Dwyer 'waived because coaches did not feel he took his job seriously enough'

Le'Veon Bell promised Steeler Nation he'd make his best efforts to return to the field for the Steelers' Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Not to state the obvious, that's a strong indication he'll be listed as "out" on the injury report that will be released today in wake of the Steelers' season-opener against the Tennessee Titans.

If Bell does happen to return to the field by Week 2, we will likely begin forgetting all about Jonathan Dwyer. Bell is expected to be the long-term starter in Pittsburgh, eventually overtaking Isaac Redman.

Perhaps Redman will go off in Week 1 and run all over the Titans. Maybe it will be Felix Jones becoming the first Steelers player since Rashard Mendenhall in 2010 to rush for 100 yards in the season-opener. At the end of the year, it's a safe bet - all things being equal - that Bell leads this team in carries.

Lost in the furor raised over the release of Jonathan Dwyer is the fact Bell was drafted to be the starter of this team. Post Gazette reporter Ed Bouchette quipped ever-so-not-subtle-like in a recent article "Dwyer, the team's leading rusher in their spin-the-bottle approach to halfback last season, was waived Saturday in part because his coaches did not feel he took his job seriously enough.

Perhaps that's a direct shot at Tribune Review reporter Mark Kaboly, who Tweeted Sunday Dwyer's coaches were not behind Dwyer's release.

It seems more logical there were coaches and front office personnel on both sides of the fence. Why would we believe such a difficult and subjective process such as player evaluation come with 100 percent agreement by everyone involved?

The point is, Redman or Dwyer is closer to "flip a coin" than it is "flat-out incorrect." It's that way because Bell is not going to be out forever. He's the guy the team wanted to lug the rock this season. They wanted to run outside zone, they drafted an outside zone runner.

If they save $1.3 million by releasing Dwyer (which they did), and they kept a similarly limited skilled runner like Redman, then so be it. The point here is Bell is the prize back over the long haul.

Whether Dwyer took his job seriously, or whether his coaches loved him doesn't change that.

More from Behind the Steel Curtain:

• Jonathan Dwyer's release: Everything we know
• McFadden, Ta'amu starting over in NFL
• Isaac Redman preparing as the starting running back
• It's no longer 'Todd Haley's offense,' it's 'the Steelers offense'
• Steelers roster cuts: Everything we know
• Meet Zoltan Mesko and Antwon Blake, the newest Steelers roster additions
• Steelers name their four captains for the 2013 season
• Steelers sign Zoltan Mesko, Antwon Blake after releasing Drew Butler, Isaiah Green
• Is Colbert refining his strategy?
• Steelers 2013 season preview in 9 questions
• Dwyer lining up workouts, as reported by Baltimore Sun
• Geno Atkins signs 5-year extension with Bengals
• Report: Steelers coaches not behind Dwyer's release
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