Detroit Lions' Joique Bell ranks among top 10 RBs in broken tackles thanks to powerful lower body
Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com By
Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com Follow on Twitter
on September 28, 2013 at 6:55 AM, updated September 28, 2013 at 6:56 AM
ALLEN PARK -- What do Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy, Trent Richardson, Matt Forte, Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch have in common?
They're six of the NFL's preeminent tailbacks.
And they also happen to be the only tailbacks with more broken tackles than Joique Bell.
"I didn't realize that," Bell said, shaking his head. "I just go out there and do my job"
His job is to back up Reggie Bush at tailback for the Detroit Lions, although he performed well last week in a spot start for the injured Bush. And he's shedding would-be blockers at an exceptional rate.
Bell already has broken 10 tackles, tied for seventh among NFL tailbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. But he's done it on just 34 attempts, meaning he's averaging a missed tackle on 29.4 percent of his carries.
That's a better rate than any of the NFL's top-10 rushers.
McCoy, the league's leading rusher with 395 yards, is at a 24.2-percent clip. Peterson, considered the game's greatest back, is at 21.7.
Bell said he worked on his explosiveness and acceleration within the first 10 yards of the line of scrimmage during his offseason preparations. But he's always been tremendously powerful in the lower body, which makes him difficult to handle.
He says he can squat 700 pounds, a feat mostly unheard of for tailbacks.
"I always go heavy on my legs," he said. "One day throughout the week, I go extra heavy just to keep my strength.
"I like to finish my runs. It's more than just strength. It's conditioning, it's stamina."
Receiver Nate Burleson attributed Bell's slipperiness to more than just strength. It's also vision, which he's furnished with more carries and experience over the past year.
"To break a tackle, you have to know where the hits are coming from," Burleson said. "I think now he's just becoming more confident. He knows one guy can't take him down.
"And there's so many rules protecting offensive players that if you run hard enough, you can shed a few tackles. There aren't too many guys who are clinic tacklers who are going to wrap you up."
Bell doesn't seem to have found many of them, perhaps earning himself more of a role even when Bush returns from an injured knee.
"Some games you're going to see him carrying the load, and some games not as much, and some games 50-50 as long as things stay the way they are now," offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. "Every time we've been able to give him the ball, I've felt very good about the production that we're getting out of him."
Bell has 34 rushes for 119 yards, both team highs. He's also caught 14 passes for another 177 yards, giving him a team-best 296 yards from scrimmage.
He's broken 16 tackles overall.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2013/09/joique_bell_ranks_among_top_10.html
