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Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 11:07 AM
1037367877987459078

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 11:08 AM
I ain't even mad anymore. I think if he tries pulling this they seriously should consider rescinding the tag. This is probably a huge distraction to the team and honestly I'm comfortable with Conner / Ridley at this point.

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 11:10 AM
No Bell=Less drama for the steelers who is a good thing


I ain't even mad anymore. I think if he tries pulling this they seriously should consider rescinding the tag. This is probably a huge distraction to the team and honestly I'm comfortable with Conner / Ridley at this point.

That's what Bell wants

But if Bell is not in the locker room, it's not a distraction

I don't want that Bell play another snap with the steelers.

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 11:13 AM
No Bell=Less drama for the steelers who is a good thing



That's what Bell wants

But if Bell is not in the locker room, it's not a distraction

I don't want that Bell play another snap with the steelers.

True. Maybe give him the Marcus Allen treatment lol

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 11:16 AM
True. Maybe give him the Marcus Allen treatment lol

What was the Marcus Allen treatment?

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 11:20 AM
https://www.steelernation.com/bells-agent-read-between-the-lines/ (https://www.steelernation.com/bells-agent-read-between-the-lines/)

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listen and read between the lines I guess

steelreserve
09-05-2018, 11:26 AM
He actually does that, then wait until Week 8 or so and then pull it. Don't do it now and free him up to seek his big deal with another team, which may be exactly what he is trying to do.

My other theory is that maybe he really did spend all summer dicking around, and is just now realizing that he's in no shape to play running back, and will not get a huge contract if he shows up being fat and slow and gaining 21 yards on 19 carries. Or maybe as someone else said, didn't give himself enough lead time to quit smoking weed, and needs another month to avoid failing a drug test and costing himself the big contract.

Either way, if any of this is remotely true, then fuck it, we just have to plan for him not being here.

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 11:28 AM
What was the Marcus Allen treatment?

Let him ride the bench basically and then trade him at the end of the season, I think he had problems with the front office at oakland and had a problem playing behind bo jackson or something. FO refused to trade him even though he asked a bunch of times

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 11:29 AM
Let him ride the bench basically and then trade him at the end of the season, I think he had problems with the front office at oakland and had a problem playing behind bo jackson or something. FO refused to trade him even though he asked a bunch of times

This is the thing to do with Bell too...Let him ride the bench if he comeback in week 10!

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 11:37 AM
This is the thing to do with Bell too...Let him ride the bench if he comeback in week 10!


if he doesn't show up till week 10 , I rescind the tag face to face when he does show up or I have a deal in place with another teams when he signs it we ship him to you for " fill in the blank " as long as it is a 3rd rounder or above

smokin3000gt
09-05-2018, 11:42 AM
If he waits until wk10 to come back and he gets benched for the rest of the season, does he still get his game check?

AtlantaDan
09-05-2018, 11:50 AM
Steelers may have blown this - tie up $14 million in cap space on Bell while you wait for him to show up rather than cut ties after the 2017 season and use the $$$ to address needs

If Bell shows up in November he will do all he can to avoid seeing the field after he reports

In terms of the most hated athletes in Pittsburgh history it is shaping up to be the killer Bs - Bell & Barry Bonds (who also never won a championship)

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 11:51 AM
If he waits until wk10 to come back and he gets benched for the rest of the season, does he still get his game check?

yes he is paid once he is activated ( beyond any exemptions )

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 11:59 AM
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1037384348180340736

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 12:07 PM
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86WARD
09-05-2018, 12:19 PM
Fuck that. Let him show up Week 10 and then run the shit out of him and his “fresh legs” until he hoists that trophy!

lt194camaroz
09-05-2018, 12:21 PM
With the recent capspace we've cleared I would be giving demarco Murray a call. I know hes retired but I think that was more bc he didn't have any offers from any contenders. It wasn't too long ago that he was putting up stats that compared to Leveon. Maybe I'm crazy but he would be a good insurance policy for if connor doesn't impress and it makes bell not showing up sting less. I'm with everyone on Bell having lost a step and isnt what he used to be, hes still very very good and someone will pay him what he wants but I think hes gonna be on the downside of his career with all the touches hes had. It would be nice to have him this last year but we dont need him to still be good enough on offense. The defense is going to be what makes or breaks us in all honesty.

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 12:26 PM
Fuck that. Let him show up Week 10 and then run the shit out of him and his “fresh legs” until he hoists that trophy!

problem with that is , its assuming he won't quit or half ass it at a crucial point in a game ... I no longer trust him to " give it his all "

be gone with your dumb ass self bell I am D-O-N-E

Iron Steeler
09-05-2018, 12:29 PM
So how will the depth chart go without bell?

Conner 1
Samuels 2
Ridley 3

?

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 12:35 PM
So how will the depth chart go without bell?

Conner 1
Samuels 2
Ridley 3

?

Ridley over Samuels, IMO. And Conner is definitely the #1

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People who picked up Conner in fantasy be like

https://i.giphy.com/media/y8mThMjGBrQpG/giphy.webp

86WARD
09-05-2018, 12:41 PM
problem with that is , its assuming he won't quit or half ass it at a crucial point in a game ... I no longer trust him to " give it his all "

be gone with your dumb ass self bell I am D-O-N-E

You’d think you’d be able to see that and that could hurt his value...you’d think...but I get what you are saying. I wouldn’t rescind the tag I’d just wear him down. He wants you to bench him to save wear and tear on his body or better yet, you release him and the Patriots, Eagles, Packers, etc. sign him for a playoff run. Nope. I use him to death and save Conner so he’s healthy for the run...

Iron Steeler
09-05-2018, 12:44 PM
Ridley over Samuels, IMO. And Conner is definitely the #1

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People who picked up Conner in fantasy be like

https://i.giphy.com/media/y8mThMjGBrQpG/giphy.webp

Hahaha caught me... Dude I wish.. I was going to wait until this morning to see if Lev offically misses the last day before it dips into his wallet.

Someone got conner last night.

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 12:45 PM
You’d think you’d be able to see that and that could hurt his value...you’d think...but I get what you are saying.


he isnt a smart guy ...

he is all about the money , yet is willing to leave 8.55 million on the table ...

so basically he will have to get a deal in FA worth 9 million more over a 1 year shorter term to equal what he could have got form the steelers ... that simply put is not going to happen esp with 1 more year passing by ( father time slowly but surely making his mark )

steelreserve
09-05-2018, 12:56 PM
he isnt a smart guy ...

he is all about the money , yet is willing to leave 8.55 million on the table ...

so basically he will have to get a deal in FA worth 9 million more over a 1 year shorter term to equal what he could have got form the steelers ... that simply put is not going to happen esp with 1 more year passing by ( father time slowly but surely making his mark )

This same thing came up last year, as well as the year before with someone else who was threatening to sit out the whole season (don't remember whether it was the Steelers or a different team). There is a very strong mathematical case that it is basically impossible to leave that amount of money on the table and make it back on your next contract, or even over the course of your whole career. You certainly won't exceed it, and would need to be very lucky just to break even.

Even if you do get a giant deal - what's to say you wouldn't have gotten the same deal if you would have played and collected your franchise tag money also? Or an even bigger contract if you'd played and put up big numbers?

But, his last name isn't Bell-Einstein for nothing.

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 01:01 PM
1037398008529178624

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 01:02 PM
he isnt a smart guy ...

he is all about the money , yet is willing to leave 8.55 million on the table ...

so basically he will have to get a deal in FA worth 9 million more over a 1 year shorter term to equal what he could have got form the steelers ... that simply put is not going to happen esp with 1 more year passing by ( father time slowly but surely making his mark )

Not only that, but if he thinks he's getting a bigger contract than Gurley, he's smoking rocks. Gurley set the ceiling on RB contracts, since he's the #1 RB in the league. Why would anyone give him better than #1 RB money for less production?

86WARD
09-05-2018, 01:02 PM
Hahaha caught me... Dude I wish.. I was going to wait until this morning to see if Lev offically misses the last day before it dips into his wallet.

Someone got conner last night.

I drafted Conner in the 12th round of my first draft.

lt194camaroz
09-05-2018, 01:07 PM
Hes available in my league........I'm 1st on the waiver order so my claim is already put in. Shitty part is Bell was the 1st player taken bc of ESPN's ranking system and the person that had the #1 pick wasnt active for the draft so it autopicked leveon

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 01:07 PM
I drafted Conner in the 12th round of my first draft.

Yeah my brother said in his league he got snagged in a late round too. Might end up paying off.

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 01:07 PM
1037398008529178624


they can rescind it at any time up until he actually signs it ....

but if he isnt showing up may as well just keep those game checks towards next years cap and once he signs trade him and get something ...

if we rescind now we will not get any compensation when he signs elsewhere so get compensation from someone else for giving them early negotiation privileges and a chance for him to learn the systems prior to 2019 .... problem is the bigger a dick he proves to be the less inclined other teams may be to pony up much for his rights to service and early negotiation time .... they may feel as though its a short term rental with little chance a long term contract based on his actions with the steelers in the negotiation process

Shoes
09-05-2018, 01:08 PM
Flush him like a turd.

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 01:12 PM
Not only that, but if he thinks he's getting a bigger contract than Gurley, he's smoking rocks. Gurley set the ceiling on RB contracts, since he's the #1 RB in the league. Why would anyone give him better than #1 RB money for less production?

It just takes a dumb team to do that and I think the dolphins are going to sign Bell next year and they're going to regret it like Mike Wallace.

silver & black
09-05-2018, 01:13 PM
Let him ride the bench basically and then trade him at the end of the season, I think he had problems with the front office at oakland and had a problem playing behind bo jackson or something. FO refused to trade him even though he asked a bunch of times

There was a bit more to it than that. Rumor has it that Allen was messing around with the wrong woman. Al was very loyal... and very vindictive when he felt disrespected.

