PITTSBURGH _ I was talking with guard David DeCastro about this wildly talented, often-frustrating Steelers offense before the game in Kansas City, and I wondered if it's the kind of offense that should be able to morph into any form it desires on a given Sunday.
"We have the talent," DeCastro said. "Whether that's 80 passes with Ben dinking on dunking on 'em, whether it's running the ball, play-action, it just doesn't matter."
We could all agree with that in theory, I'm sure. But in practice, the Steelers have very much become Le'Veon Bell's team.
They have, in keeping with much of their history, become a team whose winning formula begins with a Bell-cow back. To an almost frightening extent in this case. Check it out:
_Steelers record when Bell carries the ball at least 20 times: 24-3.
_Steelers record when Bell carries fewer than 20 times: 10-16.
Which leads to the wonderful dilemma facing coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Todd Haley. A dilemma any team in the NFL would love to have.
On one hand, the Steelers have best the running back _ maybe the best player _ in the league and a proven method for winning: GIVE THAT GUY THE BALL.
They have never lost a game in which Bell carried at least 25 times (9-0).
Everything the Steelers do, it seems, they do better when Bell is pounding away. Their offense settles down. Their passing game frees up, particularly the play-action part (note the 26-yard pass to Vance McDonald on first down from the 1-yard line in Kansas City). Their defense stays fresh.
Troy Polamalu once told me how much his defenses appreciated that kind of formula. This one does, too.
On the other hand, Tomlin and Haley have to wonder how much is too much. Bell is on pace for 437 touches (runs plus catches), which would set a franchise record, breaking Barry Foster's mark of 426 in 1992, and tie for 11th all-time.
Bell also is on pace for 357 carries, which would rank third in team history.
So how much is too much?
How long can Le'Veon go?
We are, after all, talking about a player who has accumulated a bit of an injury history. He has not been around to finish multiple seasons _ notably last year, when he had to leave the AFC championship Game in the first quarter after carrying the ball 59 times over the previous two games.
The reliance on Bell has become more pronounced lately. The Steelers are 13-3 in their past 16 games (including playoffs). Take out the games against Cleveland, because everybody should take out the games against Cleveland and because Bell was rested against them last season and was eased back into the lineup in this year's opener after missing camp.
In the other 14 games, Bell averaged 28.3 carries in the 11 wins and was a non-factor in the three losses.
Do you realize what 28.3 carries means? It translates to 452 carries in a season, which would smash the NFL's all-time single season record of 416, set by Larry Johnson in 2006.
Bell loves the action. His will and intensity are off the charts. His contract situation has not affected his approach at all. This was him after the Kansas City game, asked how he would feel if the Steelers used a similar approach (he touched the ball 35 times) against Cincinnati.
"It wouldn't matter to me," he said. "I want to go out there and get W's. I feel good, so next week if we do the same thing, and it's the same formula, I'll be ready."
Still, you can understand the coaches' conundrum.
You want to ride Bell, because that's the proven path to winning, and you also might only have him for one more year, so you might as well get your money's worth.
Then again, you need him on the field for the biggest games, so don't you have to find a way to ease his burden? James Conner seems capable of more action. Maybe use him as a late-game hammer. Maybe get him involved for a series or two more.
But which ones?
This isn't baseball, where Clint Hurdle can pick game No. 96 in Philly as a planned day off for Andrew McCutchen. You only get 16 of these things. You could go into a game thinking, "Let's give Le'Veon a series off in each half," but then you're locked in a one-score game with the Chiefs. Or the Bengals.
A more consistent passing game would help.
In the meantime, can you really blame Tomlin and Haley if they cross their fingers and ring that Bell 35 more times against the Bengals?
