AFC North Notes: Le’Veon Bell, Browns, Steelers

Le’Veon Bell

Adisa Bakari, the agent for Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell, implied during an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio on Wednesday that they have concerns about his workload this season.

“I’m not going to discuss our plan publicly,” Bakari said, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “But if you’re Kevin Colbert and you’re Mike Tomlin, and you have a once-in-a-generation type of player for one more season, what would your plan be? . . .

“You can read in between those lines.”

Bakari didn’t say when we can expect Bell to report to the Steelers, but he mentioned that the plan is still for him to put together “the best statistical season of his career.”

“Le’Veon has every intention of making this season the best season of his career,” Bakari said. “That has not changed. That his intention — to make this the best statistical season of his career.”

Browns

The Browns don’t plan to start WR Josh Gordon in Week 1, but he’ll still see game action.

According to Gordon, he feels “100 percent” and looking forward to helping the team get a win.

“I think the biggest piece of it is making sure I am locked in and know what I am trying to do as an individual, as a player and as a teammate going forward,” Gordon said, via ClevelandBrowns.com. “First and foremost really — personal stuff aside — I am thinking of getting a win and how can I help my team get a win this Sunday. At the most crucial point of the game, what can I do to help put us over the edge if I am needed? I really just want to get a win.”

Steelers

After Le’Veon Bell declined to report to the team in preparation of their season opener, a few of his teammates sounded off on the situation.

• Steelers G Ramon Foster said of Bell: “What do you do? here’s a guy who doesn’t give a damn, I guess so we’ll treat it as such. I just hate it came to this.“ (Ed Bouchette)
• Foster added: “He’s making 7 times what I make twice as much as Al (Villanueva) is making and we’re the guys who do it for him.” (Ed Bouchette)
• A veteran Steeler tells Jeremy Fowler that they waited a day to criticize Bell to give him a chance to show up on Wednesday but “he f—ed us.“
• Steelers long-time C Maurkice Pouncey said: “Obviously it’s Le’Veon over the Steelers and we are the Steelers.” (Jeremy Fowler)