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 01:19 PM
1037403666095910912

BlackAndGold
09-05-2018, 01:30 PM
Well is he isn't going to be traded since the trade deadline is before week 10.

James is ready.

steelreserve
09-05-2018, 01:30 PM
they can rescind it at any time up until he actually signs it ....

but if he isnt showing up may as well just keep those game checks towards next years cap and once he signs trade him and get something ...

if we rescind now we will not get any compensation when he signs elsewhere so get compensation from someone else for giving them early negotiation privileges and a chance for him to learn the systems prior to 2019 .... problem is the bigger a dick he proves to be the less inclined other teams may be to pony up much for his rights to service and early negotiation time .... they may feel as though its a short term rental with little chance a long term contract based on his actions with the steelers in the negotiation process


At some point, the equation becomes "what more could we get with the money, than we would be likely to get with the 3rd-round comp pick if he does show up and leaves in the offseason." Ironically, that gap becomes smaller and smaller the further into the season this goes. Either way, even if he sat out the full 10 weeks and we had the choice of rescinding the tag and saving $5 million, or allowing him to sign and get a 3rd-rounder two years from now ... we could still get a player who was equal or better for the $5 million than whoever we'd be likely to draft between the 3rd and 4th rounds. And we'd be getting an established NFL player, not a lottery ticket.

Also, the longer the season goes on, the less it would cost someone for a short-term rental and the more likely a sign-and-trade opens up.

I think the real reason is either more like what you said - he miscalculated how far in advance he needed to stop smoking weed - or my latest theory that he just now realized how out of shape he is. And either one of those would send his future value plummeting if he showed up that way now.

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 01:31 PM
There was a bit more to it than that. Rumor has it that Allen was messing around with the wrong woman. Al was very loyal... and very vindictive when he felt disrespected.

Oh yeah, that'd get you in the doghouse haha. I wasn't sure of specifics, all I know is the reporters kept talking about how unhappy he was with his situation, but Al Davis kept tormenting him by keeping him on the bench and refusing to trade him. But from a fan's perspective, how do you put Bo on the bench for anybody? That dude was a BEAST. Still to this day, I don't think I've ever seen a RB with more raw talent than Bo. Well maybe other than Barry.

BlackAndGold
09-05-2018, 01:32 PM
If Bell wants to be traded and they can get a young LB, they should bounce on it, but it's not how the Steelers do business.

I would be down to trade Bell to the 49ers for Reuben Foster.


But Imo he'll re think about holding out once he starts losing money.

steel striker
09-05-2018, 01:44 PM
I had a feeling something like this was coming down the pike and, it's a shame Bell is more like Revis all about the money. I get it he is the best RB in the NFL and, I'm starting to think he is wearing down already. I still think he has a few good seasons left and, unless your a QB or kicker it's a younger man's game!

cold-hard-steel
09-05-2018, 01:46 PM
Trade em for a six pack ! It don't even have to be cold . (Buddy Ryan concerning Earnest Jackson).

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 01:49 PM
I had a feeling something like this was coming down the pike and, it's a shame Bell is more like Revis all about the money. I get it he is the best RB in the NFL and, I'm starting to think he is wearing down already. I still think he has a few good seasons left and, unless your a QB or kicker it's a younger man's game!

Revis was lucky to have an incompetent team like the jets that fed his ego .... I am convinced that if Revis would have been drafted by the steelers in 2007 and that he holdout during the 2010 training camp, he would never have the generous contract that Revis had after.

Sometimes, the chemistry is more important than the talents.....

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 01:54 PM
At some point, the equation becomes "what more could we get with the money, than we would be likely to get with the 3rd-round comp pick if he does show up and leaves in the offseason." Ironically, that gap becomes smaller and smaller the further into the season this goes. Either way, even if he sat out the full 10 weeks and we had the choice of rescinding the tag and saving $5 million, or allowing him to sign and get a 3rd-rounder two years from now ... we could still get a player who was equal or better for the $5 million than whoever we'd be likely to draft between the 3rd and 4th rounds. And we'd be getting an established NFL player, not a lottery ticket.

Also, the longer the season goes on, the less it would cost someone for a short-term rental and the more likely a sign-and-trade opens up.

I think the real reason is either more like what you said - he miscalculated how far in advance he needed to stop smoking weed - or my latest theory that he just now realized how out of shape he is. And either one of those would send his future value plummeting if he showed up that way now.

I get it , but how do you trust him to be that player and not a player playing tentatively who is looking out for himself more so than the team in the moment ?

will he lower that shoulder for that extra yard when you have to have it or look to step out of bounds a half yard short and forcing a punt

if Conner is playing strong the decision is simple ( for me anyways ) Trade Bell and get something for 2019 instead of keeping him and letting him walk and in 2020 getting a 3rd round pick

steelreserve
09-05-2018, 02:10 PM
I get it , but how do you trust him to be that player and not a player playing tentatively who is looking out for himself more so than the team in the moment ?

will he lower that shoulder for that extra yard when you have to have it or look to step out of bounds a half yard short and forcing a punt

if Conner is playing strong the decision is simple ( for me anyways ) Trade Bell and get something for 2019 instead of keeping him and letting him walk and in 2020 getting a 3rd round pick

No, you misunderstood, I didn't mean Bell would be that better player for $5 million/6 games, I meant even if rescinding the tag only saved us $5 million at that point, we could get a better free agent with that than we could draft with the comp pick.

I am not counting on anything more out of Bell - if this is true, he has quite likely checked out mentally already, and if/when he does return to the team it'll be a joke.

He's not there within a week or two and in top condition, you basically have to treat it as if he's not going to be on the team anymore, and do what you can to set yourself yp well for the future.

DesertSteel
09-05-2018, 02:13 PM
There's no need to rescind tag unless he shows up to sign and you decide you don't want him. His holdout is for the purpose of getting the rescind so he can sign his big deal elsewhere. I don't believe his strategy is to save his body. That may be all he gets out of it, but he wants out and is trying to force the Steelers hand.

The Gurley deal and the Mack deal are serving as his inspiration.

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I am looking forward to Conner playing maybe more than any player in recent history. I hope he blows it up with a huge day.

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 02:15 PM
Revis was lucky to have an incompetent team like the jets that fed his ego .... I am convinced that if Revis would have been drafted by the steelers in 2007 and that he holdout during the 2010 training camp, he would never have the generous contract that Revis had after.

Sometimes, the chemistry is more important than the talents.....

I agree 100% Although at this point in their careers, Bell is probably the better RB still, I would feel nervous if he was coming straight into the lineup and starting vs Cleveland. He's taken 0 snaps with the starting offense in training camp, preseason, and practice. If he were to start, the struggles he faced early in the year last season would without a doubt, happen all over again. Conner however, has been putting in the work and busting his tail.

Factor in that this year, we have a different OC, so there was probably more than just minor changes with how the offense is run. Conner has been on the ship for the entire offseason, and is more likely to be on the same page as the rest of the offense. Honestly I think he gives us a better chance of winning this game by being in there, opposed to having Bell in there.

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 02:19 PM
There's no need to rescind tag unless he shows up to sign and you decide you don't want him. His holdout is for the purpose of getting the rescind so he can sign his big deal elsewhere. I don't believe his strategy is to save his body. That may be all he gets out of it, but he wants out and is trying to force the Steelers hand.

The Gurley deal and the Mack deal are serving as his inspiration.

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I am looking forward to Conner playing maybe more than any player in recent history. I hope he blows it up with a huge day.

that is why If it was my decision , I do not rescind ( after much thought ) ... I keep making the money back each week he does not show up and once he does I let him sign and then I control his destiny to a new team and you can damn sure bet it is to a shit show team for the remainder of the season and I spend the draft pick in 2019 instead of waiting to 2020 for a comp pick

AtlantaDan
09-05-2018, 02:22 PM
The Gurley deal and the Mack deal are serving as his inspiration.

:iagree:

In these comments by Bell's agent Adisa Bakari today I am guessing he was referring by implication to those two mega-deals, one of which involved the market rate for RBs blowing up and the other involving an All Pro forcing a trade

[The interviewer] then pointed out that Bakari said "barring something exceptional" Bell would have the same plan as he did in 2017.

"Well there you go," Bakari said. "We had something exceptional to occur."

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/leveon-bells-agent-explains-why-steelers-rb-is-holding-out-how-much-time-he-might-miss/

Of course Gurley and Mack are in their primes - as has been posted here repeatedly, given past performances by RBs Bell is at the end of his

ALLD
09-05-2018, 02:22 PM
Bell is NOT Walter Payton. Bell is an excellent back, but much of his success can be attributed to the Steelers system. Let's see how many games he can win with his legs next season. My instincts say he is worth 2 victories on a crappy team which is not worth $19m.

He needs to man up and report if he can play without issue, otherwise Bell is a douchebag.

Craic
09-05-2018, 02:27 PM
1037386455901974529

Nice thought, but can't do it. There is a two week gap in the calendar between the last day for trades and the last day to sign the franchise tag. So, Bell signs, there's nothing that can be done but let him sit on the bench.

86WARD
09-05-2018, 02:28 PM
1037383552911003648

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1037384348180340736

Gilbert’s response was great.

AtlantaDan
09-05-2018, 02:32 PM
Bell is NOT Walter Payton. Bell is an excellent back, but much of his success can be attributed to the Steelers system. Let's see how many games he can win with his legs next season. My instincts say he is worth 2 victories on a crappy team which is not worth $19m.

