Aug 15, 2002 By Jim Wexell For The 5 min read

LATROBE – They are the second-year players who turned around a defense as rookies. And it doesn’t appear as if either Casey Hampton or Kendrell Bell is in line for a sophomore slump. “Not those guys,” said Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Tim Lewis. “They’re bound and determined to get better.”

Better? Sure, Hampton’s better. But Bell? How much better can the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year be?

“Oh, my,” Lewis said with a laugh. “Kendrell is waaaay better than he was last year. He made the Pro Bowl and only knew two defenses last year. He knew how to rush and so we let him do what he did well, and what he did well was go get the quarterbacks. This year he’s doing a fantastic job of learning how to cover, and knowing where he’s supposed to be, how to read routes and progressions.”

Not that Bell has lost any of the explosiveness that allowed him to burst onto the NFL scene in spectacular fashion. Against the New York Jets in the Steelers’ preseason opener last week, Bell went over the top of his defensive line to meet Lamont Jordan, who was doing the same over his offensive line. Bell won the meeting, as he did on a similar play last year in the preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons.

“Watching him on tape is a lot of fun,” Lewis said.

One person who didn’t have much fun with Bell this past week was rookie free agent center Matt Anderson.

After being involved in two of the three fumbled snaps during one portion of a recent practice, Coach Bill Cowher erupted at Anderson and the offense and made everyone begin the period over again. It didn’t help anyone’s mood that it occurred during the hottest practice of the week.

A few snaps later, Amos Zereoue took a screen pass with Anderson and two other blockers out in front. Bell raced over, seemingly oblivious to Zereoue and the ball, and belted Anderson so hard that Anderson’s legs wobbled before he crumpled to the ground.

It was a statement play normally made by great veterans such as a Greg Lloyd or a Ray Lewis. Could Bell be taking that next step along those lines? Is this Bell’s team already?

“I wouldn’t mind if he tried putting his stamp on it like that,” said Tim Lewis. “But he’s not like that. He’s not a very talkative kid. He’s going to let his actions speak way louder than his words.

“Coach Cowher has done a fantastic job of getting this team to understand that we really don’t have many individuals. Nobody is going to step up and put their stamp on it and say, ‘This is mine’ because it’s really not. We’re pretty well-rounded and focused on the team thing.”

That’s a concept with which Hampton had difficulty mastering early last season. Coming out of the University of Texas, where he was a playmaking defensive tackle, Hampton had to come to grips with the oxen-like tasks that are asked of a Steelers nose tackle.

“Last year, early on, that got me in trouble a lot,” Hampton said. “I was used to making plays, trying to make plays, but it wasn’t helping the defense. If you buy into the system of ‘if you’re doing good, other guys will do good,’ you’ll be all right. You’ve got to buy into it. So I just go out there and do my job now.”

This year, he’s doing it with more size, speed and strength. Those attributes all came together last Monday morning when the 330-pound Hampton chased quarterback Kordell Stewart out of the pocket and forced a premature throw.

“I could’ve had him,” Hampton said with a big smile. “But once I realized I had him, I shut it down. I don’t want to hurt our quarterback, you know.”

“He can go from Point A to Point B as quick as anybody I’ve ever had,” said line coach John Mitchell. “He’s a good football player who’s getting better every day.”

“He may be a little heavier, but I’ll bet it’s muscle,” said Lewis. “He’s much more toned than he was last year and he’s moving much quicker. The fact of the matter is when you know what to do you’re always going to look more decisive and quick. It’s the maturing process.”

Like the one the other super soph is going through.

“Kendrell now understands where he fits in the defense, what plays are,” Lewis said. “He understands the counter, the lead, the wham. Last year he just kind of lined up and whatever was in front of him was going to get hit. Somebody was going to get hit on every play and they were going to get hit hard. We don’t want to temper that. But at the same time we want him to understand how he can help the whole defense and help himself at the same time.”