There is no secret as to the Pittsburgh Steelers' plan out of the backfield. It's Le'Veon Bell all game, every game from here on out.
With LeGarrette Blount jettisoned, there is not other back on the Steelers roster capable of sharing the load with Bell. However, coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that he's not worried about overworking the second-year runner, citing Bell's pedigree at Michigan State.
"I'm not overly concerned about that," Tomlin said of overtaxing Bell. "He's a highly conditioned guy, he's a mentally tough guy. Personally I think he's built for it. He's excited about having an opportunity to do that for us."
Bell is second in the NFL in rushing yards with 1,046 and third in attempts with 216. He is also second among running backs in receiving yards with 643 on 65 receptions.
As the NFL's best young dual-threat out of the backfield, Bell played an unfathomable 90 out of 92 snaps Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, per Pro Football Focus. Prior to the Week 12 bye, he played 71 of 74 snaps against Tennessee. He's averaging 32 touches for 238 yards in those two games.
While Tomlin isn't worried about overworking his 22-year-old runner, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sang a slightly different tune.
"I don't know of a running back since I've been here that has basically been able to play every single snap, but you do have to be careful," Roethlisberger said Tuesday during his weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan. "I hope we don't run him into the ground if you will, but it's that stretch of the year where everyone's going to give it everything they have. He probably wants to be in there every single play because that's the type of player he is."
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