May 24, 2002 By Jim Wexell For The 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the New England Patriots on a Sunday. On Tuesday, Kendrell Bell came in to watch the tape. “I was mad,” he said of the AFC Championship Game. “I couldn’t believe we lost. You just look at it and it makes you want to work harder because I think we had the manpower and everything like that. There were just some small things that we probably could’ve done to stop some of their plays and I had to take a look at them.”

Bell took personally the 19-yard run by Antowain Smith, which – excluding the quarterback kneeldowns – was the final play of the Steelers’ season. Never mind that the game was already out of reach at that point.

“It still bugs me. I was too far in the line,” Bell said. “Things like that. I had to go back and see what was really happening because I couldn’t believe we lost. I was in disbelief for about two weeks. To be that close, man, I just wanted to see what happened.”

The perfectionist in Bell drove him to win the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award last season, and it’s driving him for a repeat performance. Bell said that he’s working harder now than in years past. Those who considered him a workout legend at the University of Georgia probably wonder if that’s possible.

“Oh, yeah. I’m not taking anything for granted because I had a nice rookie year,” Bell said. “The biggest thing in football is being consistent. My goal is to be consistent for however many years I play football.”

To that end, Bell has already gained at least 10 pounds since the end of last season. He felt he needed the extra weight for his next challenge: lining up at defensive end in the Steelers’ dime package.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I haven’t played defensive end since I was a sophomore in high school, but I loved it. That’s some real contact there. The only thing I’m worried about is getting stronger up top. I’ll need it if I’m going to be mixing it up with those guys up front.”

Bell said he’s up to 256 pounds and that he hasn’t lost any quickness. “I’ll be fine when I’m at linebacker in the base (defense),” he said, “and I should be strong enough to play down. I feel good with the weight on.”

The Steelers are hoping the experiment pays off. To get Bell on the field on third downs this year, they’re moving him not to middle linebacker but to rush end in the dime. Joey Porter, the former rush end, will move to middle linebacker. Defensive coordinator Tim Lewis explained the thinking behind the experiment.

“Jason Gildon had 12 sacks last year,” Lewis began. “Aaron Smith had 8, Joey Porter had 9, Kendrell had 9. The combination of Kimo (von Oelhoffen) and Rodney Bailey had 6. You just want to make sure your rushers are on the field at that point.”

The key, according to Lewis, is that Bell be on the field every down this year. That wasn’t the case last season as the Steelers took their most explosive defender off the field on third down.

But why the change of position? Why not leave Porter at rush end and keep Bell at inside linebacker?

“Because he’ll get an opportunity to rush from the end on every snap,” Lewis said. “I’m not real concerned about developing Kendrell for that inside spot in the future because the future is now and he’s a dynamic rusher. The other thing is Joey can do a great job in coverage and he understands the defense better at this point in his career.”

Lewis also likes the potential versatility of the set-up. The Steelers are hoping Bell can drop off on occasion, turning the 4-1-6 dime alignment into a 3-2-6.

“Both of those guys are now standing in the middle of the field, head up to guards,” Lewis said. “The combinations and permutations and variations you can create with regards to rush patterns are pretty dynamic.”

If it works, Bell should enjoy a successful follow-up to his outstanding rookie season.

“I hope so,” he said. “Just tell everybody I’ve got my tickets to San Diego already. Until then, I’ll just do what I’ve been doing. I’ve been preparing like this since I’ve been playing football and I’ll continue to do it. I just pray to God I stay healthy. I figure if I stay healthy, I’ll do OK.”