Le’Veon Bell Doesn’t See Steelers ‘Lying Down’ Soon

Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

At 5-8 and essentially out of the AFC postseason picture, the Pittsburgh Steelers do not appear to have much to play for during the regular season’s final three weeks. After two excruciating losses in row, it wouldn’t shock me to see some of Pittsburgh’s players fold down the stretch now that their playoff hopes have essentially vanished.

To his credit, rookie running back Le’Veon Bell is not one of those players who is ready to pack things in just yet.

In fact, the former Michigan State Spartan had this to say in a recent article on Steelers.com by Teresa Varley:

"I don’t see this team giving up, lying down or anything, … We have competitors who want to get this going in the right direction so we will do whatever it takes."

It is encouraging to see this type of positive outlook from Bell, and the fact that he is still game to improve and play good football over the final three games of his rookie campaign is promising.

As they rebuild, the Steelers will need to find younger players with this type of attitude to build around and form the foundation of their franchise. Already one of the team’s more productive members (936 total yards and five touchdowns), Bell is a shoo-in to be the team’s 2013 Rookie of the Year.

I for one will be anxious to see how much urgency the Steelers play with during what could be deemed ‘meaningless’ games with little postseason ramifications. Although they are not likely to be playoff-bound this fall, the time is now for those guys fighting for new contracts and chances for extended playing time in 2014.

‘Lying down’ cannot become the norm, and I hope that Bell and his teammates can prevent their team from sinking even further into oblivion down the stretch.

Stats & Contract Info. Provided By: ESPN.com, Steelers.com , Spotrac, and Pro Football Reference

Follow on Twitter: @DominicDiTolla and @NicePickCowherC

Like “NPC” on Facebook: Nice Pick, Cowher