Le'Veon Bell believes he's the NFL's version of Steph Curry with one special trait
We’re seeing the full power of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell unleashed in a healthy season that should result in a huge payday. And Bell believes that his most devastating move might be the kind of thing that transforms the NFL.
Bell said, via Ty Dunne of Bleacher Report, that his ability to hesitate before exploding through the hole as a runner is as good in football as one NBA superstar’s transformative skills are in hoops.
Le'Veon Bell on his patience as a back… "I think I'm changing the game. In that sense, I'm what Steph Curry is to basketball."
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) January 10, 2017
That’s quite the bold statement, and a heck of a soundbite. Bell might be the best — by far, even — in the game today at hesitating and being patient while his blocks develop before he makes his move. It’s frankly a trait we wish more backs had, but it’s also not something everyone can pull off the way Bell does. You have to have the proper vision, explosion and toughness to do it routinely.
Check out the video above for a classic example of Bell waiting for the precise moment to burst in a game earlier this season against the Dallas Cowboys. Coincidentally, if there’s a back in the league who might be close to what Bell does it’s the Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott.
Bell also unleashed his finishing move on almost every run in his incredible series against the Miami Dolphins last Sunday, with 10 consecutive carries. The final carry was the hesitation piece de resistance — watch as Bell, from the Miami 1-yard line, almost lets everyone dive into the pile before he picks his way through for the score. Amazing stuff to be that patient that close to the end zone.
However, Bell is hardly the first guy to master this skill at an elite level in the NFL. Anyone remember Thurman Thomas? What about Priest Holmes? Emmitt Smith was pretty decent at it, too. Those players were all great, patient backs in their time, too, so perhaps Bell might want to watch some old tape to compare notes.
Is Bell’s patience as game-changing today as Curry’s insane range is to the NBA? It’s a fun debate. It’s also utterly pointless and incongruous as it relates to the two sports being incomparable. But from an individual skill set perspective, it’s worth thinking about.
In the end we say Bell is overstating. Curry is just too darned different when it comes to his shooting, which opens things up in a way we seldom have seen. Just off the top of our heads, we could come up with some pretty patient and special backs, even if Bell is the toast of the league in that category.
Of course, this is also a man who is headed toward free agency in the offseason and one who wants to cash in. Invoking the name of Curry won’t do that in and of itself, but it can’t hurt either.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
