As a second-round pick in the 2001 NFL Draft coming out of the University of Georgia, former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Kendrell Bell flew under the radar a bit.
Prior to his time at Georgia, Bell was a fullback in junior college before making the transition to linebacker with the Bulldogs, where his track background really stood out. Once he was in Pittsburgh, that transition to linebacker was complete and Bell quickly became one of the best in the game on the inside.
That 2001 season was legendary for Bell. He burst onto the scene, winning the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award, earning a second-team All-Pro accolade as well, holding down the middle for the Steelers, who made a run to the AFC Championship Game that season.
On the outside, Bell’s success right away in the NFL was rather surprising to many. But for Bell, who wasn’t really a football guy growing up and instead was heavy into track and field, that 2001 season wasn’t a surprise because he did one simple thing: play fast and hit something.
“Not really [surprised]. And I tell this to my kids. My whole thing was to do my best…And when I was able to do the things I had been doing at Georgia even better,” Bell said to Steelers.com’s Rob King in a Time Machine segment. “And like I said, I told you I wasn’t a football guy, so getting sacks from inside linebacker and all those things didn’t register. All I knew was play fast. You know what I’m saying? If I play fast, I hit something. That was what my mentor would tell me. So when the accolades came, it was like, I was like, ‘Oh man, that’s, that’s all I gotta do?’ Stay healthy, of course.
“And so at that, nah, I wasn’t surprised because I did my best. I ran as fast as I could.”
It sounds simple, but for a young player at that time in the NFL, being able to play fast and make plays, especially in the Steelers’ defense, was remarkable.
In that 2001 season, Bell recorded 82 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks, one pass defensed and one fumble recovery. Bell earned 41 first-place votes for the award, which was good for 82% of the votes, topping the likes of Cleveland defensive back Anthony Henry, Buffalo defensive back Nate Clements, Detroit defensive lineman Shaun Rogers and St. Louis linebacker Tommy Polley for the award.
The Steelers went 13-3 that season under head coach Bill Cowher and went on to defeat the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC divisional round, 27-10, after winning the AFC Central in the final year of that division. The magical ride came to an end in the AFC Championship Game at then-Heinz Field to the dreaded New England Patriots, 24-17.
In the playoffs, Bell built off his Rookie of the Year season, recording 14 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and two passes defensed in the two playoff games.
For Bell, what stands out to him from that season was the joy he had just playing in the NFL, finding something he was really good at and just enjoying it.
“Yeah, actually I remember Omar [Khan], who’s the GM now, calling me about coming to get my game checks. ‘Cause I was just so excited to be playing at that level and having success,” Bell said. “I finally had found something that I could be really good at. A lot of people searched for that thing, and it came to me naturally.”
Things seemed rather natural for Bell that season. He was a run-and-hit guy, one who made plays all over the field and looked like the next great Steelers inside linebacker.
Those 23 tackles for loss from Bell remain a franchise single-season record, which star outside linebacker T.J. Watt tied during the 2020 season.
After that Rookie of the Year though, injuries gave Bell fits. He played just 12 games in 2002, recording 50 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks and then played 16 games in 2003, cracking 100 tackles for the first time in his career, adding 17 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks and an interception.
But the 2004 season saw him play just three games, Bell suffering a knee injury twice that shut him down for the season. The Steelers went 15-1 in 2004 and again reached the AFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Patriots at home again.
Due to the injury issues in 2004, the Steelers moved on from Bell in surprising fashion, releasing the young linebacker.
Bell landed with the Kansas City Chiefs after the 2004 season and spent three seasons with Kansas City. In his three seasons, Bell played 43 of a possible 48 regular-season games, but he had just 98 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks across those three seasons before retiring after the 2007 season.
That 2001 season in Pittsburgh remains legendary though. What a year that was for Bell and for the Steelers.
