The Pittsburgh Steelers have had their fair share of bad luck with players over the years. Gabe Rivera, who the Steelers picked instead of Dan Marino in 1983, lost his career during his rookie season because he chose to drive while intoxicated, and Ryan Shazier had his career tragically cut short after an awkward tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017.
Keith Srakocic / AP
Former Steelers linebacker, Larry Foote (50) tries to tackle Jacksonville Jaguars running, back Fred Taylor (28).
On Tuesday, Larry Foote, who won two Super Bowls with the Steelers, joined The Cook & Joe Show on 93.7 The Fan. Foote was one of the many well-wishers for Ron Cook, who announced his retirement on Monday. After the obligatory niceties, Foote and Cook began reminiscing about Steelers defenses and inside linebackers. He was very complimentary about his former running mate James Farrior, who he believes should be in the Hall of Fame. He saved his most effusive praise however, for Kendrell Bell.
"My rookie year (2002), when I came in there, they put me behind Kendrell Bell. I said, 'I'm never going to play behind him,'" Foote shared. "My first year, I said I can compete with him [Farrior]. I'm not going to be able to touch Bell. He is the most explosive linebacker ever or person on the football field in the history of the game. Troy Edwards and Bell were the fastest guys on the team. You talk about James Harrison, all those other guys, no. Nothing was like Kendrell Bell. He wasn't half as explosive (as) Kendrell Bell."
Steelers.com
Former Steelers linebacker Kendrell Bell (97) was an impressive physical specimen who had his career cut short by multiple injuries.
Bell was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft out of the University of Georgia. He was a revelation as an inside linebacker and a big part of the 2001 resurgence of the Steelers. He won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, and Pittsburgh returned to the AFC Championship game for the first time in five seasons. When prompted by Joe Starkey, Foote expanded and gushed about Bell's prowess for contact.
"Offensive lineman would flinch. They were afraid," Foote continued. "The whole blitz package was just him running through the A gap. You would literally see guards flinching on contact. You had no choice. Literally, you see that train coming. They didn't want to flinch, but your instincts take over."
Starkey then asked Foote what he recalled about an incident during Bell's rookie season with Hall of Fame running back, Jerome Bettis. Foote was still in college, but when he joined Pittsburgh the year after, the story had taken on a life of its own among the defensive players.
"I wasn't there, but I knew the story. It was my senior year in college," Foote remembers. "The next year, I said, 'Why Bettis not out here going against us?' Well, Kendrell ended Bettis' practice days with Pittsburgh."
Steelers' Jerome Bettis Admits To Engaging In Deceptive Tactics, Including Faking An Injury
The radio co-hosts said their goodbyes to Foote, the linebacker coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Todd Bowles. Starkey and Cook continued talking about the phenomenal talent Bell demonstrated before he lost his explosiveness to injuries. Starkey, who witnessed the Bettis incident first-hand, related what he remembered about the incident.
"I had Hokie [Chris Hoke] in this thing saying, 'Go watch the film, he put linemen on their backs,'" Starkey concluded. "Deshea Townsend said his nickname was 'Contact.' Might have been the last hit Jerome ever took in a practice session, honestly. Would of been silly to take any more. That was Kendrell's rookie year. It was the goal line drill. He met Bettis at the top, and as Tim Lewis told me, 'He turned Bettis a**-backwards,' which nobody ever did.
Going into the drill, [Bill] Cowher had spotted Bell obviously a little earlier in camp, but he told Tim Lewis, the defensive coordinator, 'He's not going to start yet.' They both watched the play, Cowher says. 'Did you see that, Timmy? Leave him with the first team.' He could have been one of the greats."
Bell sustained the first of three devastating knee injuries in Week 1 of his second season in 2002 in a rematch of the AFC Championship game. He returned halfway through the season, but Bell sustained another knee injury during the playoffs against the Tennessee Titans. He played the entire 2003 season without incident, but was not as explosive. A third knee injury in 2004 led to his release by the Steelers. He finished his career a mere shell of his former self with the Kansas City Chiefs three seasons later.
George Gojkovich / Getty Images
Steelers' James Harrison was known as one of the most intense and explosive defenders in NFL history.
It would be interesting to see, with the advances in modern medicine, how Bell would have fared with the benefit of today's treatments to help him recover. It is almost unbelievable that he was twice as explosive as James Harrison, but if you saw him play during his all too brief prime, you know it is not hyperbole. It was a black and gold tragedy, and fans who had the privilege of watching him can only wonder, what if?
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Were you watching Steelers football when Bell was at his best? Please comment on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
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