LATROBE, Pa. - Running backs Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount have the makings a lethal combination on the field for the Steelers' ground game. And off-the-field they are gelling perfectly, learning from each other as they get ready to be a strong one-two punch for the black and gold.

"We get along real well," said Blount, the fifth-year veteran who signed with the team as a free agent this offseason. "The relationship between us is we are close friends and help each other. I am excited about it.

"He has been showing me the signal calls, all the signs we have to remember. He had a jump start on it because he has been in the offense."

Blount, though, said he hasn't had to show Bell much, that even though he is a second-year player, he is already an established NFL back.
"I haven't taught him much," said Blount. "He is a good running back as is. I haven't really taught him much. He does his own thing when he runs the football. He catches well, he blocks well. He does everything pretty good. I don't have to teach him."

Bell, though, tells another story and said that he is learning a lot from Blount, including picking up some tips about opposing defenses.

"As a runner he has helped me out with pointers and things to look at, pre-snap reads and whatever," said Bell. "He has been in the league a long time. He knows what to expect.

"He is telling me alignment things to look at or the way a linebacker can give away what they might be doing on an assignment that I didn't notice before. He helped me pick those things up. He is helping me become a better player."