Agreed - running backs simply do not make the difference QBs and receivers do based on the data

https://media.profootballfocus.com/2018/07/Steelers-with-without-Bell2-768x432.jpg

There is a definite bump with Bell on the field, but it’s not what makes this offense truly elite as evidenced by the much higher Wins Above Replacement numbers for both Roethlisberger and Brown (Brown is about 9.0 WAR above Bell since 2013, while Roethlisberger is about 18.0).

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-what-is-leveon-bells-true-value

The Steelers are about to run an on the field lab experiment to verify whether that is correct in 2018 as well

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 02:35 PM
Nice thought, but can't do it. There is a two week gap in the calendar between the last day for trades and the last day to sign the franchise tag. So, Bell signs, there's nothing that can be done but let him sit on the bench.

completely forgot about trade deadline

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 02:36 PM
Agreed - running backs simply do not make the difference QBs and receivers do based on the data

https://media.profootballfocus.com/2018/07/Steelers-with-without-Bell2-768x432.jpg

There is a definite bump with Bell on the field, but it’s not what makes this offense truly elite as evidenced by the much higher Wins Above Replacement numbers for both Roethlisberger and Brown (Brown is about 9.0 WAR above Bell since 2013, while Roethlisberger is about 18.0).

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-what-is-leveon-bells-true-value

The Steelers are about to run an on the field lab experiment to verify whether that is correct in 2018 as well

Thank you for posting this

Second half of the season in 2015 was our peak on offense and it was with DeAngelo Williams as RB.

The Steelers only need a above average RB to have success on offense

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 02:39 PM
1037413401251721217

steelreserve
09-05-2018, 02:46 PM
One other thing - I do not know if we would be able to prevent him from signing the tag if he decides to, unless we already pulled it preemptively.

In other words, since we've already made the offer, at any moment he could sign it and turn it in to the league and there's nothing we can do about it, he's under contract from that instant and it's fully guaranteed. And the only way to prevent that would be if we withdrew it ahead of time (the nuclear option).

I ask this because I swear I've heard of contracts being offered and sitting there, and then the player just signs it and his agent faxes it to the league office. (Including one famous case where the Browns, or maybe the Broncos, had a contract voided because it got faxed to the league 5 minutes after the deadline).

So bottom line, I don't think the player actually has to "come in" and sign the contract, and we can turn him away at the door. It may be a game of chicken where he can make the decision at any time, and we only get one guess. If anyone knows the answer for certain, that would sure help.

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 02:54 PM
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Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 02:58 PM
1037427871457927171

:rofl2::rofl2::rofl2::rofl2:

Craic
09-05-2018, 03:04 PM
It's a shame though, because I'd sure be tempted to do it.

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 03:06 PM
1037428851335413765

DesertSteel
09-05-2018, 03:09 PM
With Bell out, maybe we won't be able to go as far in the playoffs as we have with him playing...


Oh wait.....
:asskick:

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 03:11 PM
1037428851335413765

Yeah, he's not being a distraction alright... But Foster is correct.

tube517
09-05-2018, 03:14 PM
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polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 03:15 PM
1037431383180931072

1037431613272084491

steelreserve
09-05-2018, 03:16 PM
... But I thought in any contract dispute, the players immediately closed ranks and backed their comrade to the hilt? :noidea:

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 03:17 PM
1037427328090103808

tube517
09-05-2018, 03:17 PM
https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/40980488_2072212319503559_1607360397784907776_n.jp g?_nc_cat=0&oh=ff0375c1e563f0388a1536eb6e2c390c&oe=5C316140

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 03:19 PM
1037434274784399360

tube517
09-05-2018, 03:19 PM
https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/40906722_1106422889513231_9202286985836756992_n.jp g?_nc_cat=0&oh=04c9188db8a823803997044092a7e6f6&oe=5BF0819A

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 03:19 PM
https://steelersdepot.com/2018/09/steelers-linemen-pissed-with-bell-heres-a-guy-who-doesnt-give-a-damn/

Too much to quote here. Holy F, things just got real. Pouncey and Foster basically going off on Bell

https://steelersdepot.com/2018/09/steelers-linemen-pissed-with-bell-heres-a-guy-who-doesnt-give-a-damn/https://i.giphy.com/media/pUeXcg80cO8I8/giphy.webp

BlackAndGold
09-05-2018, 03:22 PM
Gotta move him. Players are officially pissed off.

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 03:22 PM
... But I thought in any contract dispute, the players immediately closed ranks and backed their comrade to the hilt? :noidea:

I think it's safe to say that this is a unique situation. It's not like Bell was getting a lowball contract. This would have made him the highest paid back (prior to the gurley contract) by a pretty large margin. He was a fool not to take it, and is now paying the price.

Not to mention that he handled the situation like a damn child (twitter posts, and incredibly wack rap songs that 'targeted' the Steeler fanbase and organization). If he did it with more dignity, maybe his linemen wouldn't be fed up with him.

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 03:23 PM
Holdout this is one thing, it's another thing of holdout when you can have 14 million in one year and that the steelers had offered 70 million and 33 million guaranteed

I have no problem he refuses this contract, but his lack of respect is another thing ...

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 03:28 PM
1037313092001128449

ALLD
09-05-2018, 03:28 PM
I bet the Steelers are already shopping him. It will be 50/50 if he ever plays another snap for the Steelers if he is not in camp this week.

AtlantaDan
09-05-2018, 03:28 PM
https://steelersdepot.com/2018/09/steelers-linemen-pissed-with-bell-heres-a-guy-who-doesnt-give-a-damn/

Too much to quote here. Holy F, things just got real. Pouncey and Foster basically going off on Bell

https://steelersdepot.com/2018/09/steelers-linemen-pissed-with-bell-heres-a-guy-who-doesnt-give-a-damn/https://i.giphy.com/media/pUeXcg80cO8I8/giphy.webp

Yikes - with all his screwups even Bryant did not bring down that volume of fire (although letting loose now might also be in part for what was not said during Bell's prior no shows for drug suspensions)

Provides some context for Ben saying earlier today nobody is more important than the O-linemen

Do not get on the wrong side of these men :chuckle:

steelreserve
09-05-2018, 03:34 PM
I think it's safe to say that this is a unique situation. It's not like Bell was getting a lowball contract. This would have made him the highest paid back (prior to the gurley contract) by a pretty large margin. He was a fool not to take it, and is now paying the price.

Not to mention that he handled the situation like a damn child (twitter posts, and incredibly wack rap songs that 'targeted' the Steeler fanbase and organization). If he did it with more dignity, maybe his linemen wouldn't be fed up with him.


It was more referring to some comments to that effect that a couple of people had made in another thread ... regular contract disputes may be one thing, everyone understands it's a business, etc., etc. - but this has crossed the line into something different.



Holdout this is one thing, it's another thing of holdout when you can have 14 million in one year and that the steelers had offered 70 million and 33 million guaranteed

I have no problem he refuses this contract, but his lack of respect is another thing ...


The really dumb part of this is, he literally cannot gain any money at all by holding out. As in, prohibited from negotiating a new contract until after the season. There was no point to it other than to be a jerk.

Obviously, the point now is to get the tag revoked and secure his free agency. His agent probably loves that the players are unhappy with him, kind of leaves the team over a barrel and forces them to think about ways to move him.

Personally - if he signs the deal, use the two-week roster exemption to avoid paying him, deactivate him without pay for the following four weeks for not being ready (the max you are allowed to by league rule), then see if anyone will trade for him. Or if he doesn't sign, pull the offer the week before the trade deadline if we can't find anyone - otherwise the day after it passes is when he'll sign it and collect what he can.

Maybe he solves the whole thing for us by failing another drug test; one can always dream.

Steeldude
09-05-2018, 03:35 PM
Can they suspend him without pay when he comes back in week 10?

BlackAndGold
09-05-2018, 03:37 PM
Can they suspend him without pay when he comes back in week 10?

He won't be getting paid at all since he has not signed his tag. He loses money every game he holds out.

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 03:38 PM
Can they suspend him without pay when he comes back in week 10?

I don't think that the steelers can do it.

AtlantaDan
09-05-2018, 03:40 PM
Can they suspend him without pay when he comes back in week 10?

Not for not signing the tag earlier. The league assumed nobody could afford to not sign until week 10 in order to get a year vested to hit free agency but the CBA provides for that.


He won't be getting paid at all since he has not signed his tag. He loses money every game he holds out.

It's arguably game theory - by reducing the chance of an injury by playing fewer games and reducing wear and tear he will increase the chance of getting a bigger free agency contract that makes up for the lost paychecks

Or it could just be a my **** is bigger than yours contest at this point for Bell in order to keep it real

DesertSteel
09-05-2018, 03:41 PM
Dang... where are all the posters who say the players understand and support him???

Ramon Foster on Bell: “He’s making 7 times what I make twice as much as Al (Villanueva) is making and we’re the guys who do it for him.”

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 03:42 PM
1037313092001128449


eyeofthestorm ( Craig ) is quite the guy ... he is currently scrambling for a size 52 Conner jersey before Sunday as he will be at the Cleveland game ...

- - - Updated - - -

1037439632554815491

tube517
09-05-2018, 03:44 PM
1037435484610457602


Defensive captain chimes in now.

Mojouw
09-05-2018, 03:44 PM
... But I thought in any contract dispute, the players immediately closed ranks and backed their comrade to the hilt? :noidea:

Right and now this has gotten beyond the normal course of things. Until he misses games, it largely doesn't matter. We will see. Right now everything is hypothetical and based on rumor and speculation.

