CHARLOTTE -- Observed and heard in the locker room after the Pittsburgh Steelers' 37-19 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Bell gets better of Kuechly: Le'Veon Bell's career-long 81-yard run in the third quarter helped the Steelers put away the Panthers, and he fooled All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly on the play. Bell flashed through a hole that David DeCastro and Marcus Gilbert opened on the right side and Kuechly raced to the outside thinking that's where Bell would cut. The second-year back simply stayed the course and broke into the open field. Kuechly recorded a game-high 14 tackles but the Steelers rushed for 264 yards and averaged 7.8 yards per carry. "He guessed a lot of the game," Bell said of Kuechly, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Shazier leaves with brace on knee: It was actually a positive sign that rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier dressed at his locker along with the rest of the Steelers players after the big win over the Panthers. Yes, Shazier left the visiting locker room at Bank of America Stadium wearing a Velcro brace on his right knee. But if the Steelers thought the first-round pick was more seriously hurt they probably would have done more to hide him when the locker room was open to the media. Outside linebacker Jarvis Jones, who hurt his wrist in the third quarter, was nowhere to be found after the Steelers opened their locker room to the media, a sign that his injury may be more serious than the one sustained by Shazier.
Gilbert answers the bell: Coach Mike Tomlin did not play along when asked if Gilbert had come out "fighting like Rocky." Tomlin had remarked last Thursday that he expected the Steelers' starting right tackle to show the same grit as fictional fighter Rocky Balboa after a rough start to the season. Gilbert did not allow a sack in the win over the Panthers, and he was part of a line that helped two Steelers backs rush for more than 100 yards in the same game for the first time since 1986. "You guys were down on Marcus," Tomlin told reporters after the Steelers improved to 2-1. "We like Marcus."
