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A get-well soon message to an old teammate on Twitter.
There was a photo on Twitter of Ben Roethlisberger throwing on a field, as he continues his rehab from elbow surgery last year. The Steelers’ star QB suffered an elbow injury in first week of last season, ending his 2019 campaign.
A former key weapon for “Big Ben” in Pittsburgh reached out on social media to wish him all the best in his recovery.
“Prayers for a speedy recovery brotha,” Le’Veon Bell tweeted to Ben Roethlisberger.
Perhaps we should just take this at face value. Perhaps it was just one former teammate sending best wishes to another, and that was it.
Or is Bell trying to mend fences in Pittsburgh to perhaps open the door for a possible return.
Bell can be a charmer – this is no doubt about it.
He tweets a lot of stuff on Twitter charming Jets fans with his strong support for them and the team.
But there are mixed messages that make you wonder how much he’s truly into being with Gang Green. Like not participating in the off-season workout program last year (aside from the mandatory 3 days) and going bowling the night before a game he was inactive for due to an illness. Also, ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported last week, that Bell put on weight last season and his conditioning was suspect. Boomer Esiason inferred on his radio show that Bell had lateness issues last season. How does any of this stuff jibe with being totally into being a Jet?
It will be interesting to see where this Bell story heads over the next few months. You get the sense that if he fails to attend the off-season program again, Joe Douglas, who is trying to build a strong football culture, might move on.
Some people think that is a bad idea to trade Bell due to the cap hit, but if Douglas feels that Bell isn’t buying in, he might be willing to take the cap hit, in his attempt to improve the team’s football culture.
And the Steelers could use Bell.
Their running game the last couple of years has been average, especially last year, with James Connor as the bell cow. He’s not as talented as Bell, and last year, he had major durability issues.
And remember, Roethlisberger loved throwing to Bell out of the backfield when they played together, and coming off major elbow surgery, don’t you think the QB would love to have a great safety valve to throw to out of the backfield? Coming off an elbow injury, wouldn’t a lot of short throws be good for him?
Keep in mind, Joe Douglas was quietly compiling running back talent last year, adding Josh Adams, Kenneth Dixon and keeping Jalin Moore on the NFI all last year. There three guys might not be household names, but all three are very talented.
Look, I’m not a mind-reader, but knowing how Machavellian Bell is, I would not be surprised if part of the reason he sent that Roethlisberger tweet was perhaps part of a charm offensive to help him heal some wounds with the QB and the Steelers’ locker room.
February 25, 2020
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