Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 Keys To Success In 2015
2. The team must overcome Le’Veon Bell’s off-field issues
At running back, Le’Veon Bell was second in the league in yards from scrimmage last season with 2,215, good for one-third of his team’s yardage. Unfortunately, he will miss the first three games of 2015 due to a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.
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"“I made a mistake. I’m going to just have to do my time, whatever the final decision may be,” said Bell, according to ESPN’s Coley Harvey. “Get past it, and get ready for next season and continuing to be the great football player I know I can be.”"
Regardless of whether he is able to prevent this from happening again, the team will still miss him for the first three games. Former Panthers back DeAngelo Williams joins the team this year, but at age 32 his career seems to be on the decline, as he only managed to play in six games last year. Without Bell for a while there may be little production on the ground, and should he suffer any injuries the team will be hard pressed to replace him.
Pittsburgh’s first three games are at New England, at home against San Francisco, and at St. Louis. None of these would be easy games even at full strength, and missing one of their key offensive pieces may lead to a slow start for the Steelers.
Both the Patriots and 49ers were in the top-10 defensively last season in terms of yards given up per offensive play, and the Rams are fielding a team in 2015 that houses five first-round draft picks on its defensive line. The entire team will have to step up in the first several weeks of the season to avoid an 0-3 start due to Bell’s absence.
Also, Bell himself has his work cut out for him in 2015. Not only is it imperative that he stays out of trouble, but he must work to overcome the disadvantage of missing three games at the start of the year.
Last season, the league’s most talked about suspension was wide receiver Josh Gordon of the Cleveland Browns. Gordon was coming off a league-leading and record-breaking season as a reciever, yet only managed 61 yards per game in 2014 after facing a suspension, a stark contrast to his 118 yards per game in 2013.
Bell will have to avoid this type of disappointment and distraction if he hopes to be the player that his team needs him to be. In NFL history, only five teams have ever made the playoffs after starting 0-3 (Per ESPN’s John Keim) so the Steeler’s can’t afford to start 2015 poorly without Bell.
Next: The Pass-Rush