Tuesday, August 05, 2003

So what makes Tim Lewis so certain the defense he coordinates will be much improved this season? "For one, we're better prepared for facing the number of different sets, the different formations, that people throw at us. We've even gone so far as making up formations of our own. We're working on the Wishbone and a couple of things. We're digging deep into the archives."

Right.

Try again, coach.

"And Kendrell Bell and the role we're asking of him is major."

That's it. That's the correct answer to a defense that went bad in 2002. That's the one change necessary to rebuild the unit from blitzkrieged back to Blitzburgh.

The Steelers made only one personnel alteration to their most troubling unit, the bunch that last season graciously permitted eight more points per game, 10 percent more third-down conversions and 700 more total yards than a season earlier. Installing rookie Troy Polamalu or Mike Logan, or both, at safety should help. Having spent a year coming to grips with the four- and five-receiver sets that nickel-and-dimed the Steelers to death, forcing their strong-suit linebackers to the sidelines, should provide keen experience, too.

But the biggest difference in the 2003 defense will be one man, one factor.

All Bell all the time.

"He is a playmaker," Lewis said. More than that, he is a difference-maker, an inside linebacker just down the evolutionary chain from Hall of Fame outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor. "What we have is a guy who is an instinctive football player. You don't want to tinker with that."

Injuries and opponents conspired to subtract Bell from the equation last season. A dreaded high ankle sprain sidelined him for all but 12 plays of the opening five games, and another ankle injury hampered him for two of the final three games. In between, foes resorted to the extra-receiver sets that compelled the Steelers to yank Bell in favor of those cheap nickel (five defensive backs) and dime (six) packages. This explains how a two-time Pro Bowl alternate can linger on the field only 17 plays at Cleveland, only 28 plays at Baltimore and at Jacksonville, and only 31 plays against Carolina.

Now, Lewis and the Steelers never want him to budge. They have him playing the base defense, the nickel and the dime, although there he moves to a rush-end position that stunts his instinctive effectiveness. Under ideal conditions, on passing downs the coaches would rely exclusively on the nickel defense, in essence a 2-4-5 formation that allows linebackers Joey Porter, Jason Gildon and Bell to rush, rush, rush from their customary spots.

We've learned one thing from this lineup (eight starters remain together for a third year, seven for a fourth year): The best way for these Steelers to defend the pass is to harry the passer.

Consider this Bell's ball.

"What we're asking him to do, he's going to have to take the time to grasp what we want," Lewis said. "He's played an important role in us going 13-3 and 10-5-1. He's going to have to play an even greater role as we go forward."

Bell's role cannot be underestimated. Don't just take my word for it. Check out the empirical data.

When Bell makes five tackles or more a game, the Steelers are 16-4. When Bell sacks the quarterback, the Steelers are 8-2 -- those losses greatly attributable to either offense (Houston last year) or special teams (the 2001 AFC championship game). When Bell makes two tackles or fewer, the Steelers are a woeful 4-5.

They need him. Every down. Desperately.

There are a couple of inherent flaws to this strategy, though.

What if Bell gets hurt? A defense predicated on playmakers isn't going to thrive long with Larry Foote filling in for Bell, who had enough ankle injuries the past two years to warrant attention from a witch doctor.

What if the Steelers are asking too much? The other day at St. Vincent College, Bell came two hours late to lunch. Lewis figured he was studying videos. No, Bell explained later, it was his playbook. Too much programming and rote learning can undermine the instinctive flair that separates Bell.

And what if opponents constantly use the blocking maximum to protect their quarterback from Bell and the boys? It is, after all, a copycat league. If one team shows that four or even three receivers can continue to get open against the Steelers' secondary, every team will try it.

"I feel like I'm capable of doing everything if I can get a good understanding of it," Bell said. "It just takes a lot of time and conditioning. It's not easy, by far."

He is a special brand of football player. Of anybody on this defense, he can make it work. Bell alone can bring the Steelers' defense up to snuff, maybe even back to prominence. So long as he stays on the field and in good health. And off the cover of Sports Illustrated, which was in Latrobe to photograph him for an upcoming feature. Anyone in Steelers Nation care to make a wish over Lewis' Wishbone?

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