To be clear, since it appears Bell is going to miss at least one game - I totally agree and understand why players no longer are in his corner. The Twitter comments all over the internet sum it up nicely. I would speculate that if he had made his stance clear from the beginning that he isn't coming in until X or Y or whatever -- the anger and resentment that he has now created among his teammates wouldn't have happened. For instance in the Donald holdout and the Mack holdout the past two seasons, both players were clear on what the conditions of their holdout were and when they would come in. Bell has now moved the goalposts at the 11th hour.

steelreserve
09-05-2018, 03:45 PM
Can they suspend him without pay when he comes back in week 10?

I believe you are allowed to deactivate a player without pay for up to four games if you deem he is not game-ready. After that, the reasoning goes, enough time should have passed for you to decide to activate him or make a roster move.

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 03:50 PM
Can they suspend him without pay when he comes back in week 10?

The team can suspend him but not without pay. That wouldn't help the team though, better to trade him than get into a d*ck measuring contest

AtlantaDan
09-05-2018, 03:50 PM
Right and now this has gotten beyond the normal course of things. Until he misses games, it largely doesn't matter. We will see. Right now everything is hypothetical and based on rumor and speculation.

Created by the agent who lit the match and then poured gas on the fire today with his comments

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 03:51 PM
1037440026710339592

Mojouw
09-05-2018, 03:54 PM
Created by the agent who lit the match and then poured gas on the fire today with his comments

I think his agent is a moron.

I also think that Colbert and the Steelers grossly underestimated the amount of guaranteed money that teams were going to start handing out due to projected cap increases over the remaining portion of the current CBA. Again, I am not arguing that they should have changed their final offer to Bell prior to the cessation of negotiations this off-season, but $10 million as the only guaranteed cash was seemingly low at the time and is now comically low. Bell and his agent are seemingly stuck on that issue and refuse to budge. From a business point of view, their argument makes some sense. From a PR point of view, they are cutting their nose off to spite their face.

86WARD
09-05-2018, 03:54 PM
I bet the Steelers are already shopping him. It will be 50/50 if he ever plays another snap for the Steelers if he is not in camp this week.

They can’t shop him unless he sign the tender before Oct 30

stillers4me
09-05-2018, 03:59 PM
1037437178857574400

stillers4me
09-05-2018, 04:03 PM
1037433376112889862

- - - Updated - - -

1037443765143826435

Bluecoat96
09-05-2018, 04:07 PM
- - - Updated - - -

I am looking forward to Conner playing maybe more than any player in recent history. I hope he blows it up with a huge day.

With as pissed as the OL seems, I think Conner will have a heck of a day



Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

pczach
09-05-2018, 04:13 PM
Dang... where are all the posters who say the players understand and support him???

Ramon Foster on Bell: “He’s making 7 times what I make twice as much as Al (Villanueva) is making and we’re the guys who do it for him.”



It's simple....Bell has crossed the line from a player just trying to get his.....to a guy that is perceived to be messing with his teammates lives.

His teammates had his back, and uniformly said they would welcome him back. Once you are on the clock preparing for the first regular season game, all players are supposed to rally around and it is all about football. His teammates did it for him. They supported him and told him to do what he had to do...the team would be waiting for him when the real bullets started flying. Well....the bullets are officially flying, and he has left his teammates hanging.

I'm sure that there have been some players from the team that stayed in contact with him. I'm sure there were some assurances from Bell that he would return in time to prepare for the first game. His teammates feel used and lied too.

With all his antics, tweets, videos, rants, rap songs, etc...….he has underestimated the wrath of the players on his own team. He started believing his own bullshit that he was above all this and better than everyone else. He now demonstrated to his team that he thinks he is above them too.

When you piss off entire locker rooms, you have officially entered territory where teams will build that risk into a contract offer. He may have just diminished his own value by going too far.

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 04:17 PM
1037430315495645186

steelreserve
09-05-2018, 04:19 PM
I think his agent is a moron.

I also think that Colbert and the Steelers grossly underestimated the amount of guaranteed money that teams were going to start handing out due to projected cap increases over the remaining portion of the current CBA. Again, I am not arguing that they should have changed their final offer to Bell prior to the cessation of negotiations this off-season, but $10 million as the only guaranteed cash was seemingly low at the time and is now comically low. Bell and his agent are seemingly stuck on that issue and refuse to budge. From a business point of view, their argument makes some sense. From a PR point of view, they are cutting their nose off to spite their face.


In terms of, "Is this contract offer ideal to me when I think other people will get more guaranteed money," then it makes sense.

In terms of, "Will this course of action actually help me to get more guaranteed money," then he is a moron.

Something that Bell-Einstein should have considered, in between his 18-hour shifts at the particle accelerator, is that on teams in the Steelers' situation, the big-money contracts all tend to become "guaranteed" anyway - because the team is always looking for a few extra million in cap room, and how they get it is by restructuring the big contracts. Your first couple years, you're uncuttable because the initial dead money from the signing bonus is too high; years 3-5 you're uncuttable because the dead money from the restructures is too high. Literally all he had to do is look around at every other $10M+ contract that the team has given out over the last decade; if it's not 100% of them, it's damn close. It's obvious to anyone but an idiot.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't most if not all of the big-money, guaranteed extensions get signed well after the July 16 deadline for Bell to negotiate? Gurley's definitely was; Donald's was ... I think it was only quarterbacks that were getting that before, and as we all know, they kind of have their own set of rules. So unless Bell and his agent had a crystal ball, I don't know if they could've been anticipating that. And I'll tell you what, they sure don't look like the kind of people who have a crystal ball.

Hawkman
09-05-2018, 04:19 PM
Kinda glad Ben is staying out of the turmoil.

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 04:19 PM
Poor Bell, he's such a target

Mach1
09-05-2018, 04:21 PM
I'm so done with Bell. Trade his ass for a keg and throw a team party.

AtlantaDan
09-05-2018, 04:25 PM
Kinda glad Ben is staying out of the turmoil.

It is a job for the O-line and captain Heyward

Not a peep from AB either

pczach
09-05-2018, 04:26 PM
1037430315495645186




There's a kid that nearly had everything taken away from him by cancer.

He has perspective. He recognizes the opportunity he has to play football and truly appreciates it.

It's beautiful to see and hear the love he has for the game.

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 04:26 PM
funny thing is IF he sits the entire year ......

it changes NOTHING in his FA situation ...

The Steelers would still have a right to tag him at this years price and force him through this same ordeal again ( and then again if he sits it out through eternity ) and have the ability to pull that tag at any time prior to him signing it ...

would they do that almost certainly NO but they absolutely could .... Art2 isn't Dan , isn't Art1 , we do not know with 100% certainty how vengeful he might be ( he is a Lawyer after all ) I think it would be hilarious if he tagged Bell in 2019 and left the tag on him till most of the big FA money is gone and then rescinded it forcing Bell to play on the cheap on a 1 year prove it deal somewhere after being out of the game a year .... meanwhile father time is laughing his ass off too

86WARD
09-05-2018, 04:26 PM
As the kids say, that went sideways real quick...

Drazo85
09-05-2018, 04:30 PM
Reading all of this, tweets, posts, statemens, comments only thing that is on my mind is rescind the tag, pull the plug.
Pretty sure that's the plan Bell and his agent have on their minds.

Послато са Mi A1 уз помоћ Тапатока

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 04:35 PM
Hes available in my league........I'm 1st on the waiver order so my claim is already put in. Shitty part is Bell was the 1st player taken bc of ESPN's ranking system and the person that had the #1 pick wasnt active for the draft so it autopicked leveon

lol that guy right now be like
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Y64YUzfTg4A/maxresdefault.jpg

pczach
09-05-2018, 04:39 PM
Bell be like...……



https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7527pa7qs9kCG78A/giphy.gif

AtlantaDan
09-05-2018, 04:40 PM
As the kids say, that went sideways real quick...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FONN-0uoTHI

Hawkman
09-05-2018, 05:11 PM
Reading all of this, tweets, posts, statemens, comments only thing that is on my mind is rescind the tag, pull the plug.
Pretty sure that's the plan Bell and his agent have on their minds.

Послато са Mi A1 уз помоћ Тапатока

All the more reason not to.

Craic
09-05-2018, 05:11 PM
You know, I'd almost be for just rescinding the tag and signing Landry Jones for a one year, fifteen million dollar contract simply as a smack-in-the-face-this-is-how-you-conduct-yourself-as-a-professional towards Bell.

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 05:14 PM
1037433904863604740

- - - Updated - - -

1037462830075797505

DesertSteel
09-05-2018, 05:28 PM
I think his agent is a moron.

Second only to Bell himself.

dislocatedday
09-05-2018, 05:30 PM
Looking at how Kirk Cousins handled getting the franchise tag two years in a row recently, it was the complete opposite of Bell. He showed up for camp, prepared for the season, and laid it on the line during the season. His teammates all seemed to respect him during that time, and he repeatedly pointed out when asked by the media about his contract situation that he was still going to be very well paid on the franchise tag.

I've always said that I kind of understand where Bell is coming from when I see guys like Brandin Cooks and Sammy Watkins getting mega deals when they have not produced like Bell has over the last 5 seasons, but at the same time, the RB market is what it is.........and the Steelers were willing to totally reset the market for him. I believe he was guaranteed 33 million total over the first two years (10 million in upfront signing bonus). With a generous offer form the Steelers, and his prior history with drug-related suspensions, I thought it was a no-brainer that he sign the contract........but it is his life, and his right, to not sign it and do as he pleases.

I just can't see him playing on the roster this year now that the veteran O-lineman have expressed their displeasure. Just ignore him and let him sit out most of the season and lose that guaranteed money. I assume they could pull the tag after 8-9 weeks if he still has not signed.

