Could “Rusty” Le’Veon Bell Be On Active Roster Sunday?
December 24th, 2021
Won’t rule out Le’Veon Bell.
Much like when the Bucs signed veteran corner Richard Sherman, it seemed a stretch that he would play in the first game after he arriving in Tampa. But he did play in his first game after signing, against the Belicheats.
So here comes Le’Veon Bell, signed this week by the Bucs. Just judging by what his position coach Todd McNair and Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich said yesterday, it seems a reach to expect Bell on the field Sunday.
But it also seemed crazy for Sherman and — voila! — it wasn’t so crazy.
“He’s rusty,” McNair said with a laugh when asked about Bell. “No, we haven’t done much. We had a walkthrough [Wednesday] and [Thursday] we had our first practice.
“I’ll tell you what, he [has] his signature patience about him – the way he runs the football. That’s always been his M.O. and you can see that. He’s a master at setting blocks and tempo changes.
“I’ve been a fan of his watching from afar and you can still see. He might not have the juice he might have had [in] his third or fourth year, but you can still see those attributes.”
Leftwich was very non-committal when asked about Bell’s availability.
“That’s still up in the air right now, but he does have his hand in the pile,” Leftwich said. “I know he’s willing to help. He’s a smart guy. I know people who have coached him. I know people he’s been in the room with. They speak highly of him and just being around him the last 24-48 hours, he’s a sharp guy.
“You won’t be able to do what he’s done in this league without being sharp. He’s capable. He’s done it in this league at such a high level that I’m quite sure to him, it’s like riding a bike.”
Well, the key thing is can Bell find the burst he had when he was the best dual-threat running back in the league with the Steelers? He lost that by sitting out a year and then getting beat to a pulp with the Jets.
Given that Bell and Andy Reid split on icy terms and Bell was released by the Crows, who are in the thick of a playoff chase, Joe has a hunch this may be Bell’s last NFL stop unless he surprises everyone.
Bell admitted he was on the cusp of retiring from football and starting his boxing career.
Tom Brady always seems to squeeze a few drops out of those rocks when they land on his teams.
December 24th, 2021 at 9:06 am
He’s no more rusty than any of our other backups.
I thought Bruce said he’s the only coach in the NFL to use 2 practice fields at the same time so ALL players get reps everyday & are ready to go when called upon???????????
December 24th, 2021 at 9:08 am
Still better than Darden or Vaughn
December 24th, 2021 at 9:14 am
We’ve had rusty players kick our a$$……we’ve had rusty players help us (Perriman)…..
I’m sure it wouldn’t take Carolina long to knock the rust off….
We will need Bell….if we can win this game….we should even consider a lesser role for Rojo just in case Lenny can’t come back…..we need to coach smart from this point forward with all of our injuries….
December 24th, 2021 at 9:23 am
LOL, Leveon Bell was calling out Jake Paul before he came here.
If he can return to even 1/2 the form he once had, he can help us.
I have no faith in Keyshawn Vaughn, and Lenny is hurt, so the signing makes sense.
December 24th, 2021 at 9:39 am
Joe doesn’t think “rust” is Vaughn’s issue. 🙂
December 24th, 2021 at 9:44 am
Best thing about signing Bell is he’s also got experience lining up in the slot and running routes. We have huge voids at RB/WR. Bell may be half of what he used to be, but his experience can help us in both areas. Not this week, but come playoff time he could make a big play or two.
December 24th, 2021 at 10:00 am
Bell certainly wouldn’t be the first older guy to rejuvenate a career and add an extra three years by landing on the right team.
I basically have only seen highlights of Bell. I don’t watch a lot of AFC games during the season. So the impression I come away with is Bell didn’t take a ton of bad hits. He didn’t try and truck defenders he used his amazing sense of timing, starting and stopping and gifted balance to do his damage.
He may not have the juice left to take it all the way…but he could certainly provide burst in spots and help us move the chains. In addition the dude is one of the best receiving backs in the league.
The three prime years Pittsburg tossed him the ball he got around 100 targets and picked up 80 catches per year over that three year stretch. He can CATCH the football just when playoff Lenny goes down and hands of stone ROJO comes off the bench.
Bell could be an incredible find for a short period…a man who can replace some of the catches from Playoff Lennie and Godwin. ROJO can run it OK but it’s great to have another pair of dependable hands on the field.
December 24th, 2021 at 10:05 am
If there was ever a sign of desperation, you just signed him. What an absolute indictment on RoJo and Vaughn.
December 24th, 2021 at 10:05 am
Why bother bringing him in at all if he is not ready to play this weekend. They really only need him for three weeks anyway until Lenny returns. I would think he plays this week, because Vaughn is beyond useless.
December 24th, 2021 at 10:07 am
Tom needs his 90th different TD target. He’ll get a TD pass to Bell.
December 24th, 2021 at 10:21 am
This signing says more about rojo than bell. Bell is washed, or a desperate team would’ve picked him up. Brady has absolutely no use for rojo, and the bucs should’ve sold high on him. You’re not getting anything close to the old bell. I question if he really wanted to play football
December 24th, 2021 at 10:27 am
Still better than Darden or Vaughn isn’t saying much.
December 24th, 2021 at 10:32 am
No, ben, signing bell says nothing about Jones.
