Football fans know Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is good. But some overlook just how good Bell is. So far in his career, he has gained yardage at a rate unseen by any other running back, ever.
Running backs are usually judged by rushing yards, but yards from scrimmage -- rushing and receiving combined -- may be a better measure of a player’s overall contribution to an offense. And by that measure, no one does it like Bell.
In his 45 career games, Bell has 3,830 rushing yards and 1,952 receiving yards, for a total of 5,782 yards from scrimmage. That works out to an average of 128.5 scrimmage yards per game. That’s the best average in NFL history.
Jim Brown averaged 125.5 scrimmage yards a game. Barry Sanders averaged 118.9. Terrell Davis averaged 113.9. Walter Payton averaged 111.9. Marshall Faulk averaged 108.8.
Whether Bell can play at his current pace for a long enough career to land him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame remains to be seen. But Bell is better than ever this year, with an average of 161.6 yards a game. In a year without an obvious MVP candidate, Ben Roethlisberger makes a pretty good case when he says Bell is the best player in the NFL.