It's not unusual for a star running back to treat his fullback like a best friend.
In the case of the Steelers' Le'Veon Bell and Roosevelt Nix, they don't have to fake it. The two have known each other since their days growing up in the Columbus, Ohio suburb of Reynoldsburg. Their rivalry began when both strapped on a football helmet for the first time.
"We’ve been playing football with each other for a long time, not on the same team, but we’ve known about each other since Little League (football) when we were seven or eight years old, just being around the city," Nix told me.
Now, the duo, who were born just two weeks apart and grew up in the same small city in Ohio, form one of the most potent backfields in the NFL.
Not that Nix ever thought that would be the case for him. He played on the line in high school and moved to nose tackle at Kent State, where he was a four-time first-team all-conference player.
He never envisioned himself being an offensive player.
"I always played defense," Nix told me. "I never was an offensive player. Defense is what I had to do to get to where I’m at."
Where he is at is paving the way for one of the top offensive stars in the game today.
In a league in which just seven running backs are averaging more than 20 carries per game, Bell stands alone at the top of the NFL leaderboard in carries.
And it's not even close.
Bell currently has 25 more rushing attempts this season than any other running back in the league. And when you consider the Steelers' star runner is averaging just over 24 carries per game, that's a considerable total.
Bell has consistently said he's not concerned about his heavy workload. But when you also factor in the 33 receptions he has, he already has 202 touches heading into Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
Bell is currently on pace for 462 touches this season, a total that would shatter the team record of 426 set by Barry Foster in 1992. It also would be the second most by a running back in league history behind the ridiculous 492 touches James Wilder had in Tampa Bay in 1984.
If, that is, Bell can make it through all 16 games at this pace. I asked him if he's concerned about the heavy workload.
"I feel like as long as I'm not taking direct hits, I can get to the ground, my body feels good the next day when I come in," Bell said. "Obviously, I'm a little sore, but my body feels good on Wednesday and Thursday. I don't take my treatments lightly. I eat the right way. I don't think I run like other running backs. I'm not saying that to talk on myself. I don't feel I run into guys. I'm patient, pick my spots and get to the ground. I don't think I take a lot of hits."
He leaves that to Nix.
They weren't friends when they were youngsters, but as they grew older and went on to different high schools in the area -- Bell to Groveport-Madison, Nix to Reynoldsburg -- they continued to run into each other at football camps and other events. Often, that happened on the football field.
"He made some tackles, but he never made a big hit on me," Bell said of Nix. "He's made a lot of big hits here, college, high school, everywhere. He's been a great player."
The play of both was on display in the Steelers' 29-14 win last week against the Cincinnati Bengals. Bell carried the ball 35 times for 134 yards and caught three passes for another 58 yards. His stiff-arm of Cincinnati cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick on a 42-yard catch-and-run is the stuff legend is made of.
"That will be on his all-time highlight film," guard Ramon Foster told me.
And it was Nix winning a one-on-one battle with Cincinnati linebacker Vontaze Burfict that often gave Bell room to operate.
It was a yeoman-like effort his teammates appreciated.
"Man, I hope Rosie gets his due this year and goes to the Pro Bowl," Foster told me. "He deserves it, whether that be as a fullback or as a special teams player."
Even Burfict, who didn't shake hands with the Steelers captains for the pre-game coin toss, went to the fullback at the end of the game and gave him a helmet tap in respect. He then ran off the field without speaking to any of the other Steelers.
That Nix is so highly regarded by his teammates is no surprise. That's especially true when you consider his first foray into the NFL didn't work out so well. Atlanta signed him as an undrafted college free agent and moved the 5-11, 248-pound former nose tackle to linebacker. Then they switched him to fullback. Then they released him.
He wound up playing in 2014 for the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League before the Steelers came calling.
Now, since he does so much blocking, his teammates count him as much as an offensive lineman as they do a running back.
"He counts as a football player," center Maurkice Pouncey told me. "He counts as a lineman. We really appreciate him.
"Rosie's a lineman, man. He's in our group chats. He hits us up all the time. He and L Bell have a close relationship. They meet up all the time. But we're claiming Rosie. We're not letting him get away from us."
His career stats would back that up. Though officially a fullback, he's never carried the ball in a regular season game. He does have four career receptions in three NFL seasons.
But he has yet to score a touchdown. If that were to happen, the celebration would be epic. And it wouldn't include a game of Ring Around the Rosie.
"Man, if Rosie scored, we'd all go into the stands," Pouncey told me. "That would be some awesome stuff."
Offensive coordinator Todd Haley joked it nearly happened a couple of weeks ago in Kansas City, but quarterback Ben Roethlisberger checked into a different play.
But Haley appreciates what Nix brings to the team.
"I love Rosie," Haley said. "Rosie has been doing real good things for us and he always has been. He's a great story."
And one with which Bell is the most familiar.
"He's always been my guy. I've known him since I was younger. It's just crazy that we made it from the same neighborhood and made it out to be in the same backfield together.
"We always went at it. Just his team would never beat my team. It was 35-0 our senior year. I scored four touchdowns."
He quickly added, "But I didn't say that."
Odds and end zones
Guard David DeCastro returned to practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday in a coach's decision. ... Rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster made it through his second consecutive day of practice while coming back from a concussion. ... Tight end Vance McDonald (knee), defensive end Stephon Tuitt (back) and offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert (hamstring) all missed a second consecutive day of practice.