. He's the outlet option that can turn Roethlisberger into an MVP candidate. He's the nightmare matchup for a team with a defense that is a nightmare.
If more of him means less of the defense, then offensive coordinator Todd Haley should plan to get Bell at least 37 touches against Baltimore.
Bell shouldn't have played on Sunday, and that's the last I'll say on that matter.
At least now I know the real (if unspoken) reason he did play.
The Steelers wouldn't have won without him.