LeGarrette Blount's presence will add miles to Le'Veon Bell's "wheels"

Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin famously said in press conference that he was going to "ride Willie [Parker] until the wheels fall off." in reference to the amount of carries the then starter was going to amass in a season.

Last season it seemed he was ready to ride Le'Veon Bell until his wheels or other all-terrain radials fell off as Bell carried the ball 18.7 times a game which was near the top in terms of touches per game in the NFL. Those numbers come despite missing the first three games of the regular season.

Bell is entering his second year, so the tread on his proverbial tires is still solid, but don't think after only a few years of that type of wear and tear would cause the tread life to decrease significantly.

Okay, enough tire analogies.

The Steelers bringing in former New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount will do more than just give Bell a break from time to time, but will be a change of pace that can be trouble for opposing defenses.

"I’m definitely looking forward to it," Le'Veon Bell told Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We’re going to give defenses different looks, a change of pace. He’ll [LeGarrette Blount] bring that power to the game and bring a lot more tough yardage. I won’t have to get all that tough yardage runs. I’m definitely looking forward to it. I’m excited about it."

At a time when the life span of NFL running backs is decreasing yearly, keeping a versatile running back like Bell healthier and happier will pay huge dividends for the Steelers for years to come.