Le'Veon Bell

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

McCullers' big ass needs to be gone after this season; dude is absolutely worthless

Agreed. Walton has been taking more snaps inside over McCullers. Made no sense for them to keep McCullers over Harrison. But I think that had more to do with Harrison requesting his release and the Steelers finally giving in.

 

[Ojb81]

Agreed. Walton has been taking more snaps inside over McCullers. Made no sense for them to keep McCullers over Harrison. But I think that had more to do with Harrison requesting his release and the Steelers finally giving in.

damn shame, too. when they first drafted him, i was immediately hopeful that such a massive behemoth would become a one-man wrecking crew on opposing interior offensive lines and become a star in this league. so much for that thought.

 

[redseat]

Rapaport is always the first to take a dive on speculation. He doesn't care how big of a schmuck he makes himself look because his employers only care about 'click counts' & publicity, whether its negative or positive.

Gotta love the media

Media just like to rile up people and be the "first" even though they don't have any confirmation

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Media just like to rile up people and be the "first" even though they don't have any confirmation

Exactly. Love how they always say, "sources" as if that is some sort of get-out-of-jail-free card.

 

[redseat]

Exactly. Love how they always say, "sources" as if that is some sort of get-out-of-jail-free card.

and that is how he gets away with it. And we all know no reporter has to revile said "sources"

I can be a reporter as well,

"My sources tell me Matt Patricia will be the next Lions coach, Josh McDaniels is an alien and BB will retire before next weekend"

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

and that is how he gets away with it. And we all know no reporter has to revile said "sources"

I can be a reporter as well,

"My sources tell me Matt Patricia will be the next Lions coach, Josh McDaniels is an alien and BB will retire before next weekend"

lol. If only we could get paid to spew bullshit like that!

Sources are telling me that my lower colon is going to regret the spicy mexican food I ate last night...

 

[redseat]

lol. If only we could get paid to spew bullshit like that!

Sources are telling me that my lower colon is going to regret the spicy mexican food I ate last night...

That would be awesome!

Being a Reporter or a weather person are two jobs you never actually have to be right and still keep your job!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

That would be awesome!

Being a Reporter or a weather person are two jobs you never actually have to be right and still keep your job!

So true. Imagine if we got paid 6-figures to get our job right only 10-20% of the time? What a life.

 

[redseat]

So true. Imagine if we got paid 6-figures to get our job right only 10-20% of the time? What a life.

and only work like what boils down to a week of work in a month

 

[thedddd]

That would be awesome!

Being a Reporter or a weather person are two jobs you never actually have to be right and still keep your job!

Or Mel Kiper

 

[redseat]

Or Mel Kiper

But But But But he has "sources"

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Being the most successful media reporter nowadays just means your spewing the most controversial bullshit out there. Like I said, clicks & publicity driven.

 

[Yo Tee]

My sources tell me that JuJu Smith-Schuster is gonna have a big game today.

 

[Southieinnc]

Le’Veon Bell already looking ahead to rematch with Patriots

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Le’Veon Bell already looking ahead to rematch with Patriots

Guess he's looking forward to 2018 already?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Well Steelers Nation... Seems like the Steelers & Bell are at the crossroads again. Part 2 if you will. Curious to hear what yinz think about the situation. I think its safe to say we can count Terry in the "sign him at whatever cost" boat. Does anyone else think he's worth it?

Just a quick recap of the Bell saga in Pittsburgh:

Injuries:
Aug 2013: Mid-foot sprain (Lisfranc) during rookie preseason. 13 games played in '13 season.
Dec 2014: Hyperextended knee during final game of season prior to playoffs. 16 games played in '14 season.
Nov 2015: Suffered season-ending knee injury. 6 games played in '15 season.
Jan 2017: Suffered groin injury during AFCCG. 12 games played in '16 season (3 game suspension & 1 coach rested starters)

Incidents timeline:
Aug 2014: Arrested for DUI with LeGarrette Blount while driving to the airport before a preseason game.
Sept. 2015: Suspended 2 games for '14 DUI incident.
Dec. 2015: Missed drug tests that were part of his league-mandated substance-abuse protocol.
Sept. 2016: Suspended 3 games for drug test violations.
Jul. 2017: Bell (reportedly) personally rejects Steelers $12mil per year offer after his agent accepted it.
Aug. 2017: Fails to report to training camp. Held out all of TC & entire preseason.
Jan. 2018: (Reportedly) Blew off final walk-through before the divisional round playoff game. This coming after reports surfaced from Rapaport that the Steelers were intending to tag Bell, yet again, even though he threatened the team during the practice week about the possibility of him sitting out the entire 2018 season.
_____________________________________________________________

