having watched Bell in all of his game at Michigan State, I think Pitt was just about the best fit for him. He is not going to run in any from 30 yards or more, hell he got caught from behind more times I can remeber, even when the DB's were 10 yards behind him. But he was great at the goaline and a tough runner.
It is a long shot but I think his ceiling is Edge James, I think his floor is a poor man's Forte but better around the goal line 1200 total yards, 6 to 8 total touchdowns. Assuming he wins the starting job.
His floor is 1200 total yards? wow
Bell could be a total flop, average 3.6 YPC, making the position a RBBC. That's his floor.
Everyone should be honest about Bell. I liked Bell, but had him rated as my 12th rookie going into the draft. Nobody else was super high on the kid. Now he lands with Pittsburgh in the 2nd round and he's a Edgerrin James/Matt Forte.
On tape, Bell is mostly a plodder. Sometimes he flashes being athletic, but he's not very fast and he's not entering a great situation.
Obviously you only read the part you wanted to be critical about. 1200 TOTAL YARDS assuming he wins the the starters job. I expect 300 to 400 yards receiving too.
Here is your recap. His floor is 800 or so rushing and 300 to 400 receiving with 6 to 8 touchdowns. If he wins the job.
His ceiling is Edge James when he was putting up about 2k total yards and 10+ touchdowns in his prime, but I give that about a 10 percent chance.
I have no problem with reading comprehension. I also said "total yards"
My problem is you listing that as his floor. That's assuming he is named the starter, keeps it for the entire season, doesn't get injured, gets enough touches for 1200 total yards, and is productive enough with those touches.
Here are the times a Steeler RB has gone over 1200 total yards(since 2000):
2010 Rashard Mendenhall 1440 on 347 touches
2009 Rashard Mendenhall 1369 on 267 touches
2007 Willie Parker 1480 on 344 touches
2006 Willie Parker 1716 on 368 touches
2005 Willie Parker 1420 on 273 touches
2000 Jerome Bettis 1438 on 368 touches
Here are the times a Steeler RB has gone over 300 yards receiving:
2008 Mewelde Moore 320 yards
2003 Amos Zereoue 310
2002 Amos Zereoue 341
Since Big Ben has taken over at QB, one Steelers RB has had 300 yards receiving or more.
You can see how difficult it is to obtain the 1200 total yards in the last 13 years for the Steelers. That's with two 1st round picks(Bettis/Mendy) and Fast Willie Parkers prime years. It's also very rare for a Steelers RB to have 300 yards receiving, yet along 400.
Last season Steelers RBs(didn't include FB's) had 385 total touches. If Bell had all of those, sure 1200 or higher is a very realistic number. However, he won't get all of them. Dwyer led with 174(45%). The previous year Mendy had 56%, when he was the established starter.
Take the 56%, give him 200 carries at 4 YPC= 800 rushing + 15 receptions at 8 YPC = 120. Much more realistic total yard expectation of 920 yards.
Why should Bell owners temper expectations?
-Bell doesn't possess breakaway speed and won't have many long runs. Bell had 382 carries last year, his long run was 40 yards.
-RBs get injured often in the NFL. Tall RBs 6'2 have a bigger target, so do 240 pound RBs. Both aren't in Bells favor, plus add in his 414 touches last season and it would be outside the norm if he started 16 games.
-Steelers OL has been poor for awhile. They ranked 30th in run blocked(PFF). They've invested in early round picks, but so far it's been a disappointment.
-Big Ben/Steelers don't throw to the RBs often. Once in his career a RB has gone over 300 receiving.
I think expectations of a 1200 yard floor for Bell will leave owners disappointed. A 900 yard floor is much more realistic.