him, Im not arguing over it ... hes a guy that is go

LATROBE, Pa. - LeVeon Bell kept watching the tape over and over, equal parts pleased and puzzled by what he saw. There were times during his rookie season when the Pittsburgh Steelers running back would place his hand on an offensive linemans back and wait patiently for the hole to open. Sometimes, one would appear. Sometimes it wouldnt, mainly because whatever sliver of daylight existed had already been swallowed by darkness while Bell was still trying to read the blocks in front of him. Guess which plays kept eating away at him during the off-season? Not the ones that turned into one of his eight rushing touchdowns during a record-breaking year he grudgingly gives a "C-plus." "At the time, I thought I was doing pretty good," Bell said. "Then when I started breaking it down, I realized I wasnt doing what I thought I could." So Bell spent the spring focusing on his footwork to avoid the mincing steps that hes certain cost him valuable yardage a year ago. His Instagram feed is peppered with video of the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Bell doing his best "Dancing With the Stars" impersonation. During one he jabs his way through four octagons, does a pair of 360-degree spins around yellow cones then nimbly races over rope placed about 6 inches off the ground. The goal is to avoid outstretched hands from fallen defenders while also developing a more aggressive style. "Its definitely going to help me with my burst and my explosion coming out of cuts," Blount said. It might be the one thing that was missing during an otherwise productive 2013 in which his 1,259 all-purpose yards broke the club rookie record set by Hall of Famer Franco Harris more than 40 years ago. Bell proved to be a workhorse after missing the first three weeks with a foot injury, averaging more than 22 touches in 13 games. Problem is, too often those touches didnt go anywhere. His 3.5 yards per carry ranked 38th in the league. Part of the blame goes to an injury-ravaged offensive line that didnt really find its footing until late in the season. Yet Bell allows he also missed plenty of opportunities to make something happen because he waited too long to get going. "If I could have got my feet down quicker, I could have gotten a lot more yards," he said. "When its third-and-1, youve got to go get it. If its a first-and-10 run, take your time run, let the play develop and get what you can. " The Steelers will be asking for more from Bell in 2014 in hopes of taking some of the pressure off quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh hasnt had a 1,000-yard rusher since Rashard Mendenhall ran for 1,273 yards in 2010 while helping the franchise to its eighth Super Bowl. The past three seasons have seen a steady decline in production on the ground. The Steelers finished tied for 27th in yards rushing last year, a number they believe needs to go up. Though Roethlisberger expects to be more effective while expanding the shotgun-heavy no huddle offence that worked so well during a 6-2 finish to 2013, Bell knows some of that production needs to come when the quarterback takes the snap, turns to Bell and gets out of the way. "I think this year is going to be more open," Bell said. "Guys are going to be doing more different things. I cant wait to see what this offence can do." Even if he finds himself watching from the sideline. Bell became firmly entrenched as the starter a year ago as Jonathan Dwyer, Isaac Redman and Felix Jones struggled to stay healthy or productive. Hes still atop the depth chart, but hell be pushed by free agent signee LeGarrette Blount. The Steelers signed the burly Blount to a one-year contract during the spring after Blount ran for 772 yards (and a whopping 5.0 average) for the Patriots last year. Bell insists hes not looking over his shoulder. "I love coming in and competing, getting my work in," he said. "Last year for the Patriots I felt like (Blount) was the best runner over there watching on film. Im glad we got him, Im not arguing over it ... hes a guy that is going to help us win." A.J. Derby Jersey . Will Venable and Ryan Ludwick drove in a run each for the Padres, who have taken six of their last seven contests and clinched their third straight series win after winning the first two in this set. Clayton Richard (4-9) allowed five hits and a pair of runs over seven innings, while fanning five. Minkah Fitzpatrick Dolphins Jersey . Louis Cardinals continued their offensive tear with a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series. http://www.dolphinsrookiestore.com/Dolphins-Jerome-Baker-Jersey/ .Y. -- Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff had an opportunity