Le'Veon Bell has suspension reduced to 2 games: 3 things to know
Le'Veon Bell, who was facing a three-game suspension for DUI and marijuana possession, had that suspension reduced to two games.
By
Ryan Wilson
•
2 min read
Le'Veon Bell, who was facing a three-game suspension for DUI and marijuana possession, had that suspension reduced to two games, the NFL announced Tuesday.
"As I have stated before, we were disappointed in Le’Veon Bell’s actions last August," general manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement. "Le’Veon made a mistake and now he must learn from his mistake and focus on eliminating distractions from his life. We look forward to continuing to work with Le’Veon to try to help him reach his full potential as a person and as a player."
The two-game suspension means the Steelers will have one of the league's best running backs for their Week 3 matchup against the Rams instead of a week later against the division rival Ravens. But Bell, the team's 2013 second-round pick, still won't be available for the season opener against the Patriots (and neither will Tom Brady, it looks like), or the Week 2 matchup against the 49ers.
So what does this mean for the 2015 season? Here three things to know:
1. The Steelers offense is still explosive. This unit ranked second only to the Packers a season ago with Ben Roethlisberger throwing for nearly 5,000 yards, and Antonio Brown hauling in 129 passes for 1,698 yards. Bell added some 2,500 all-purpose yards, but the production doesn't rest solely with these three players. This could be Martavis Bryant's breakout season and Markus Wheaton continues to get better, and there's also veteran running back DeAngelo Williams, who was signed this offseason to fill Bell's shoes during his suspension.
2. The Steelers will still miss Bell. Yes, there are plenty of weapons on this offense, and yes, Big Ben expects this unit to score 30 points a game, but there's no denying just how difficult it is for opposing defenses to game plan against him. According to Football Outsiders, Bell ranked fifth in efficiency as a runner and first among all backs as a pass catcher. That production won't be replaced by one or two players. But the Steelers hope that Williams, who battled injuries in recent years with the Panthers, can hold up over the first two games, and last year's third-round pick, Dri Archer, can find a role after struggling as a rookie.
3. Bell sounds like he learned his lesson. The third-year running back accepted full responsibility for his actions back in May, telling ESPN that "marijuana is not an important thing for me," and reiterating those sentiments during OTAs.
"Because it is my fault," he said at the time. "I learned my lesson and it made me a better man and person. It's going to make me a better player."
As for the critics, Bell concedes that he has no control over what people think.
"Everybody has their own opinions about me, but that's fine," he said earlier this summer. "I can't make everybody like me and I can't make everybody hate me. I just have to continue to move forward and continue to be me. I know I'm a great person and a great football player, so I have to continue to be on and off the field."