DesertSteel
09-05-2018, 05:36 PM
I really hope Conner gets 25 carries on Sunday.

dislocatedday
09-05-2018, 05:36 PM
If the Steelers somehow do a sign and trade deal, to what team could they realistically trade him? I only see a few that might bite and give him a contract matching Gurleys......Tampa Bay and the NY Jets are the two teams that come immediately to my mind........possibly Colts, Texans, and 49ers. The Steelers could maybe get a 2nd round pick, but most likely a 3rd and possibly some additional later round pick.

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 05:38 PM
1037467279775223811

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 05:39 PM
I really hope Conner gets 25 carries on Sunday.

Good chance he will. I hope Ridley gets a few carries though, in this case I'd be more comfortable with a 1-2 punch than running the wheels off one. Ridley's looked solid in the preseason and late last season.

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 05:44 PM
I really hope Conner gets 25 carries on Sunday.

too much...

The browns are very strong against the run ..... And I hope that the steelers will spare Conner a little this year.

It will be important to keep him fresh for the year ...Ridley can do the job as backup I think,but we will see.

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 06:19 PM
1037479993532657664

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 06:22 PM
1037434430200184833

Count Steeler
09-05-2018, 06:25 PM
Hope the OLine uses this situation to blow wide open holes for Conner. Hopefully by game 10, we will be saying, Le'veon who?

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 06:27 PM
1037479993532657664

Winning the super bowl without Bell would be the best case scenario, but even if we do not win the super bowl, if our offense play the same way or better than in 2015 without Bell, I will be happy.

I'm more worried about the defense that the absence of Bell and I think I'm not alone to think that

- - - Updated - - -


Hope the OLine uses this situation to blow wide open holes for Conner. Hopefully by game 10, we will be saying, Le'veon who?

I hope the steelers fans at Heinz field will chant OVERRATED to Bell if he Comeback.

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 06:38 PM
1037483863185010689

LOL


And ME over the steelers again....

silver & black
09-05-2018, 06:42 PM
Oh yeah, that'd get you in the doghouse haha. I wasn't sure of specifics, all I know is the reporters kept talking about how unhappy he was with his situation, but Al Davis kept tormenting him by keeping him on the bench and refusing to trade him. But from a fan's perspective, how do you put Bo on the bench for anybody? That dude was a BEAST. Still to this day, I don't think I've ever seen a RB with more raw talent than Bo. Well maybe other than Barry.

Yea.... us Raiders fans weren't real happy about it, but that's how it goes. Things that aren't in your control tend to bother you... kinda like what you guys are going through with Bell right now. I seriously hope the Raiders aren't/won't consider taking him!

ALLD
09-05-2018, 06:45 PM
Bell:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA7J0KkanzM

Shoes
09-05-2018, 06:55 PM
I think it's pretty clear now it's not just the "Fans" that feel Bell is a jackass.

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 07:06 PM
1037490734650339329

Shoes
09-05-2018, 07:11 PM
https://steelersdepot.com/2018/09/steelers-linemen-pissed-with-bell-heres-a-guy-who-doesnt-give-a-damn/

polamalubeast
09-05-2018, 07:20 PM
1037455738774290432

Since 2015,the steelers are 9-4 without Bell and with Antonio/Ben and they scored at least 30 points in 8 of his games....

The steelers were 0-3 without him in his rookie season in 2013....

1037466810554167297

and that includes the disastrous games in Philadelphia.

Mojouw
09-05-2018, 07:30 PM
I think that Bell had the support of the locker room, even if it was tentative for some guys, until about 8:00 AM today (Wednesday). Everyone knew there was this "5 day game ready plan" and was lead to believe that was way it was going to go. Now,other than some conspiratorial rumblings, at the last moment Bell and his agent have changed the "plan". To what, no one appears to know or if they do they clearly are not planning on revealing it to anyone else. That's the moment Bell lost his team mates support. I suspect he may never get it back.

I have always stated and will continue to defend that Bell the football player (for 60 minutes on Sunday) is one of the most gifted players in the league. I have also always granted and do so without equivocation now, that outside of Sundays, Bell is a jackass.

I also have thought for the past year that the Steelers position on guaranteed money for Bell and other non-QB players was out of step with where the league market was going and not in line with reasonable mathematical projections for the cap through the end of the current CBA (2021, I think...). The recent spate of deals across the league has demonstrated that some teams and agents also think that way. However, reading some of Bell's agents comments, the Steelers are not alone in their position during contract negotiations regarding guaranteed cash as several other teams have taken similar stances and still do. A high profile example of this is the Patriots. That is the sole reason they traded Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins. What's my point? This has been about guaranteed cash for 15+ months now and in hindsight, today's developments may have been more predictable than many of us first thought.

For me, I'm at the point where I figure the relationship between the team and Bell is simply too toxic to salvage. Whenever he does come in, can anyone be sure he isn't dialing it back? Will the rest of the roster accept him again? Bottom line, no way Bell is a Steeler in 2019. So figure out what the best comp pick you could hope for is (I think I saw like 97 overall) and call around. Dump Bell on the first team that gives you a top 100 pick.

stillers4me
09-05-2018, 07:30 PM
It must be killing Bell to stay off Twitter. Wonder how long before he breaks.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

DesertSteel
09-05-2018, 07:40 PM
I'm amazed at how Bell turned into a douche in ONE DAY lol... People on this board and his own teammates who couldn't see it were choosing not to see it. A douche is not made in one day! The guy has been oozing douchiness for more than two years. So either those who saw it were right all along OR Bell woke up this morning and had turned himself into a douche overnight.

Mojouw
09-05-2018, 07:43 PM
I'm amazed at how Bell turned into a douche in ONE DAY lol... People on this board and his own teammates who couldn't see it were choosing not to see it. A douche is not made in one day! The guy has been oozing douchiness for more than two years. So either those who saw it were right all along OR Bell woke up this morning and had turned himself into a douche overnight.

I'm not sure anyone ever took the stance he wasn't a douche. Most of what I saw was only folks mounting a defense of the player not the person. Two very different categories of evaluation.

vader29
09-05-2018, 07:50 PM
https://image.ibb.co/nxXnje/40873999_10156908605200809_8856749994925883392_n.j pgg

AtlantaDan
09-05-2018, 08:02 PM
I'm not sure anyone ever took the stance he wasn't a douche. Most of what I saw was only folks mounting a defense of the player not the person. Two very different categories of evaluation.

Agreed - Bell's rep was he played hard when he wasn't suspended or injured - now his agent indicates Bell's goal for 2018 is to avoid wear and tear

And if anyone believes David DeCastro did not have issues with Bell before today revisit his quotes after the Jax playoff loss

952402718555017217

“Yeah, it’s embarrassing. It really is, man. It just blows my mind. They beat us 30-9 [Oct. 9], we played like crap and we want to talk about New England!

“I don’t know what to say about that. It’s just stupid. It’s just not what you do. You don’t need to give a team like that more bulletin board material.”...

“It’s different to talk about it the week of when you know who you’re playing, that’s disrespectful. But the whole past week kind of thing is like just worry about Jacksonville and tell them they’re great, which they are, a good defense. That’s how I like to do things, but ...

“Just play football.”

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2018/01/14/Steelers-talked-a-good-game-did-not-play-one-Jaguars-Mike-Tomlin-Ben-Roethlisberger-Le-Veon-Bell-Antonio-Brown-David-DeCastro-Blake-Bortles/stories/201801140212

teegre
09-05-2018, 08:25 PM
I'm not sure anyone ever took the stance he wasn't a douche. Most of what I saw was only folks mounting a defense of the player not the person. Two very different categories of evaluation.

OJ Simpson is a HOF running back and a murderer.

DesertSteel
09-05-2018, 08:30 PM
I'm not sure anyone ever took the stance he wasn't a douche. Most of what I saw was only folks mounting a defense of the player not the person. Two very different categories of evaluation.
There were posts saying they’d do the same thing as Bell yesterday. I’m not sure if they’re saying that today. But this really wasn’t tough to predict.

And he’s not just a douche personally, but foremost as a teammate.

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 08:35 PM
It must be killing Bell to stay off Twitter. Wonder how long before he breaks.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

He's probably in the studio recording a diss track to his teammates :chuckle:

j-d-s
09-05-2018, 08:38 PM
Why not let him ride the Bench this year when he reports and then tag him again next year and bench him again? This will run his value into the ground.

steelreserve
09-05-2018, 08:40 PM
Why not let him ride the Bench this year when he reports and then tag him again next year and bench him again? This will run his value into the ground.

While paying him $35 million to sit on the bench for those two years. Not exactly a great way to prove a point about money.

DesertSteel
09-05-2018, 08:43 PM
While paying him $35 million to sit on the bench for those two years. Not exactly a great way to prove a point about money.
Yeah not a great way to run a business lol.

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 08:43 PM
Why not let him ride the Bench this year when he reports and then tag him again next year and bench him again? This will run his value into the ground.

His value will run itself into the ground when he plays for a team without a franchise QB, the best WR in the game to distract them, and without a top 5 OL. I'd really like to see if he still thinks he's great after spending a season vs stacked 8-man fronts with a mediocre QB at the helm

Championship teams don't overpay for the RB position, I'd say at best he'd be a workhorse on a 10-6 team like Adrian Peterson and Larry Johnson where he's the workhorse, but never be a real threat to sniff a championship. But that might even be a little generous, I honestly don't think Bell's talent level is on the same scale as AP or Johnson.

Mojouw
09-05-2018, 08:46 PM
There were posts saying they’d do the same thing as Bell yesterday. I’m not sure if they’re saying that today. But this really wasn’t tough to predict.

