National Football League

Eagles trade Mike Bell to Cleveland for Jerome Harrison

Published Oct. 14, 2010 10:16 a.m. ET

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MIKE BELL looked really good playing against the Eagles for the eventual Super Bowl champion Saints a little over a year ago, gaining 86 yards on 17 carries, 5.1 yards per carry. But the Bell who played for the Birds this season never resembled that guy, because of rust or a different blocking scheme or some other something no one ever figured out.

Yesterday, after stumbling to 28 yards on 16 carries, Bell was traded to Cleveland for Jerome Harrison, a smaller running back Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said might be a better fit for the team's West Coast offense.

"A change of scenery might be good for both players," Roseman said. "Mike Bell can fit their scheme. They're looking for a downhill runner between the tackles. They like to run the ball a lot. For us, Jerome, he's a quicker guy, he's athletic, he can catch the football. Obviously, he was really productive last year at the end of the season.

"With our backup running backs, with the skill set they have in terms of Eldra [Buckley], Joique [Bell] and Mike Bell, they were all kind of bigger backs who could run between the tackles. And we thought maybe Jerome's skill set kind of fit in terms of complementing those guys."

Roseman called Mike Bell "the kind of guy who needs the football a lot," which raises the question of why the Birds made him the only restricted free agent in the NFL to get an offer sheet from another team, when they enticed him away from New Orleans. Roseman said he had envisioned Bell, 27, filling a role like that of former Eagle Correll Buckhalter, as a biggish back who could come off the bench and play well as a change of pace, or start if Brian Westbrook was injured. It might also be the case that Westbrook's successor, LeSean McCoy, has exceeded expectations, limiting the carries left for Bell.

Harrison, 5-9, 205 to Bell's 6-foot, 225, is the guy who ransacked Kansas City for 286 yards on 34 carries last Dec. 20, the third-best rushing total in NFL history, behind Adrian Peterson's 296 in 2007 and Jamal Lewis' 295 in 2003. His 561 rushing yards over the final three games last season were the most in the league in that span. But Harrison, displaced by Peyton Hillis this season, has gained just 91 yards on 31 carries. He gained 6 yards on six carries last Sunday against the same Atlanta defense he will see this week with the Eagles, assuming Harrison plays.

Harrison, who was traveling to Philadelphia yesterday, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he found his decreased role with the Browns "mind-boggling" in light of how well he played down the stretch last year. Browns coach Eric Mangini was unhappy when Harrison expressed frustration earlier this season.

"All I can say is thank you," said Harrison, 27. "I don't feel like they were using me there, so thank you for letting me get the opportunity somewhere else. 'Excitement' might be an understatement."

It's hard to say how long it might take him to get settled. Roseman said Browns GM Tom Heckert, Roseman's predecessor with the Eagles, thought Harrison was a quick learner.

"We're honest with each other, we've worked together so long," Roseman said. "And he said [Harrison] is a smart guy and he's going to work at it. So we'll bring him in here and we'll see how long it takes."

Bell dressed for practice yesterday and spoke briefly with a Daily News reporter in the locker room before either of them knew Bell was leaving. Bell was asked about his agent, Josh Luchs, whose confessional story in the current issue of Sports Illustrated has gotten a lot of attention. In the story, Luchs acknowledges having paid college players early in his career, presumably long before Bell's days at Arizona. Bell was an undrafted rookie with the Broncos in 2006.

Bell said he hadn't been paid by Luchs. He said he didn't know anything about Luchs getting out of the agent business, which Luchs discusses in the story. "I haven't talked to him," Bell said.

After the media access time ended, center Mike McGlynn said he was getting ready to head onto the field for practice when Bell came back in and started taking off his uniform.

"He said, 'I've just been traded,' " McGlynn said.

Bell was limited by injuries in training camp and never seemed to get comfortable. He joins a list of offseason acquisitions that has not looked terribly distinguished thus far. Linebacker Ernie Sims, an up-and-down player, is the only veteran starter who came to the Eagles in the offseason. Safety Marlin Jackson is out for the year with a torn Achilles', linebacker Alex Hall has been cut, Bell has been traded. Defensive end Darryl Tapp was inactive for the first two games, then has been active the past three, with decent results.

"I think you've got to look at it at the end of the year," Roseman said. "You're not going to bat 1,000, unfortunately, in this business. You've got to be right a lot more than you're wrong, and keep swinging."

For more Eagles coverage and opinion, read the Daily News' Eagles blog, Eagletarian, at www.eagletarian.com.

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