To say former Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell had a unique running style would be putting it mildly. Bell was tall for an NFL running back, checking in at 6-1 at the 2013 NFL Combine (while also weighing in at 230 pounds before reaching 244 pounds in the NFL). Yet Bell did not compensate for his height by keeping his pad level low.
Instead, Bell ran straight up. That stuck out to his teammates, including former Steelers S Ryan Clark. Bell made quite the impression on the veteran safety even at rookie minicamp.
“He was in my head my rookie year, bro,” Bell said on Tuesday’s episode of the CTESPN Podcast with former teammate Antonio Brown. “I remember OTAs, rookie minicamp… So we doing rookie minicamp, the veterans were watching. I’m hearing him talking, ‘Hhe running high, he running high. He better get them pads down ’cause when those vets come out there, we gonna be lighting you up.’ Talking crazy. At the time, I’m a rookie. Ain’t like I’m scared, but I don’t know so I’m like, ‘Damn, maybe this dude is crazy. I don’t know you.'”
That could be a lot for a rookie running back to hear. Bell was out there trying to get familiar with the NFL and here’s Clark laying into him from the sideline. Maybe Clark was stunned to see a tall running back not lowering his pads while running. As a safety, Clark probably salivated about seeing a big target come through the middle of the offensive line. That’s a lot of area to deliver a big hit to.
Bell said that Clark’s talking continued throughout OTAs. And Clark wasn’t the only one commenting on Bell’s upright running style. Bell even said some accused him of being scared and tiptoeing while he ran.
We now know that Bell was a patient running back, setting up his blocks before bursting through the hole. Back then, Bell was still an unknown. So veterans might assume his patience and style were due to inexperience and fear as a rookie.
Meanwhile, Bell was biding his time for training camp to start.
“I can’t wait till the pads get on…” Bell said. “That fourth day, it’s live, we got our first live. I’ll never forget. It was a team run. The o-line made a nice little hole for me, was perfect. I had a perfect one-on-one… If this was a regular game, the way this hole was, and I had enough room to really make a move on the safety and probably go score. But I’m thinking, and this happened in a split moment, I’m thinking, ‘This is practice. And I remember you was talking crazy in rookie minicamp, was talking crazy in OTAs. I’m not making no moves right now, I’m about to lower my head, I’m about to run you over.'”
And per Bell, he did just that. He met Clark in the hole and put him on the ground.
Not a bad way to introduce yourself to your new team during the first practice in pads. Bell went on to give the Steelers five seasons of stellar play, gaining 7,996 total yards and scoring 42 total touchdowns on 1,541 touches.
Former teammate CB Bryant McFadden credited Bell for changing the running back position due to his unique running style and patience. Unfortunately for Steelers fans, an ugly contract dispute led to Bell sitting out the 2018 NFL season before joining the New York Jets in 2019. Bell’s career was never the same after that.
But for the better part of five seasons, Bell was arguably the best running back in all of football. He made the Pro Bowl three times and was named first-team All-Pro twice (and second-team All-Pro once).