My thoughts... I don't think any of us can argue that the on-field product is golden. In 62 games the guy is averaging around 130 yards from scrimmage (86 rushing, 43 receiving). He's one of the biggest impact players in the league and the offense is easily more dynamic & explosive with him on the field. The guy has been routinely putting his name in the record books. But still, the guy has a lot of red flags that are hard to ignore. Not to mention the argument of shear volume of work behind a top 5 O-line has merit. Not saying anyone can replicate Bell's numbers, just that the team is capable of winning without Bell. In today's NFL you don't necessarily need pro-bowl caliber players at every skill position to win a Superbowl. I see the pro's & the cons to keeping or letting Le'Veon walk. Cap is extremely tight this offseason and there will need to be some fat trimmed off the bone in order for him to get signed. The franchise tender alone is $14.5mil (+$2.5mil from last season).

What I expect to happen... The Steelers will play hardball again and test Bell. I think the exclusive tag will be placed and the Steelers will attempt to offer him another contract in spite of the tag, but that is only if he complies with them. If he refuses to sign the tag then I don't expect the Steelers to budge. They'll let him sit out as long as he wants. The Rooney's have never given in to players that make outright demands like Bell has. He has already put himself on very thin ice in Pittsburgh so I don't expect the Steelers to be forthcoming about these negotiations. Bell did start out the offseason on the right foot though by clearly indicating to the media that he desires to stay in Pittsburgh. He didn't leave any strings attached to that statement either. Glad he was able to cut the bullshit even after something was amiss when he "blew off" the final practice. If the reports of the tag are true, then Bell could go a long ways towards securing his desires & helping the contract talks if he simply signs the tag.

Bell said he was not concerned about making the most money possible, but instead wanted to be paid in relation with his value to the team, reportedly saying, "I just want to be valued where I'm at" and "Just get the numbers straight, exactly where we want them. I'm not going to settle for anything. I know what I do and what I bring to the table. I'm not going out here getting the ball 400 times if I'm not getting what I feel I'm valued at."

What I want to happen... To be clear. I want them to sign Bell even though I have made my peace about him possibly not being here. Like I said, pro's & cons to either side but I think those pro's to keeping him far outweigh the cons. Sure he's a prima-donna that is borderline toxic given his reputation with the media & all his social-media nonsense. But contract disputes aside, the guy seems a lot more dedicated to the game and his marijuana BS is behind him. I think if he gets the contract he wants then the BS will subside and he'll be the team player they want him to be. Sure there's a lot of risk involved, whether its drama or injuries or other BS, but a player of his talent is a once-in-a-decade type talent. Players that come in and change the game don't come around very often. I would hate to see that go. But I have a hard time seeing Bell signing the tag again. Barring a complete 180, I think Bell will drag his feet yet again and make it appear that he will holdout again, in hopes that it will push the Steelers to sign him.

Got a notification on my cell this morning from NFL.com about Rapaport spouting off again over Bell's contrat situation. Watched the video, and he's sticking to his previous claims about the Steelers being expected to tag him again. He took it one step further though and stated "the Steelers are not expected to negotiate with Le'Veon Bell until after he signs the franchise tag". Things are about to start heating up!

 

[Bridgeburner]

I'm really not sure how I feel. I think they made him a fair offer and he acted offended by it. So... what will it take?

 

[Bridgeburner]

He irritates the fuck out of me. But I think you nailed it in saying generational talents that change the game don't grow on trees. Pay the man.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

@Bridgeburner

One thing I forgot to mention is how I think the timing could be right to push that money. Sucks tying it up into the RB position that nobody else has done, but signing Bell will go a long ways towards providing some sort of stability or backbone to the offense for when Ben retires. And when Ben does retire, that frees up a ton of cap room. And if they do find a franchise QB, they can ride out his rookie deal. By the time that new QB needs a contract, Bell's career will probably coming to a close, as will his beefy contract. That's why I think the timing is right.

Plus the NFL salary cap keeps getting bumps every year. Just look at how it has changed:

Year - Maximum team salary
2017 - $167 million
2016 - $155.27 million
2015 - $143.28 million
2014 - $133 million
2013 - $123 million

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the league-wide unadjusted team salary cap is due to increase again in 2018 — which signals another bump in overall league revenue. Although the official number won’t be released for a few months, the projected range is reportedly between $174.2M and $178.1M — an increase of 4.31-6.65% from this season’s $167M team cap figure.

That $10mil bump for 2018 could be this team's salvation towards signing Bell long-term.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

But that bump probably took a hit this year. It is based off of a projected revenue and we know that the NFL's ratings dropped this season which could affect it. All that sitting for the anthem BS really fucked up the NFL's image. Couple that with a degraded product (AFC alone was a shitshow this year).