In an entertaining interview Friday on the NFL Network, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was asked to share his thoughts on how he believes the division of labor will shake out this season at the running back position.
“We’ve got some really good options, ones that we’re exited about,” said Tomlin. “Obviously I’ll let the play determine that. I know we’ve got some guys that are highly competitive.”
Tomlin then went on to highlight each of his running backs.
“Le’Veon Bell has had a great offseason and has really shown that he’s excited about taking the next step in terms of the work that he’s done thus far. Particularly from a conditioning standpoint,” said Tomlin. “LeGarrette Blount has a definite football playing personality. One that is not only evident on the field, but in the locker room. I think that he’s going to be a positive contributor to our efforts.
“And we’ve got some young guys that are change of pace-like guys. Dri Archer is of course a speed guy that’s not only going to play running back, but wide receiver and we’re going to work to get the ball in his hands in space. I’m excited about letting these guys sort themselves out from a division of labor standpoint. I know that they’re all committed to being significant components to what we do.”
While it was a pretty vague responses, it appears as though Tomlin is happy with Bell’s conditioning and the way that Blount is fitting in with the rest of the team more than anything else. The division of labor, as usual, will be worked out during the remainder of the offseason, but it’s hard to imaging Bell not getting the bulk of the work in 2014.