And he’s not just a douche personally, but foremost as a teammate.

I was one. Up until 8:00 this morning, I would have done the exact same thing as Bell - minus the social media nonsense.

As of this morning, he is deviating from reasonable expectations based on past behavior and accepted norms of NFL locker-rooms. I and many others that previously supported Bell have shifted stance due to him almost certainly missing regular season games now.

And who knows, the next 24-36 hours could bring developments that change things again.

teegre
09-05-2018, 08:51 PM
While paying him $35 million to sit on the bench for those two years. Not exactly a great way to prove a point about money.

Exactly

The silver lining: 1. We now have $8 million extra to use for extending free agents. 2. Bell will be fresh for the hard part of the schedule and for the playoff run. 3. Lots of stripper are about to get “college tuition” over the next 10 weeks.

pczach
09-05-2018, 08:58 PM
Some people need to find out the hard way...…..

This has been a case study in how not to conduct yourself when you are looking to land the richest deal in the history of the sport....particularly when dealing with a class organization that only has a couple parameters that they ask of you while negotiating. He basically did everything he was asked not to do and conducted himself in a way that worked against his own goals and intentions and ended up alienating his teammates.

Bravo Le'Veon! That took some real work to get that done.

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 08:59 PM
I don't know, maybe he goes to strip clubs to steal the money from the girls lol

ETL
09-05-2018, 09:00 PM
There were posts saying they’d do the same thing as Bell yesterday. I’m not sure if they’re saying that today. But this really wasn’t tough to predict.

And he’s not just a douche personally, but foremost as a teammate.

Yep. If maximizing money is my number one goal, I totally understand why Bell is doing this and his agent clearly revealed why. Being a RB in this league has wear and tear and if the Steelers are not going to pay him what he thinks he is worth - then why put his body at risk at a discount?

Personally, I would have taken the deal originally offered earlier this summer as it was good money and allows him to be a Steeler but once he turned that down - then coming back to play a full season at less guaranteed money and risk of injury makes no sense. I completely understand his current position on this.

He should have expected all the name calling from his teammates and fans and I think his agent is hoping that all this will bubble over into the Steelers rescinding his tag. Again, if maximizing money is the ultimate goal, this is the right play for him.

And just to clarify, I would do exactly what Bell is doing if money was my number one objective. I think I didn’t make that caveat clear. I commented that pursuing money is not always best for one’s long term football career but if money is the goal - he’s doing what he can with the system that is in place.

Also, this negotiating position that he is taking is different than that of a QB, WR, OL or virtually any other position because of the clear and obvious wear and tear and depreciation that affects the RB position. Kirk cousins can still play at a high level in 5-10 years. Bell will be done in 3-4 years. This is his only payday.

AtlantaDan
09-05-2018, 09:03 PM
And he’s not just a douche personally, but foremost as a teammate.

^^^^^^
This

Excerpt from a paywalled story on why the OL is ticked off

The players’ change of heart occurred because they’ve have been left out of the loop of what Bell’s intentions have been all along. They all believed that he would follow the same timeline as last year and show up for the first week of the season....

Foster said he was in a group text with Bell last week and the soon-to-be free agent said he even didn’t know when he would report. That irritated Foster then and even more so when he didn’t show on Wednesday.

“At least have the courtesy, at least say something,” Foster added. “I guess it is a little bit different, a little bit tiresome now. I’m tired of the antics.”

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 09:06 PM
Yep. If maximizing money is my number one goal, I totally understand why Bell is doing this and his agent clearly revealed why. Being a RB in this league has wear and tear and if the Steelers are not going to pay him what he thinks he is worth - then why put his body at risk at a discount?

this is where flawed logic comes into play ...

lets say Bell sits out 10 weeks ...

that means he gave up 8.55 million $ that he can never recover ....

the only way to recover it is to get an offer from another team for 9 million more than the steelers best offer and for 1 less year of service , meaning a team would have to offer him around 20 mil a year for 4 years just to break even

there is almost no scenario where he can recover money left behind because there will always be an argument that same deal could have been available and still have cashed in that extra 8.55 mil

DesertSteel
09-05-2018, 09:10 PM
I was one. Up until 8:00 this morning, I would have done the exact same thing as Bell - minus the social media nonsense.

As of this morning, he is deviating from reasonable expectations based on past behavior and accepted norms of NFL locker-rooms. I and many others that previously supported Bell have shifted stance due to him almost certainly missing regular season games now.

And who knows, the next 24-36 hours could bring developments that change things again.

One thing I know won’t change is that regardless of what he does, I will never be a Bell fan. I hope he ends up working at Walmart.

- - - Updated - - -

Although I hope he’s back in time for the Bengals game to face Burfict.

Dwinsgames
09-05-2018, 09:12 PM
And who knows, the next 24-36 hours could bring developments that change things again.

one thing for sure , his team mates words will still be all over the internet and once things hit the internet they are there forever ... there is no mending this fence

DesertSteel
09-05-2018, 09:23 PM
I don’t recall a holdout ever generating this much animosity from teammates, especially so soon.

Shoes
09-05-2018, 09:24 PM
Bell's only hope (in his mind) is all the RB's flop and he can come in as the knight in shining armor. I'd still tell him to pound salt.

Fire Goodell
09-05-2018, 09:26 PM
I don’t recall a holdout ever generating this much animosity from teammates, especially so soon.

Leads me to think perhaps the o-line felt this way about him for a while now, I don't think these kind of feelings develop overnight

DesertSteel
09-05-2018, 09:33 PM
Leads me to think perhaps the o-line felt this way about him for a while now, I don't think these kind of feelings develop overnight

Exactly!! My opinion as well. They were trying to be professional to the media so as to not create a distraction. But those guys went totally off on him today.

Steelerchad
09-05-2018, 09:33 PM
Teammates usually do stick together. Kind of shows you the team mate this guy is. I'd cut out the cancer at some point on our terms. I'd play a little chicken.
Bell is hoping we struggle and will let him come back freely week 10 for a playoff run.
If things are great and we are 6-3 and moving the ball on the ground, I yank that offer before week 10.
If things are bad, and Conner sux, and we are 3-6, I yank that offer before week 10.
You pull it now, the Pats or some other team clears some room and signs him.
Do it week 9 for maximum negative impact to him.

Shoes
09-05-2018, 09:33 PM
Leads me to think perhaps the o-line felt this way about him for a while now, I don't think these kind of feelings develop overnight

Exactly, it carried over from last year. A turd is a turd.

steelreserve
09-05-2018, 09:34 PM
And just to clarify, I would do exactly what Bell is doing if money was my number one objective.

Then you are really bad at math.

It is virtually impossible to make up $8 million that he is giving up, let alone the full $14.5 million (because let's face it, if he sits out 10 games, the tag is getting revoked before he gets there), and even less likely to exceed that. Especially if, as you say, this is his one and only opportunity for a big contract.

If making money is your number one objective, your play is to show up and play under the franchise tag for a year as the highest-paid RB in the league, THEN sign your big contract. Sitting out a year for fear of injury is the chickenshit move that minimizes your earnings. Especially since you now have likely done a lot to lower your value in the eyes of potential free-agent employers by casting yourself as an enigma or a malcontent, or in other words, a bad risk.

Sports injury insurance typically costs about 4% of the amount you are insuring for, so for a $70 million policy you would expect to pay less than $3 million out of the $14.5. So then you are leaving almost $12 million on the table for no reason whatsoever. And if the cost is 4%, that means they've figured out the actual risk is much less than that, like 2% or 3%. And that's what you'd give up $14.5 million for. Really? This is straight mathematics.

Really what's going on is probably that he knows if he showed up now, something else would ruin his ability to get a big contract. Either he's not clean or he's way out of shape. Neither one would come as a huge surprise at this point.

Shoes
09-05-2018, 09:37 PM
Then you are really bad at math.

It is virtually impossible to make up $8 million that he is giving up, let alone the full $14.5 million (because let's face it, if he sits out 10 games, the tag is getting revoked before he gets there), and even less likely to exceed that. Especially if, as you say, this is his one and only opportunity for a big contract.

If making money is your number one objective, your play is to show up and play under the franchise tag for a year as the highest-paid RB in the league, THEN sign your big contract. Sitting out a year for fear of injury is the chickenshit move that minimizes your earnings. Especially since you now have likely done a lot to lower your value in the eyes of potential free-agent employers by casting yourself as an enigma or a malcontent, or in other words, a bad risk.

Sports injury insurance typically costs about 4% of the amount you are insuring for, so for a $70 million policy you would expect to pay less than $3 million out of the $14.5. So then you are leaving almost $12 million on the table for no reason whatsoever. And if the cost is 4%, that means they've figured out the actual risk is much less than that, like 2% or 3%. And that's what you'd give up $14.5 million for. Really? This is straight mathematics.

Really what's going on is probably that he knows if he showed up now, something else would ruin his ability to get a big contract. Either he's not clean or he's way out of shape. Neither one would come as a huge surprise at this point.


Or both. :chuckle:

SteelersCanadian
09-05-2018, 10:26 PM
This is hurdling at light speed toward irreparable. To have 3/5 of the offensive line publicly rip you to shreds is unheard of, but to have one of those players be your player rep to the league is... yikes.

Mojouw
09-05-2018, 10:43 PM
This is hurdling at light speed toward irreparable. To have 3/5 of the offensive line publicly rip you to shreds is unheard of, but to have one of those players be your player rep to the league is... yikes.

The player rep thing is really interesting. I want to stress I am not backing Bells actions over the past few days but the CBA made something like this somewhere in the league almost inevitable. I would like to know more about the players thoughts on the economics of the league. But that’s a deep rabbit hole that isn’t relevant to the immediate situation.

teegre
09-05-2018, 10:48 PM
:director: TWITTER WAR!!!

