Mike Tomlin sends clear message to RB Le’Veon Bell regarding his return to the Steelers

The Le’Veon Bell “holdout” from the Pittsburgh Steelers story has been beaten like a dead horse. There is no need to speculate when the All-Pro running back will return to the team, the general sentiment from all involved is Bell will eventually return, but when certain people speak publicly about the situation, it is worth noting.

Over a week ago, General Manager Kevin Colbert spoke candidly about how Le’Veon Bell has nothing to gain from his holdout, and on Monday head coach Mike Tomlin went on 93.7 The Fan, and of course was asked about the ongoing saga.

“I have no idea when he’s going to show up,” Tomlin said. “I need him here yesterday. Not only for us, but for him. That’s my opinion. This team development process, this work that we’re doing out here is very much a part of overall game readiness. He’s a tremendous athlete, he’s highly conditioned, but this is football out here and you cant simulate that. My opinion is I need him here yesterday, but I don’t always get what I want. So, when he gets here, we’ll deal with it and move forward.”

The usually tight-lipped Steelers have been more vocal than usual regarding Bell’s absence from the team, but this isn’t your usual training camp holdout. Bell isn’t sitting out to get more money, that ship sailed when he turned down the team’s offer prior to the July 15th deadline, but seems to be both making a point and saving his body as the rest of the team goes through the rigors of training camp.

Most, including myself, feel Bell will report to the team when the team breaks camp, but there has been nothing official which backs up such opinions.

Tomlin didn’t just talk about Bell, but also Martavis Bryant and his return to the gridiron.

“He’s ready to move past it. His actions day-to-day prove that, his words also illustrate that. With that in mind, we’re ready to move forward as well. I think that’s the attitude of all of us, not only players, but coaches and organizationally. He’s taken the steps to move beyond this,” Tomlin said.

“It’s just been fun to watch him enjoy being back part of this thing, doing the things that he needs to do not only as a player, but just as a man, a son, as a father. His dots appear to be aligned right now. That’s a fun thing to see. Football is football, but we know we care about these young men and to see him grow in the right ways has been an awesome thing,” Tomlin said.

With Bryant back, the team is just Le’Veon Bell away from having the ‘Killer B’s’ back on the field all together. Something which has only happened 21 times.