It speaks to lack of depth caused by injuries to Bernard & Fournette.
Jeez, dude, go back to butt-snorkeling the Pats.
December 24th, 2021 at 10:42 am
ROJO runs hard, but he does not pick up Blitzes well, and he has hands of stone.
Brady has no faith in him as a pass receiver.
Bell has awesome Hands, and also blocks well.
Vaughn is not an NFL Back, and I think deep down the Bucs know this, and that is why we signed Bell.
December 24th, 2021 at 10:46 am
I think Chrisapple is spot on. Good signing, But we’ll see.
December 24th, 2021 at 10:51 am
Bucs fans are so strange and almost think they are paid to critique. Bell is insurance, you have two RBs hurt, what if ROjO or Vaughn go down this week, you need another RB in the fold, it’s not just injuries, it’s COVId. How many balls have ROjO dropped this year in limited opportunities, we soon forget the catch and run he had against the Chiefs in the regular season (that was a 40 yard TD. How soon we forget had it not been for Tommy terrific trying to get AB a bonus, ROjO would’ve easily reached 1000 yards while missing 2-3 games. If you look at ROjO the 2019 and 2020 he had over 1000 yards from scrimmage (for the smart people that is rushing and receiving)
December 24th, 2021 at 10:52 am
I doubt the coaches are as interested in his running prowess as his catching skills. We need someone to replace the skill sets of Fournette and Bernard, who are both injured. If he can also bust one now and then, all the better.
December 24th, 2021 at 11:11 am
This has absolutely nothing to do with Rojo or Vaughn…..and everything to do with Gio Bernard now that Lenny is out……we need 3 RBs……
December 24th, 2021 at 11:12 am
Yes, Yes, Yes, that way you see what he’s all about, if he can’t play 3 games why sign him???
December 24th, 2021 at 11:29 am
StPete … A month ago Perriman was on the 49ers Practice Squad. Two weeks ago AB was walking around with a boot on his foot. Last week Le’Veon Bell was piloting a water craft in Biscayne Bay. Hopefully they have SOMETHING (anything?) left in the tank, but I’m not holding my breath on that.
I still remember when we signed Richard Sherman a couple months ago. Everyone was soooo excited & declared JL a genius. Put him on the field the next week and voila, he ended up having to play the whole game against New England. Got 2 more partial games out of him then voila, down for 2 months since. Getting in ‘football shape’ takes time it appears.
Personally I’m more concerned about Brady getting hurt in these next 3 games than I am about anything else. Our OLine better be prepared to beat the crap out of the Panthers’ and Jets’ DLines to protect Brady to the max. And IF they do that, RoJo will be able to run behind them … and so could Bell. I don’t put much faith in Perriman, but AB (IF he’s healthy) & Tyler Johnson can do damage in the passing game.
December 24th, 2021 at 11:38 am
Not a fan of Bell. Seems like a waste of a roster spot. Hope I’m wrong but this guy is done.
December 24th, 2021 at 11:48 am
@DR: Brady had faith in Perriman as he scored the winning tuddie vs. the Bills.
This time of year there are few really solid fill-ins in FA anywhere, because every team is beaten up and has dipped into the FA pool. That pool is very shallow now.
I didn’t expect miracles from Sherman or Perriman, nor do I from Bell. But their experience and influence alone make decent late-season pickups.
…….
I suspect you’ll see Johnson more in the slot the rest of the season, trying to do the dirty work between the hashes. He’s the only guy on the roster capable of doing that. This is truly his big chance.
December 24th, 2021 at 1:10 pm
Cobraboy … Agree with you on Tyler Johnson … ‘This truly his big chance’. I like hi & think he’s very capable of rising to the occasion. Whether he does or not is anyone’s guess.
Also agree that the FA pickins’ are slim this time of year. No question in my mind that guys like Sherman & Bell have talent galore. Big question though as to whether their bodies allow them to maximize that talent. In most cases? Not really.
December 24th, 2021 at 1:58 pm
D.R. and Cobra
As usual agree with both your takes.
I realize that Bell and to some degree AB are crapshoots. But in their primes they were literally among the top 2 or 3 in the game at their positions.
I know about father time. Just had my 74th birthday. LMAO. I’ve competed young, middle aged and now old. Here are two observations after all those years.
Yes a good big man beats the good little man. But what about a mediocre big man against a great little guy.
Same thing with our “SteelBucs”. Yes they’re past their primes. But a good veteran brings additional mental skills to help make up for that lost step.
So I say a good young guy beats a good old guy. But a great older guy kicks the arse of a mediocre guy. We just need to find the right matchups.
December 24th, 2021 at 8:13 pm
Bell is only 29. Its not like he’s AP still trying to play at almost 37 years old….
Yes, Bell got a lot of usage in Pittsburgh – but it was only 62 games that he played there and amassed all that production over a 5 year period
He sat out 2018 and was used a good bit by the hapless Jets in 2019. Almost no wear and tear on his body since then.
Dude was a top dual threat RB in the league for a few years not all that long ago – and it seems reasonable to hope he can have a resurgence of sorts behind a good OL – and help hold down the fort if needed until Fournette gets healthy.
Good signing if you ask me. We shall see what he has left I guess…