to experience an entire range of emotions in his first trip back to Buffalo to face his former team. Robert Quinn Dolphins Jersey . Campbell, playing on loan with Greek club Olympiacos, found the net with a left-footed shot in the 44th minute off a pass from second-half substitute Jorge Rojas to open the scoring at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica. Kalen Ballage Jersey .C. - Nick Merkley and Damon Severson each had a goal and two assists as the Kelowna Rockets downed the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 6-3 on Saturday in Western Hockey League playoff action. PHOENIX -- The San Antonio Spurs were worn out at the end of a nine-game road trip, and they prefer a slower pace even in the best of times. So their winter journey ended in Phoenix, against the NBAs top fast-break team with arguably the leagues fastest player in Ish Smith. The result was a 106-85 Suns victory. Smith scored a career-high 15 points, matched his career best of seven rebounds and triggered a decisive second-quarter run. "Im like Ricky Bobby (from the Will Ferrell movie "Talladega Nights"), I want to go fast," Smith said. "The biggest thing with us is we want to play that pace. We want to constantly push the ball, push the ball. Thats what makes us really good." Markieff Morris scored 21 points and Channing Frye 17 for Phoenix. Gerald Green and Marcus Morris added 13 apiece. Danny Green had 15 points and Tim Duncan 13 for the Spurs, who finished a nine-game road trip, the teams annual sojourn while a rodeo is held back home. The Spurs went 6-3 on the swing. The Suns, 3-0 since the All-Star break, snapped San Antonios three-game winning streak and climbed to a season-high 12 games above .500. "You never know how you are going to get a team," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "They have been on the road for a long time, they were probably itching to get back home. They had an off night and we had a decent night. We will take it." The Spurs NBA-best road record dropped to 22-8. "They made shots, we didnt, and we turned it over," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "It wasnt bad. Our ninth road game in a row, they played hard and we couldnt stick it in the hole. It happens. It was a great trip. Six and three on that trip under the circumstances of all the guys out and back and forth, I thought they were great." The Suns outscored San Antonio 28-12 in the second quarter to lead 47-35 at the break, the Spurs lowest scoring half of the season With a lineup of mostly bench players, the Suns scored 19 points in a row in what eventually became a 26-3 second-quarter runn.dddddddddddd San Antonio got the first basket of the quarter, then didnt score again until Duncans three-point play with 5:11 to play in the period. Frye responded with a 3-pointer, then Smith scored twice inside, the second on a nifty underhanded layup in traffic, and Phoenix had its biggest lead of the half, 45-28, with 3:06 to play. Smith, getting added court time because Leandro Barbosa was out with a sprained left big toe, was 5-for-5 shooting in the second quarter for 10 points with five rebounds, two assists and a steal. "(Russell) Westbrook is fast, but hes not like dash fast, first step," teammate Goran Dragic said. "Ish is special. Its harder because hes so small and when he goes low, its even harder to stay in front of him." Smith almost singlehandedly speeded up the game. "The game was kind of their pace," Hornacek said. "I think we were down 21-17 when he came in and he got the tempo going, really pushed the ball, got our guys in that running mode." San Antonios 12-point second quarter matched its lowest-scoring quarter of the season. The Suns outscored the Spurs 17-7 to open the second half, taking a 64-42 lead on Fryes 3-pointer with 5:39 left in the period. About that time, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich sat Duncan and Manu Ginobili for the night. Ginobili, a game-time decision because of a sore hamstring, played 13 minutes. For the Spurs, Patty Mills was 2 of 14 from the field and Marco Belinelli 1 for 8. San Antonio was 2 of 21 from 3-point range. The 21-point loss was the second-worst of the season for San Antonio. The Spurs lost by 23 at the Los Angeles Clippers Dec. 16. NOTES: Phoenix snapped a five-game losing streak against the Spurs. ... Tony Parker missed his fourth game in a row for what Popovich labeled an assortment of ailments. ... Popovich drew a technical seven minutes into the game and the Suns P.J. Tucker got one in the second quarter. ... The Spurs have five days off before playing their first home game since Feb. 1, against Detroit next Wednesday. 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