Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin made the decision of increasing the intensity of practice during training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA so that his younger players can get acclimated to the physicality and speed of NFL football. Well, that philosophy has seemed to bite Tomlin and the rest of the organization in the rear end, because rookie running back Le’Veon Bell injured his left knee during Thursday’s practice.
Bell aggravated the sore knee that held him out of the Steelers’ first preseason game this past weekend. The status of the second-round draft pick is uncertain as of now. Bell, who was just promoted to co-starter along with Isaac Redman, was hit during a non-contact drill while slowing down after a run.
This is something that no one in Steeler Nation wants to hear right now. In addition to Bell being held out for the remainder of practice, Redman sat out due to a pinched nerve as well.
Regardless of the severity of Bell’s injury, Tomlin should put a stop to his old school approach to training camp. I understand his reasoning for doing this, but most of Pittsburgh’s key contributors are up there in age and have injury issues of their own. Tomlin should do everything that he can to preserve as many bodies as he can in case the injury bug decides to attack (see: the 2012 season).
Assuming that Bell’s injury isn’t serious, he’ll have a couple of days to recuperate before the Steelers’ Monday night matchup against the Washington Redskins.
Clyde A. Speller is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClydeASpeller, or add him to your network on Google+
