PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers stressed all summer

the need to avoid the kind of off-the-field distractions they couldn’t seem to shake in 2017.So much for that.While the two-time defending AFC North champions hit the practice field on Monday to prepare for their Week 1 opener in Cleveland E.J. Gaines Color Rush Jersey , All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell was nowhere to be found. Bell still hasn’t signed his one-year franchise tender or given any indication on when he might show up, leaving his teammates to answer for him.“I’m not annoyed by (being asked about) it,” guard Ramon Foster said, tongue firmly in cheek. “Who are you talking about? I didn’t even notice.”Center Maurkice Pouncey called Bell’s absence “fine” and insisted it won’t be an issue going forward.“The team is so locked in and focused on what we’ve got to do at hand this weekend that whenever he comes, we’ll welcome him with open arms,” Pouncey said. “Hopefully he’s in shape and ready to run the football.”A year ago Bell skipped training camp, showed up on Labor Day and was ready to play in the opener, though he and the entire offense looked sluggish in narrow 21-18 victory over the Browns. Bell finished with 32 yards on 10 carries in Cleveland and didn’t really get rolling until October.“I think the whole offense started out kind of slow last year,” Pouncey said. “To point out one thing at one person because he wasn’t here (for camp) is totally wrong.”Bell recovered in time to lead the NFL with 406 touches and likely would have won the league rushing title if he wasn’t held out of a meaningless finale with Pittsburgh’s playoff position already secure.The Steelers placed the franchise tag on him for a second straight spring hoping a long-term deal could be worked out. When the two sides failed to reach an agreement by the July 17th deadline https://www.brownsfanshop.com/Damarious-Randall-Jersey , Bell offered an apology while promising that “2018 will be my best season to date.”At the moment, it’s a season that currently lacks a starting point.The players are off Tuesday, meaning Bell would have just three days of practice to get ready for the Browns if he signed his $14.5 million tender before the team took the field on Wednesday. That’s not a lot of time regardless of Bell’s pedigree.Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said the team was “disappointed” in Bell’s late arrival, but will focus on preparing for Cleveland with the 53 men currently on the roster.If Bell is not available, the Steelers will turn to second-year running back James Conner. The former Pitt star ran for 100 yards during limited action in the preseason and has won raves from his teammates for his improvement as both a blocker and a receiver.“I feel like James has been in a great spot this entire camp,” Foster said. “He’s the one that’s taken all the reps. And we’ve got (Stevan) Ridley who is an experienced hard downfield runner too. We’ll be fine in the run game and focus on those guys over there.”While Bell is missing, Josh Dobbs is still around. The second-year quarterback capped a stellar training camp by edging veteran Landry Jones for the right to be Ben Roethlisberger’s backup.Dobbs, who threw for a touchdown and ran for another in the exhibition finale against Carolina, said he wasn’t sure he made the team until offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner called him just minutes before rosters were trimmed from 90 to 53.“I thought I played well when my opportunities came Darren Fells Jersey ,” Dobbs said. “I didn’t know how it was going to shake out but I felt we prepared well and played well. We’ve just got to continue to improve moving forward.”Rookie Mason Rudolph will be the third-stringer for now behind Dobbs and the 36-year-old Roethlisberger, who has been remarkably durable in recent seasons. Roethlisberger has missed just five games because of injury since the start of 2013.NOTES: The team selected Roethlisberger, Pouncey, defensive end Cam Heyward and kicker Chris Boswell as captains for the 2018 season. … Pittsburgh re-signed S Nat Berhe on Monday and placed LB Ola Adeniyi on injured reserve. The Cleveland Browns have been so bad for so long that it is understandable that the rest of the NFL would circle any game against the Browns as an easy win.Now that the Browns have actually reached a point where they are no longer the league’s punching bag, people are getting a bit concerned. And the fact that they are doing it with Baker Mayfield, a rookie quarterback who works hard but refuses to play by the conventional rules, has clearly put some people off their feed. Mayfield has done everything asked of him and everything he promised on draft night. He has re-ignited a fan base that has been desperate for something to cheer for after the last 20 years of ineptitude. He helped keep the team focused in the wake of the Hue Jackson disaster. And he has brought a level of excitement and anticipation to the field that has been missing for far too long.Most importantly, Mayfield has done it the only way he knows how — his way. He puts in the work during the week, and when that work pays off on Sundays he is not shy about celebrating. Which is why it is hard to understand when people have a problem with Mayfield. The good part — outside of the fact that Mayfield plays for the Browns - is that he is not going to change his approach for anyone. Mayfield hit the subject head on when asked about it on Wednesday T. J. Carrie Color Rush Jersey , according to clevelandbrowns.com:Mayfield made it to the NFL because of his talent, but also because he worked his butt off and played the game the only way he knew how. That is paying off for the Browns, and to quote Mayfield himself, “that is what really matters.”The rest of the NFL is just going to have to learn to deal with it, because with Mayfield running the offense, the days of the Browns being an easy win on the schedule appear to finally be over.