Foster fires some shots across Bell’s bow.

Will Bell respond???

SteelersCanadian
09-05-2018, 11:08 PM
He's getting incredibly poor advice from his agent. There will always be a business side of this that will be difficult to separate emotion and fandom from, but the sacrifice he's making in terms of a future contract and guaranteed money is significant here. Is there a team that is going to offer him a Todd Gurley-contract now if he does indeed sit out 10 weeks? He's inevitably going to struggle when he returns and it's going to be easy for teams to want him on a short-term, "prove it" or bridge type of contract that he turned down with the Steelers.

This is just... all of this is bad. His agent giving lip service to Sirius radio which pissed off the entire offensive line is bad enough, but he's likely costing Bell millions of dollars now.

Mojouw
09-05-2018, 11:09 PM
He's getting incredibly poor advice from his agent. There will always be a business side of this that will be difficult to separate emotion and fandom from, but the sacrifice he's making in terms of a future contract and guaranteed money is significant here. Is there a team that is going to offer him a Todd Gurley-contract now if he does indeed sit out 10 weeks? He's inevitably going to struggle when he returns and it's going to be easy for teams to want him on a short-term, "prove it" or bridge type of contract that he turned down with the Steelers.

This is just... all of this is bad. His agent giving lip service to Sirius radio which pissed off the entire offensive line is bad enough, but he's likely costing Bell millions of dollars now.

Yeah. He should fire that dude. Maybe hire the guys from BALLERS?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Butch
09-05-2018, 11:41 PM
I don't buy that this is about money. I still think this is purely a move to get thrown off the team, just like his boy sucker punch did. I will not be surprised one bit if when the dust settles he goes to the cheats for less money. Not only that but if he does come back we would be wise to rip up the offer sheet. There is no way Bell is going to do anything to help us win a SuperBowl. I see him doing his level best to derail that. The Steelers have stated they will not rescind the offer but now is the time to do it and let's just move on.

Bell and blunt will be the most hated Steelers of all time and it's not even close after that.

stillers4me
09-06-2018, 05:24 AM
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DmXMU5XW4AEP79D.jpg:large

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 06:19 AM
1037469349785870337

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 07:35 AM
1037677334663495680

tube517
09-06-2018, 08:32 AM
These talking heads are laughable. Many of them are tweeting that the Steelers O-line shouldn't talk about a teammate's "money". I don't see anyone talking about his money. I see teammates pissed off that he didn't tell them if or when he would show up.

AtlantaDan
09-06-2018, 08:38 AM
I assume this long P-G article has been in the works for some time as part of a NFL season opener/preview packet of articles in the P-G. Major effort at image rehab with Bell's mom providing most of the quotes.

Le’Veon Bell: villain or vilified?

Bell’s cousin Jalen lived and trained with him in Miami....

“I think he’s handled it perfectly,” Jalen says of the contract dispute. “He could’ve messed it up by saying something wrong or doing the wrong actions, but he’s kept his cool. He’s going to be better than ever. I think it’ll be his best season yet. He’s in great shape, and it’s added more fuel. They franchise tagged him again. So it’s like, OK, I’m going to have to show you again.”

https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/blog/leveon-bell-villain-or-vilified/

That comment from cousin Jalen confirms my assumption Bell is living in a bubble where everyone is telling him how right he is, which makes any contract negotiation very difficult.

But IMO Bell is not a villain or a victim - to me a villain is someone who is cunning and plans their next step in advance - Bell is in a business dispute that has gone totally off the rails

To paraphrase what Deep Throat said about the Nixon White House in the movie All The President's Men - he is not a very bright guy and things got out of hand

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 09:02 AM
1037693193830256640

AtlantaDan
09-06-2018, 09:18 AM
Great - now Steeler alums are going to chime in

1037520238336765952

Dwinsgames
09-06-2018, 09:40 AM
Great - now Steeler alums are going to chime in

1037520238336765952


the answer is simple ...

1037711217157132288

86WARD
09-06-2018, 09:44 AM
Ian Rapoport is reporting that the Steelers won't be rescinding the franchise tag for Bell...

Dwinsgames
09-06-2018, 09:54 AM
Ian Rapoport is reporting that the Steelers won't be rescinding the franchise tag for Bell...

they won't , not yet at least ... that would be caving to bell

force him to stay maybe week 10 pull the tag but certainly not now

Steelerchad
09-06-2018, 10:00 AM
Foster absolutely did talk about the money. He stated Bell makes 7 X what he makes and didn't show up anyway. Not that I'm on Bell's side, but this is unprecedented behavior for a locker room. I don't see how he can just walk back in and everything be fine now. I think Oline has extra incentive to block for Conner to show that it is not all about Bell.
All you have to do is look at our performance when we had a solid backup with D Williams. He was a time share guy his whole career and over 30, yet performed about as well when Bell was out. Why pay the $ for similar production?

- - - Updated - - -

Bell may get booed at home if he does step on the field for us this year. Never seen this level of disdain for a player in Pittsburgh.

steelreserve
09-06-2018, 10:03 AM
they won't , not yet at least ... that would be caving to bell

force him to stay maybe week 10 pull the tag but certainly not now

Pull it the day before the trade deadline, because the day after the trade deadline is when he'll sign it. Then he gets paid for the rest of the season, possibly without even playing, and there's nothing we can do about it. That's his best option for a "gotcha" that puts the team in a no-win situation. Because at that point in the season, will we even put him on the active roster? Most likely he'll cash in $7-8 million for nothing.

- - - Updated - - -


Bell may get booed at home if he does step on the field for us this year. Never seen this level of disdain for a player in Pittsburgh.

Well, I don't know if I've ever seen this level of disdain BY a player in Pittsburgh either.

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 10:04 AM
Bell may get booed at home if he does step on the field for us this year. Never seen this level of disdain for a player in Pittsburgh.


Barry Bonds maybe?...I don't know

86WARD
09-06-2018, 10:07 AM
You don’t pull it and give him the satisfaction of getting to another team and you don’t put him out there where he can land on a playoff team and hurt them. If he sits to Week 10 and shows up then you treat him professionally, you run his legs off...if he causes any problems, you suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team and then he’s gone and you get your compensation later.

If they cut him loose by rescinding the tag, it would be one of the bigger blunders this team will make.

Mojouw
09-06-2018, 10:16 AM
Once again, Pouncey provides the clearest statement on a team issue:

“Unless you want to come out and say as a man, ‘Hey I’m going to miss the first 10 weeks. It really sucks for my teammates but I have to do this. It’s a business decision.’ If you come out and say that, then you know what? As men in here we can all respect that (https://247sports.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/Article/Maurkice-Pouncey-Pittsburgh-Steelers-captain-hot-about-absent-LeVeon-Bell-121481341/)”, Pouncey told 247Sports.
“But to play hide and go seek, and no one knows what the hell’s going on, like, you can’t communicate? What the hell?”, he asked rhetorically. “We’re way older than that. There’s no point in not communicating it”.

https://steelersdepot.com/2018/09/communication-breakdown-all-steelers-wanted-from-bell-was-honesty/

I think it is/was that simple. Bell could've played this any way he wanted as long as "his guys" were kept in the loop. Even a 10 week holdout, while maybe not agreed with by each team mate would have been understood and grudgingly accepted.

The poster above who said that Bell is in an echo chamber of "yes" guys likely nailed it. I think Bell's agent has correctly identified what the NFL market will support for a player of Bell's caliber but has completely bungled how to get his client from point a to point b.

BlackAndGold
09-06-2018, 10:16 AM
You don’t pull it and give him the satisfaction of getting to another team and you don’t put him out there where he can land on a playoff team and hurt them. If he sits to Week 10 and shows up then you treat him professionally, you run his legs off...if he causes any problems, you suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team and then he’s gone and you get your compensation later.

If they cut him loose by rescinding the tag, it would be one of the bigger blunders this team will make.

https://media.giphy.com/media/1Z02vuppxP1Pa/giphy.gif

Dwinsgames
09-06-2018, 10:26 AM
there is a scenario where Bell makes next to none of his cap hit and doesnt have a statistical year that helps his case in FA

if he sits till wk 10....

if steelers use the 2 wk exemption
if Bell acts up and team suspends 4 wks for conduct
you are now at wk 17 before he earns a dime of the 14.55 mil and he gets cut 1 check of 855k for the entire year ...

what would be sweeter is is we already at that point had our playoff seeding cemented to start Bell week 17 and run the football every down of the game with backup linemen playing .... 60 carries all in one game getting the shit knocked out of him

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 10:29 AM
there is a scenario where Bell makes next to none of his cap hit and doesnt have a statistical year that helps his case in FA

if he sits till wk 10....

if steelers use the 2 wk exemption
if Bell acts up and team suspends 4 wks for conduct
you are now at wk 17 before he earns a dime of the 14.55 mil and he gets cut 1 check of 855k for the entire year ...

what would be sweeter is is we already at that point had our playoff seeding cemented to start Bell week 17 and run the football every down of the game with backup linemen playing .... 60 carries all in one game getting the shit knocked out of him

against the bengals and Burfict!

