Steelers' talented youth impressive
PITTSBURGH — Le’Veon Bell spent four months helping the Pittsburgh Steelers return to the top of the AFC North and four painful quarters watching helplessly as it all came undone.
Sure, there were pangs of “what if” for the second-year running back and team MVP as the season came to a decisive end with a 30-17 loss to Baltimore in the wild-card round last Saturday. Yet while Bell believes his hyperextended right knee would have been good enough to go this weekend if the Steelers had advanced, he’ll have to settle for a trip to the Pro Bowl and the growing confidence that deeper playoff runs are coming for a team in the midst of an identity shift.
“For the longest, the Steelers have only been known for defense,” Bell said. “This is the first year really the offense has really talked about being a dynamic offense and having playmakers all over the field. We love that. We’re definitely going to get better.”
On paper and on the field. Bell set a franchise record for yards from scrimmage, wide receiver Antonio Brown put together the second-highest single-season reception total in NFL history (129) and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tied Drew Brees for the league lead in yards passing. Pittsburgh finished as the NFL’s second-ranked offense and smashed the team mark for points in a season.
Yet out of all those gaudy numbers, the most important ones might be their ages.
Bell is 22. Brown is 26. Rookie Martavis Bryant — who caught nine touchdown passes in 11 games — is 23. All five starters on the offensive line are in their 20s. And while Roethlisberger turns 33 in March, he shows no signs of slowing down.
“The sky’s the limit,” Bryant said when asked about his potential. He might as well have been talking about the other guys in the huddle too.
The sometimes gaudy production came after two painful seasons of restructuring as the offense adjusted to Todd Haley’s diverse scheme, Brown developed into one of the NFL’s best players and Bell morphed from raw rookie into one of the most versatile weapons in the league. Finding the right chemistry took time and patience. It’s a process the Steelers now find themselves making on the other side of the ball.
The transition will likely finally begin in earnest during the offseason. Defensive end Brett Keisel’s torn triceps likely means his career is over. Cornerback Ike Taylor will be 35 in May and missed most of the year with forearm and shoulder injuries. Safety Troy Polamalu was slowed by knee issues over the second half of the season and is hardly talking like a guy who plans on spending a 13th fall playing his own unique brand of football.
