Pittsburgh Steelers: Le’Veon Bell preparing for season with personal footwork coach
Le’Veon Bell won’t be attending Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp once again, but he’s taken on the responsibility of working on his game from a distance.
Many argue that Le’Veon Bell is already the best running back in football. Not only for his redefining patience in the backfield, or his ability to play numerous positions, but for his athleticism.
Not many players can make defenders miss like Bell. And at his position, that’s something that will make the difference between great and elite. Not being at training camp hurts a player’s potential to improve this skill. Bell made sure that didn’t happen.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Bell has brought in Rischad Whitfield, known for the “footwork king,” to add another element to his offseason workouts. Bell and Whitfield worked together last offseason while Bell was sitting out of training camp.
Whitfield, who runs Blitz Football Camp in Houston, is focusing on preparing Bell for Week 1 while the rest of his team is in Latrobe.
Bell and the Steelers failed to reach a contract agreement for the second consecutive offseason. So, the running back remained away from Pittsburgh during the summer and has no plans to return until the team’s Week 1 opener against the Cleveland Browns.
Whitfield’s goal in the mean time is to get Bell prepared for this AFC North matchup, and avoid a slow start in 2018.
"“For Le’Veon’s case, since he’s not at camp right now, a lot of our workouts will consist of running back drills that are applicable and functional for game-time situations,” Whitfield told ESPN. “I will incorporate tons of reading and reaction drills as if he’s running the football and he has to read and react quickly with the proper footwork, body control and agility needed to get from one hole to another and make defenders miss in the open space.”"
If Bell comes back as strong as last season, he’ll remain one of the highest regarded players in football. This being another contract year, one that Pittsburgh is not expected to franchise tag him after, he’ll be looking to earn every penny he receives next summer.
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Whitfield should keep Bell’s game sharp while he trains with his own offseason regimen. There is little worry about his contribution once he returns, but having another pair of hands helping him prepare should ease fans’ minds during the preseason.