Eagles newly-signed offensive tackle told a humorous story when he met with the media Thursday.
And surprisingly, it wasnt about changing his name from Demetrius back to Demetress.
Instead, Bell said as he and his mother walked out of Andy Reids office at the NovaCare Complex early Thursday morning, his mother turned to Reid and said that she hasnt been around football that long and has plenty to learn.
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I kind of joke and tell her were both still learning, Bell said. I dont see myself peaking for a couple more years. Im kind of on the verge of playing good football and Im not where I want to be yet.
See, while Bell just signed a five-year deal with the Eagles and already has 30 NFL starts under his belt, comparatively speaking, hes pretty new to the game of football.
Bell went to Northwestern State in Louisiana on a basketball scholarship. His estranged father is NBA great Karl Malone. But he never had any intentions of playing football. But then-head football coach Scott Stoker had different ideas for the 6-foot-5, 310-pounder.
When I first got to college, the football coaches begged me to come out, Bell said. I said that I had never played football, and I was on a basketball scholarship and this is what I would be doingAs soon as I redshirted, the football coach showed up, mysterious, he popped up again, and said to just come out and watch, stand on the sidelines and look. Thats what I did for my first year, to just come out to sidelines and look.
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But looking and watching slowly turned into learning how to play defensive end. Bell showed up for preseason drills in August but didnt expect to play at all in his first season until injuries forced him into the final game of the season against Nicholls State.
Bell did pretty well. He recalls having 11 tackles and a sack in his first-ever football game.
The following season, injuries decimated the Northwestern State offensive line and the team moved him to offensive tackle and he hasnt left since. He didnt stop playing basketball right away either. He played in 88 collegiate basketball games.
In 2007, he was an All-Southland Conference and All-Louisiana first-team selection as a tackle. Bell was drafted by the Bills in the seventh round of the 2008 draft.
Coming from seventh-round pick, I think I owed it to myself to weigh all of my options out and take the best deal for me and my family, Bell said when asked about his free agency this off-season.
He also visited Pittsburgh, but ultimately he thought Philadelphia was the right choice. He has the opportunity to learn from Howard Mudd and pick the brain of his friend and Pro Bowl tackle Jason Peters, who he will likely be replacing.
I wont be happy until Im at the top of the tackle game, he said. Whatever it takes for me to get there, thats what Ill have to put in to get there.
E-mail Dave Zangaro at dzangaro@comcastsportsnet.com