Dunlap: Bell Out; No Worries
Worry?
Not in the least.
Seriously.
There's absolutely, positively zero worry from this vantage that Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell has been ruled out for Saturday night's playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Are the Steelers a better team with Bell at running back? Yes. No question.
Do the Steelers have more than enough offense with Josh Harris as the feature back to beat Baltimore? Same thing. Yes, no question.
When the news came down on Friday afternoon that Bell would miss this playoff blockbuster, perhaps that's the viewpoint from which more people should look at this whole running back situation as the Steelers' season hangs in the balance in the playoffs.
This isn't the Steelers missing Ben Roethlisberger.
This isn't the Steelers missing Antonio Brown.
This isn't the Steelers missing Maurkice Pouncey.
You see, even as Bell has constructed one of the most potent offensive seasons from scrimmage in recent NFL vintage, it can be firmly stated that among the top-end superstars for the Pittsburgh Steelers, he is the most easily interchangeable, the one the squad is most easily equipped to deal with the loss of.
Lose Ben and this team has no chance.
Lose Brown and who is going to catch the ball? Probably would have to rely on (when he's healthy) an even heavier dose of Bell and the Steelers turning one-dimensional.
Lose Pouncey and the middle of that offensive line --- especially in a game like this against a man like Haloti Ngata --- could very well get beaten and battered all night.
But lose Bell --- as the Steelers have for this game, at least --- and the safe bet is that the Steelers simply stretch out their offense a bit more, start to do things to get their playmakers the ball in some space.
Logic would say that, even with expected poor weather, offensive coordinator Todd Haley will call on Roethlisberger to throw a decent amount of comeback-screens and quick passes to Brown, Markus Wheaton, Dri Archer and the like and also try to get Heath Miller heavily involved in the gameplan as hybrid back Will Johnson will also play an expanded role.
See, the Steelers are equipped to deal with this; they have the personnel to absorb the loss of Bell for the time being.
Again, there isn't a whole lot of worry --- for one game, at least --- that Bell can't go.
Here's another thing: Harris isn't a guy who had to spring from his place on the sideline, toss off his jacket and quickly get stretched out and warmed up in anticipation of being the go-to guy in a lose-and-you-are-done game.
No. He's had all week to deal with the reality that there was a very good chance he would be the starter on Saturday night.
Harris has had all week to both mentally and physically prepare for what will happen on Saturday night when those bright North Side lights flash on, the birds from Baltimore fly into town and he's the top option to tote the rock.
From that standpoint, there's unswerving confidence in him.
And Ben Tate isn't a bad insurance policy, either.
Maybe I will be dead wrong here, but I'm not all that worried about Bell missing the Ravens game. Instead, I'll sit back and watch the other superstars --- especially the quarterback --- pick up the slack.
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