Esks.com
A history of being patient is paying off for Shakir Bell.
Bell will be the starting running back when the Edmonton Eskimos (6-7) face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-5) in a key CFL West Division clash Friday night at Investors Group Field.
Bell was a healthy scratch for the first 10 games of the season. In the three games Bell has played since Aug. 26 he has rushed for 334 yards and one touchdown on 55 carries, leaving him eighth among league running backs.
Back at Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, Ind., and later at Indiana State University, Bell had to wait his turn, then impress the coaching staff when given a chance.
“That’s what my career has been made of,” said the 24-year-old, who replaced the injured John White in the Eskimo lineup. “I don’t look at it as a bad thing, me having to wait my turn. I just try to make the best out of it.
“John is one of the best running backs in the league. I didn’t take it personally I had to wait behind him. I just watched him. I took things he did in his game and tried to apply it to my game when I got the opportunity.”
In his first game of the season against Saskatchewan Bell had 18 carries for 138 yards and was named a CFL Performer of the Week. In last week’s 27-13 win over the B.C. Lions — which snapped a three-game Eskimo losing streak — he had 23 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown.
“We were very happy with what we did in that game,” said Bell.
“Going into that game we wanted to focus on all the little things, do all the little things right and come out with a win. That’s mainly the reason why we got our win.”
Tim Prinsen, Edmonton’s running backs coach, isn’t surprised by Bell’s ability to make a difference when given the opportunity.
“When you have a high-quality character, when you are willing to put the team first, then it’s easy when you step in and do your thing,” said Prinsen, a former Eskimo centre. “He’s a high-quality individual so it doesn’t surprise me he did wait patiently.”
“It’s a great opportunity and a humbling opportunity. Me being named the starter is a great honour and is something I don’t take lightly.
– Eskimos RB Shakir Bell
At five-foot-eight and 185 pounds Bell doesn’t have the imposing size of some running backs. What he does possess is speed and the cutting ability to leave tacklers grasping at air.
“He has an uncanny ability to make the first guy miss,” said Prinsen. “Once he does that, he’s in open space and he’s hard to bring down.”
One area of his game Bell still considers a work in progress is his blocking skills. In college and university, he was used to carrying the ball 40 times or more.
“I wasn’t looked at as a blocking back, so I never got to sharpen my skills,” he said.
In Edmonton Prinsen preaches the importance of keeping quarterback Mike Reilly on his feet. To improve his technique Bell watched and learned from White, who is about the same size.
“Things I took from John’s game is his patience while blocking and his aggregation while blocking,” said Bell. “He meets a defender at the line and he butts them up. That that stops a lot of their rushers.
“People look at my size as a negative factor. But low man wins. I haven’t mastered blocking by any stretch of the imagination but I’m still learning and applying everything to my game.”
Heading into Week 14 Calgary leads the West with 23 points while Winnipeg and B.C. are tied at 16.
The defending Grey Cup champion Eskimos, with 12 points, need a win against the Bombers to close the gap on third place while also keeping their cross-over playoff hopes alive. Heading into the weekend Toronto (5-8) sits third in the East.
The Eskimos and Bombers have split their previous two meetings.
The Eskimos are facing a Winnipeg defence which has allowed an average 23.4 points a game, second least in the league. The Bombers also lead all teams with 22 interceptions and 44 forced turnovers.
“Winnipeg is a very feisty team, they are a tenacious team,” said Bell. “They attack the football. They are going to try to strip the football, get it out of your hands at every instance.
“We have to make sure we protect the quarterback and protect the football. Everything else will fall into place if we do those things.”
Bell had an outstanding career at Indiana State. His 4,214 yards left him the second leading running back in school history. He also set a school single-season rushing record of 1,670 yards in 2011.
Bell signed as a free agent with the Eskimos in April 2015. He didn’t play until the fourth game of the season where he had 18 carries for 144 yards. He finished the year with 633 yards on 113 carries and one touchdown.
Off the field, Bell loves Edmonton and hopes to make the city his full-time home along with his three-year-old daughter.
Bell grew up in the rough east side area of Indianapolis. He had an uncle die while in police custody and recently a friend of his was the 110th homicide of the year. For him, carrying a gun “is just the norm.”
“It’s not a very safe place to be,” Bell said about his hometown. “When I first came up there it was total culture shock to me how nice everything was; how safe it is.
“Coming up to another country and being embraced the way I have been in Edmonton, it’s been amazing. I love it.”
Being patient has taught Bell how quickly things can change in a career. He appreciates the chance the Eskimos have given him and understands his status as starter depends on how well he plays.
“It’s a great opportunity and a humbling opportunity,” he said. “Me being named the starter is a great honour and is something I don’t take lightly. But it’s not something I am hanging my hat on and being complacent about.
“I’m ready to go out there and prove more. I feel like I need to do more to help our team win.”
