PITTSBURGH, Pa. - LeGarrette Blounts early exit Monday night cost the volatile running back his job. The Pittsburgh Steelers cut Blount on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after he jogged off LP Field with the clock still running in a 27-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Coach Mike Tomlin called the decision to part ways with Blount in the best interest of the organization while bringing a swift end to the latest chapter in Blounts increasingly nomadic career. The Steelers signed Blount to a two-year deal, $3.85-million deal in March to provide the running game with some needed heft. He ran for 266 yards and two scores but saw his playing time diminish in recent weeks. Blount took the field for just one play on Monday night while good friend LeVeon Bell rushed for a career-high 204 yards and a touchdown. Blount and Bell celebrated Bells 5-yard dive early in the fourth quarter that pulled Pittsburgh within a touchdown, posing for a faux selfie on the sideline after the play was upheld on review. Yet when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger lined up for the final snap, Blount headed for the tunnel. He was already dressed when his teammates entered the locker room and sat on the bus while the rest of the Steelers (7-4) soaked in their fourth win in five games. I know him, I know hes not a selfish guy, hes a team guy, said safety Mike Mitchell, who tried to coax Blount off the bus. But its more so knowing his feelings were hurt. I just tried to get him to not do that but hes a grown man. One who quickly lost the support of the guys he lined up with every week. If you dont want to be here, dont be here, centre Maurkice Pouncey said. At the end of the day youve got your decision to make as a man and he made it. Pittsburgh announced the move shortly after 1 p.m. and a half-hour later the nameplate over Blounts locker was already gone, though several personal items remained. While Pouncey called Blount a good teammate he wasnt exactly broken up about Blounts abrupt departure. Weve got our star running back, Pouncey said. Thats probably a good thing for our team that happened. At the end of the day if there was someone that was a cancer who ended up leaving on his own, thats a blessing for us. The Steelers promoted Josh Harris from the practice squad to take Blounts spot, though the reality is Bell will probably carry an even heavier workload as Pittsburgh tries to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. The 22-year-old Bell is the only player in the NFL with more than 950 yards rushing and 450 yards receiving but had forged a bond with Blount over the last nine months, though not always for the better. The two were both cited for marijuana possession — with Bell also being charged with DUI — following a traffic stop in August while they were heading to catch a team plane to Philadelphia. Pittsburgh declined to immediately discipline the pair and they showed flashes of becoming one of the leagues most dynamic backfields. Bell and Blount both went over 100 yards rushing in a victory over Carolina in Week 3, a moment that proved to be the high point of Blounts season. He ran five times for zero yards in a loss to the Jets on Nov. 9 and spent Monday night watching Bell have the best day by a Steelers running back in eight years. Cornerback Ike Taylor believes Blount broke a vital part of footballs code by his small act of defiance. Defensive end Cam Heyward praised the club for acting quickly rather than letting the situation stew during Pittsburghs bye week. Of course you want everybody to be here but we dont have time for this, Heyward said. Blount has developed a reputation as one of the leagues more talented and tempestuous backs. He was suspended for nearly the entire 2009 season during his senior year at Oregon for punching a Boise State player. He enjoyed moderate success at Tampa Bay and New England, rushing for a club playoff record four touchdowns for the Patriots in a post-season victory over Indianapolis in January. New England, however, made no move to re-sign him and he ended up in Pittsburgh. Yet while Bell flourished, Blount stagnated, and his frustration finally bubbled over. Hes got to be smarter in that situation and know how it could be perceived, Mitchell said. ___ AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Wholesale Basketball Shoes . - The Seattle Sounders busy off-season continues with the team acquiring defender Chad Marshall from the Columbus Crew in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick and allocation money. Wholesale Basketball Shoes Shop . "I wasnt waving the pom-poms to be involved with it to start with," Carlyle said after a 5-2 win over Carolina on Sunday night. "Its been a trying time. "Specifically we havent played as well as wed like to hang our hat on. http://www.cheapbasketballshoesstore.net...shoes-china.com) - Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending May 11. Cheap Basketball Shoes Authentic . - Ronda Rousey realizes shes finishing up one of the biggest years for any fighter in the young history of mixed martial arts at UFC 168, and the UFCs bantamweight champion intends to go out on top. Cheap Basketball Shoes China .twitter.com/TeZD3KOvlA — Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) September 24, 2014 Sorry for the delay, we just got back from lunch at Papa Vons #NBAFastFood pic.JOLIET, Ill. -- Chase Elliott is proving to be a quick study. A few questions for his teammates and a couple practice laps, and he was ready to roll in his first race at Chicagoland Speedway. Elliott held off Trevor Bayne to earn his third Nationwide Series win of the season Saturday night, putting the rookie on top of the standings. "We had an awesome race going," Elliott said. "I try to make the most of my practice laps. They gave me a good car. That gives me time to learn the track in practice." Elliott had a strong car all day long for JR Motorsports, qualifying third and leading a race-high 85 laps. Bayne tried to chase him down on fresh tires in the final laps, but ran out of time. "The gap was closing," Bayne said. "Probably 10 more laps, but well never know." Elliott, the son of former NASCAR champion Bill Elliott, also won in his first trips to Texas and Darlington this year. He leads the standings by seven points over Regan Smith. Chase Elliott said Smith and Kasey Kahne provided some importance advice about the track. "I did have some questions that I asked, and I definitely think that helped tonight," he said. "So thankful to have a couple great teammates and good to have something to lean back on with those guys." Kyle Larson was third, followed by Kahne and Ty Dillon to round out the top five. Brian Scott, who started on the pole, finished sixth and earned $100,000 in the second event of the four-race "Dash 4 Cash" bonus program. Kahne and Larson were the lone Sprint Cup regulars in the field on an off weekend for NASCARs top series. Everyone comes back to Chicagoland in September on the same weekend that the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship begins at the 1.dddddddddddd52-mile oval. The night began with a pair of Richard Childress Racing teammates in front after Scott and Dillon had the best showing in qualifying. It was Scotts second pole of the season and No. 4 for his career. He won his first Nationwide Series pole at Chicagoland on Sept. 17, 2011. Scott led for 20 laps before Elliott moved in front. Erik Jones finished seventh in his Nationwide debut, driving Joe Gibbs Racings No. 20 Toyota. The 18-year-old Jones won the Truck Series race last week at Iowa in the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota he shares with Busch. Jones also won a Truck race last year in Phoenix. Jones is expected to make two more Nationwide starts in Matt Kenseths car this season. "It was definitely a learning experience for me and everybody involved," he said. "I feel like I learned a lot the whole night and really picked up on some things that will help me through the next couple." Jones got some advice from Busch in preparation for his first run in the series. "A lot of what we talked about was working through traffic and it definitely helped out," Jones said. "It was something I was able to apply right away tonight and use to my advantage." Smith, who led the series standings by eight points over Elliott Sadler coming into the day, started 15th after a disappointing qualifying session, and it just got worse during the race. He never got into the mix on his way to 16th place. It was similar to last year, when Smith was on top of the series heading into the first stop at Chicagoland, and then slid into the infield on Lap 129 and finished 13th. He had the same finish in the September race at the same track. ' ' '