LATROBE, Pa. - LeVeon Bell kept watching the tape over and over, equal parts pleased and puzzled by what he saw. There were times during his rookie season when the Pittsburgh Steelers running back would place his hand on an offensive linemans back and wait patiently for the hole to open. Sometimes, one would appear. Sometimes it wouldnt, mainly because whatever sliver of daylight existed had already been swallowed by darkness while Bell was still trying to read the blocks in front of him. Guess which plays kept eating away at him during the off-season? Not the ones that turned into one of his eight rushing touchdowns during a record-breaking year he grudgingly gives a "C-plus." "At the time, I thought I was doing pretty good," Bell said. "Then when I started breaking it down, I realized I wasnt doing what I thought I could." So Bell spent the spring focusing on his footwork to avoid the mincing steps that hes certain cost him valuable yardage a year ago. His Instagram feed is peppered with video of the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Bell doing his best "Dancing With the Stars" impersonation. During one he jabs his way through four octagons, does a pair of 360-degree spins around yellow cones then nimbly races over rope placed about 6 inches off the ground. The goal is to avoid outstretched hands from fallen defenders while also developing a more aggressive style. "Its definitely going to help me with my burst and my explosion coming out of cuts," Blount said. It might be the one thing that was missing during an otherwise productive 2013 in which his 1,259 all-purpose yards broke the club rookie record set by Hall of Famer Franco Harris more than 40 years ago. Bell proved to be a workhorse after missing the first three weeks with a foot injury, averaging more than 22 touches in 13 games. Problem is, too often those touches didnt go anywhere. His 3.5 yards per carry ranked 38th in the league. Part of the blame goes to an injury-ravaged offensive line that didnt really find its footing until late in the season. Yet Bell allows he also missed plenty of opportunities to make something happen because he waited too long to get going. "If I could have got my feet down quicker, I could have gotten a lot more yards," he said. "When its third-and-1, youve got to go get it. If its a first-and-10 run, take your time run, let the play develop and get what you can. " The Steelers will be asking for more from Bell in 2014 in hopes of taking some of the pressure off quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh hasnt had a 1,000-yard rusher since Rashard Mendenhall ran for 1,273 yards in 2010 while helping the franchise to its eighth Super Bowl. The past three seasons have seen a steady decline in production on the ground. The Steelers finished tied for 27th in yards rushing last year, a number they believe needs to go up. Though Roethlisberger expects to be more effective while expanding the shotgun-heavy no huddle offence that worked so well during a 6-2 finish to 2013, Bell knows some of that production needs to come when the quarterback takes the snap, turns to Bell and gets out of the way. "I think this year is going to be more open," Bell said. "Guys are going to be doing more different things. I cant wait to see what this offence can do." Even if he finds himself watching from the sideline. Bell became firmly entrenched as the starter a year ago as Jonathan Dwyer, Isaac Redman and Felix Jones struggled to stay healthy or productive. Hes still atop the depth chart, but hell be pushed by free agent signee LeGarrette Blount. The Steelers signed the burly Blount to a one-year contract during the spring after Blount ran for 772 yards (and a whopping 5.0 average) for the Patriots last year. Bell insists hes not looking over his shoulder. "I love coming in and competing, getting my work in," he said. 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Felix Doubront and four relievers combined kept Baltimores potent lineup in check, and David Ortiz had three of Bostons 12 hits off Wei-Yin Chen in a 4-3 victory Thursday night.BOSTON -- Asked if the Canadiens dodged a bullet in Game 1 against the Bruins, Montreal coach Michel Therrien opted for a different view of his teams 4-3 double-overtime win. "The good news is we found a way to win. Thats the most important thing," he told reporters Friday. "And we all know were capable of being better. And we will (be). "But (goaltender) Carey Price was outstanding. He was tough to beat (Thursday night)." Despite the win, Therriens message was that his team has to be better in Game 2 of the second-round playoff series Saturday. Boston outshot Montreal 51-33 Thursday, climbing back from a 2-0 hole to force overtime. Price turned the surging Bruins back again and again, giving his team a chance to win. P.K. Subban obliged with the double-overtime winner. "We played against the best team in the league and you need goaltending," Therrien said. "Certainly Carey Price gave us that type of performance. He was phenomenal. Its good for the confidence of the team. "Like I said, we know as a team we could be better. We liked the way we finished the year. We liked the way we played the first round." Boston coach Claude Julien dismissed the idea that Price might get into his players heads. "Theres a lot of good goaltenders in this league," he said. "Weve got one (in Tuukka Rask). "And we basically still got three goals on him last night ... Weve just got to play our game and the chances are there. Im going to go back to what I said earlier -- bury those great opportunities. We played well, but there were a lot of open nets that we missed, there was a lot of chances that if we would have shot them properly, instead of panicking maybe, we get ourselves a goal." Therrien thought his team showed the rust of not having played since the April 22 completion of the Tampa Bay Lightning sweep.dddddddddddd But there were positives. The Montreal power play finally clicked, going 2-for-3 on the night with both goals coming from Subban. And the Canadiens, who managed 43 hits combined in the two games in Tampa, dished out 45 Thursday night in Boston. Still the Bruins outhit them 56-45 on the night. Asked about having to play a 12:30 p.m. ET start Saturday, Therrien laughed and said, "We had no choice." The Canadiens had a team meeting Friday and most of the players hit the gym. Therrien mixed up his lines during Game 1, with perhaps only the trio of Lars Eller, Brian Gionta and Rene Bourque standing out. "We tried to use them as much as we can in good situations, to help the team win." said Therrien. "But thats part of coaching," he added. "Sometimes you can not be afraid to make some changes." Thomas Vanek, who plays on the top line with David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty, has somehow become the poster boy for the need for improvement. "Theres a few players on our team who I believe need to step up our game regarding (Thursday night) and hes one of them," Therrien said of Vanek. "Im not here to mention any names but as a group weve got to be better and we will. "Im not worried and were glad that weve got Thomas Vanek in our lineup because he can be a dangerous guy to the other teams." Vanek, who was minus-one and did not have a shot in Game 1, did not shy away from the issue. "Last night as a line, even as a team, I dont think we played well. I think Carey carried us the whole game and then stole us the game. Subbie (Subban) stepped up and had a big goal. I think were not ignorant (of the need) for us being better as a line and myself as an individual." ' ' '