Patrick Doyle/CFL.ca
In the 1973 movie Magnum Force, Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry character utters the famous line “man’s got to know his limitations.”
Calgary Stampeder safety Joshua Bell considers himself a smart man. A long time ago he figured out his own limitations. At six feet and 180 pounds, Bell often finds himself facing receivers that are taller and heavier then him.
“I’m not much of a battering ram,” Bell said with a chuckle.
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Josh Bell has become an anchor on one of the most dangerous secondaries in the CFL (Larry MacDougal/CFL.ca)
Instead of being a blunt object, Bell prefers to function as a precision tool. He lets his brain dictate his actions. A chemistry major at Baylor, he has a scientific mind.
“You win a game before the game starts,” Bell said. “Most of it is mental.”
During the week Bell devours film to analyze opposing offences. During a game he looks for formations and watches for clues to calculate what the receivers are going to do. He also keeps an eye on his own teammates, giving advice when needed. Sometimes he consoles, sometimes he cajoles.
“I’m always thinking about football,” said Bell. “Not just the X’s and O’s, but I’m also thinking about the composure of a teammate. Somebody might be struggling (so you make) sure they stay in the game.
“My superpower is to add to what everybody else is doing, my train of thought, my mind and the lack of mistakes. I love that part of the game.”
As the Stampeders prepare for Sunday’s Western Final against the Edmonton Eskimos, Bell has already made a mental list of what to expect from receivers like Adarius Bowman, Vidal Hazelton and Brandon Zylstra. The three combined for 12 catches for 239 yards and three touchdowns in Edmonton’s 39-32 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western Semi-Final.
On Hazelton: “He’s a motor mouth. He’s going to put his hands on you and be physical and try and play a mental game with you.”
On Bowman: “He’s going to do his job. If you make a mistake, he’s going to hurt you.”
On Zylstra, the CFL’s leading receiver this year with over 1,600 yards: “He’s been doggone good. He fits right in complementing all the other guys.”
Many football games are won by one team imposing its mental will on the other, taking away their belief they can win. Bell said that strategy doesn’t work against an Eskimos team with Mike Reilly at quarterback.
During this year’s Labour Day game, the Stampeders took a 30-point lead into the fourth quarter. Reilly and the Eskimos refused to quit.
“They were still trying to win the game,” said Bell. “Probably half the league, they would have laid down.
“When you play a guy like Mike Reilly, that part of the game has to be thrown out.”
The Stampeders beat the Eskimos two of the three times they played each other this season, outscoring them 84-69. Edmonton scored just three points in the first quarter of those games while Calgary outscored them 44-23 in the first half.
At this point of the season, both teams are fully aware of the other’s strengths and weaknesses.
“You correct your mistakes really,” said Bell. “That’s the biggest thing.
“Good team capitalize on your mistakes. You want to reduce the mistakes each time you play them . . . then play sound structurally against the stuff they throw in that is new.”
In 15 games this season Bell had 31 tackles, including a tackle for loss, and recorded his first career sack. He also had an interception, two knockdowns, one forced fumble and three quarterback pressures.
The 32-year-old Los Angeles native is one of Calgary’s leaders on the field and is active in the community. He’s been a mentor to young men and women and provides financial assistance to low-income families.
His contributions have been recognized by Bell being awarded the Presidents’ Ring, which is presented to the Stampeder player who best demonstrates excellence on and off the field as voted by the players, and the Herm Harrison Memorial Award for distinguishing himself in the area of community service.
Bell called the awards “extremely humbling.”
“You do what you do naturally,” he said. “I just naturally go in the community and do what I do. It’s become a part of me.”
The Stampeders finished first in the West with a 13-4-1 record but head into the Final dogged by a three-game losing streak where they have been outscored 82-32. It’s the first time since 2007 Calgary has lost three consecutive games.
The Eskimos (12-6) are riding a six-game winning streak and have been picked by many to defeat Calgary and advance to the Grey Cup game in Ottawa.
Bell said don’t be too quick in writing off the Stampeders.
“We earned those losses,” he said. “We made mistakes. We didn’t play the brand of football that we are accustom to playing.
“That doesn’t change our identity and what we know.”
The Stampeders have some extra motivation by the memory of their upset loss in overtime to Ottawa in last year’s Grey Cup.
“We have been waiting a long time to get back to this point,” said Bell. “For a lot of us, we have unfinished business we didn’t take care of last year. We want to finish it this year.”
