Mike Tomlin isn't giving any hints on how he plans to deploy his backfield options this season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers coach told NFL Media's Lindsay Rhodes and Brian Baldinger on Friday that he plans to let the training camp and preseason play of Le'Veon Bell, LeGarrette Blount and Dri Archer determine a pecking order in 2014.
"Le'Veon Bell has had a great offseason," Tomlin said on Friday's edition of NFL Total Access. "He's really shown that he is excited about taking the next step in terms of work that he's done thus far, particularly from a conditioning standpoint.
"LeGarrette Blount has a definite football playing personality, one that not only is evident on the field but in the locker room. Think he's going to be positive to our efforts."
Tomlin also expressed his wish to get the ball in the hands of third-round pick Dri Archer. Tomlin called Archer a "speed guy" who will play both running back and wide receiver.
"I'm excited about letting these guys sort themselves out from a division of labor standpoint," Tomlin said. "I know that they're all committed to being a significant component to what we do."
Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette observed last month that the Steelers "mixed and matched" Bell and Blount during minicamp, a possible sign Blount could have a bigger role than originally anticipated.
Still, Bell's workload and growth last season tells us he'll be The Man in Pittsburgh. We imagine a 75/20/5 touch split for Bell, Blount and Archer in 2014.
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