Le’Veon Bell has never been one to be quiet of his skills on and off of the football field. From torturing opposing defenses as a dual-threat back to his rap career, Bell has always approached every goal in full throttle. In a recent interview conducted by Tyler Dunne of Bleacher Report, the Pittsburgh Steelers running back asserted that his patience as running back in the NFL, post snap, is revolutionizing the game of football.
Le’Veon Bell on his patience as a back… “I think I’m changing the game. In that sense, I’m what Steph Curry is to basketball.”
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) January 10, 2017
Oh, and it’s probably worth mentioning that he also may have said something about how his running style is to football, as to what Golden State Warriors two-time MVP point guard Stephen Curry is to the NBA.
Although it is an interesting comparison, the Michigan State product has lived up to expectations, to say the least. We saw the capabilities of his showmanship in his playoff debut where his Pittsburgh Steelers who are currently riding an 8-game win streak, defeated the Miami Dolphins by a score of 30-12. His vision and explosiveness as an elite back was a glimpse of what he has done during the regular season as he managed to accumulate a total of 167 yards offensively, two touchdowns, and set a Steelers franchise record for most rush yards in a playoff game.
Playoff debut:
167 yards.
2 touchdowns.Not bad @L_bell26. https://t.co/E0P2M0Q4dI
The 4th year back is no stranger to NFL stat sheets. Just this year, he toppled his career high in yards per game and managed to achieve this in just 12 games. He missed the first four games of the season due to the suspension he received for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Bell becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season when the duration of his rookie contract expires. We can expect the back to sign back with the Steelers this offseason and become the highest paid running back in the league; the position is currently held by Vikings running back Adrian Peterson who averages $14,000,000 earned per year on his current contract.
The trait of his running style is unique to an extent but comes with intangibles. What makes Bell’s post-snap hesitation so effective is his vision, and patience while waiting for a lane to develop. Most backs in the NFL have built a notion to run the play towards the anticipated gap that will predictably be free; this is what sets Bell miles apart from the backs league wide. It had taken a while before someone caught on, but we do see the same trait emerging in Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliot and how he has opened up defenses with a similar run-style. In comparison to Stephen Curry’s 3 point ability, he as well has revolutionized the play style of NBA offenses for the years to come.
It won’t be easy to model your game after these tremendous athletes, however, when executed correctly, the results speak for themselves.