DesertSteel
09-06-2018, 10:48 AM
I don't think there's any way that Bell handles a 10-week holdout in a positive light with his teammates. There is no contract leverage with the Steelers at this point. The only message that communicates is that "I am saving myself for my next team." Somebody tell me in what way teammates trying to win a Super Bowl are OK with that, under any circumstance.

steelreserve
09-06-2018, 11:03 AM
there is a scenario where Bell makes next to none of his cap hit and doesnt have a statistical year that helps his case in FA

if he sits till wk 10....

if steelers use the 2 wk exemption
if Bell acts up and team suspends 4 wks for conduct
you are now at wk 17 before he earns a dime of the 14.55 mil and he gets cut 1 check of 855k for the entire year ...

what would be sweeter is is we already at that point had our playoff seeding cemented to start Bell week 17 and run the football every down of the game with backup linemen playing .... 60 carries all in one game getting the shit knocked out of him

My understanding is that the two-week roster exemption is only for Week 1 and Week 2, not for "whenever he comes back," but I could be wrong.

And I would bet my bottom dollar that after the trade deadline, which I believe is Week 8, is when he signs the tag. I don't know if we can refuse once he does that, or whether it is entirely up to him and he can sign it unilaterally and do a "gotcha" on us before we have the chance to pull it. But my guess is it's the latter, since otherwise that would allow teams to effectively hold the player hostage with no intention of paying him. So we have to be careful about playing that particular game.

But anyway, I think a version of what you suggested is a great idea, we just may have 3 or 4 more weeks where we don't know what to do with him, and either pay him for nothing, or play him when he's going to be half-assing it.

Like I said, best case if maybe he just fails a drug test in the meantime and solves the whole thing for us.

Dwinsgames
09-06-2018, 11:09 AM
My understanding is that the two-week roster exemption is only for Week 1 and Week 2, not for "whenever he comes back," but I could be wrong.

And I would bet my bottom dollar that after the trade deadline, which I believe is Week 8, is when he signs the tag. I don't know if we can refuse once he does that, or whether it is entirely up to him and he can sign it unilaterally and do a "gotcha" on us before we have the chance to pull it. But my guess is it's the latter, since otherwise that would allow teams to effectively hold the player hostage with no intention of paying him. So we have to be careful about playing that particular game.

But anyway, I think a version of what you suggested is a great idea, we just may have 3 or 4 more weeks where we don't know what to do with him, and either pay him for nothing, or play him when he's going to be half-assing it.

Like I said, best case if maybe he just fails a drug test in the meantime and solves the whole thing for us.

exemption can be used for when he shows up and 2 weeks moving forward from my understanding

HollywoodSteel
09-06-2018, 11:12 AM
You don’t pull it and give him the satisfaction of getting to another team and you don’t put him out there where he can land on a playoff team and hurt them. If he sits to Week 10 and shows up then you treat him professionally, you run his legs off...if he causes any problems, you suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team and then he’s gone and you get your compensation later.

If they cut him loose by rescinding the tag, it would be one of the bigger blunders this team will make.


This is EXACTLY right.

You do NOT rescind the tag and let him become a FA

You no NOT trade him once he signs (we’ll get nothing for him by the time he signs and I don’t want him him making a handshake deal to make him a big deal at end of season)

When he comes back you destroy him. Make him play special teams.

In blow outs, give him every carry behind a line that HATES HIM

The night before the super bowl you cut him so he can’t get a ring.

He EXPOSE him to way bigger chance of injury once he’s back.

Make him carry Conner’s pads after practice

Make him run laps

If he refuses, fine him

He is screwing us now and that is not something to EVER BE REWARDED.

Have a meeting with all owners and agree who gets Bell next year at LOW PRICE and no one bids against them

You punish him and his agent as much as possible

Unless he reports this week and apologizes

He CROSSED A LINE!

El-Gonzo Jackson
09-06-2018, 11:17 AM
This is EXACTLY right.

You do NOT rescind the tag and let him become a FA

You no NOT trade him once he signs (we’ll get nothing for him by the time he signs and I don’t want him him making a handshake deal to make him a big deal at end of season)

When he comes back you destroy him. Make him play special teams.

In blow outs, give him every carry behind a line that HATES HIM

The night before the super bowl you cut him so he can’t get a ring.

He EXPOSE him to way bigger chance of injury once he’s back.

Make him carry Conner’s pads after practice

Make him run laps

If he refuses, fine him

He is screwing us now and that is not something to EVER BE REWARDED.

Have a meeting with all owners and agree who gets Bell next year at LOW PRICE and no one bids against them

You punish him and his agent as much as possible

Unless he reports this week and apologizes

He CROSSED A LINE!

If you treat a player like crap because of a contract holdout, what free agent will ever want to come to the Steelers organization??

If and when he reports and signs the tag, they will work him into the offense based upon his physical readiness. They will use Bell in the offense in the best way that will win football games and then when he leaves in 2019, the Steelers will look to another RB in the draft and use all that cap money to build other areas where needed and extend guys they want to keep (maybe Davis, Burns, JuJu, Dupree, etc)

Its just business. The Steelers organization will not make it personal.

steelreserve
09-06-2018, 11:53 AM
If you treat a player like crap because of a contract holdout, what free agent will ever want to come to the Steelers organization??

Free agents who aren't delusional jerkoffs? Free agents who want to play on a winning team? Free agents who are offered more money by the Steelers than other clubs? Basically the same free agents as always.

When even the other players are against Bell, I think that means they understand he's taken it beyond "just business" and if something happens next that he doesn't like, he kind of did it to himself.

I don't really see the team going to extreme/petty lengths that would serve no purpose other than to get revenge - but most likely if he sits for the majority of the season, I would not expect him to play much if at all. As it should be, because what we will get in Week 8 or Week 10 is a guy who is not ready to play a regular-season game of football, and who may or may not give full effort once he is ready. And at that point, the season's almost over. Why even bother with it?

cold-hard-steel
09-06-2018, 12:02 PM
He ain't available,he's been not available more than once in his tenure here.We will move on and make the needed adjustments. Tired of Bell...Bell this...Bell that. Here a Bell,there a Bell,everywhere a Bell,Bell.He's got more important things to do it's clear. Well the Steelers have more important things to do than waste anymore time on a player that is obviously bigger and better than them.I'm done with Bell.

steelreserve
09-06-2018, 12:11 PM
exemption can be used for when he shows up and 2 weeks moving forward from my understanding

Ah, interesting, apparently it is from the time he signs the contract:

https://www.steelers.com/news/asked-and-answered-sept-6

Yesterday there was another story that said it was for weeks 1 and 2 specifically, but it seems like your version is the correct one. So by all means, do that.

Funny thing that occurred to me - since Bell's stance is supposedly all about the guaranteed money ... what does he think this will do to teams' willingness to offer him more guaranteed money? Since here he is, voluntarily skipping games on a deal that is fully guaranteed? Kind of makes you wonder, if I give this guy $70 million guaranteed, and next season he decides he doesn't like his deal, or just doesn't feel like trying very hard, will he do the same thing to me?

But again, his name isn't Bell-Einstein for nothing.

El-Gonzo Jackson
09-06-2018, 12:34 PM
Free agents who aren't delusional jerkoffs? Free agents who want to play on a winning team? Free agents who are offered more money by the Steelers than other clubs? Basically the same free agents as always.

When even the other players are against Bell, I think that means they understand he's taken it beyond "just business" and if something happens next that he doesn't like, he kind of did it to himself.

I don't really see the team going to extreme/petty lengths that would serve no purpose other than to get revenge - but most likely if he sits for the majority of the season, I would not expect him to play much if at all. As it should be, because what we will get in Week 8 or Week 10 is a guy who is not ready to play a regular-season game of football, and who may or may not give full effort once he is ready. And at that point, the season's almost over. Why even bother with it?

What is so delusional about the top NFL running back wanting to get a long term contract with some guaranteed earnings? I wonder what the average fan thinks Bell has made in his career so far? The answer is $15.9 million over his first 4 years and most of that came on the tag last year. I think he has earned some security and guaranteed money and I think he sees the contracts of Gurley, Odell Beckham, Mack and Donald.....and wants to cash in as well. That isn't unreasonable IMO.

The latest tactics and responses by the O line say a lot and I think he could handle things differently, but I agree with you that the Steelers wont likely stoop to petty revenge tactics as that says something to all current and future players about the organization.

When he shows, he shows and the Steelers will treat him like last season and put him in the offense. Even if he shows at Week 8, they get half the season and playoff run out of him. If he isn't trying hard or becomes a distraction(which I don't think he would) then the team would keep him inactive or suspend him. I think fans are making more drama out of this than it actually is, because its just business.

Mojouw
09-06-2018, 12:40 PM
Ah, interesting, apparently it is from the time he signs the contract:

https://www.steelers.com/news/asked-and-answered-sept-6

Yesterday there was another story that said it was for weeks 1 and 2 specifically, but it seems like your version is the correct one. So by all means, do that.

Funny thing that occurred to me - since Bell's stance is supposedly all about the guaranteed money ... what does he think this will do to teams' willingness to offer him more guaranteed money? Since here he is, voluntarily skipping games on a deal that is fully guaranteed? Kind of makes you wonder, if I give this guy $70 million guaranteed, and next season he decides he doesn't like his deal, or just doesn't feel like trying very hard, will he do the same thing to me?

But again, his name isn't Bell-Einstein for nothing.

Might not have an impact on other team's thinking.

1. Steelers offer Bell a deal that he does not like. He declines.
2. The Steelers designate Bell as their Franchise Tag player.
3. Bell does nothing.

Bell has not agreed to do anything at this point. Everyone assumed that he would come in and play for the franchise amount. That assumption has proven to be incorrect.

NFL coaches and GMs are nothing if not arrogant. I'm sure they will simply believe that if we meet this players financial price point, then everything will be fine and we get a dedicated and motivated player. I mean Keyshawn Johnson held out all the time and I think he even missed a # of regular season games and teams kept signing up to ride the ride.

86WARD
09-06-2018, 12:42 PM
He will probably come in, sign the tender on Saturday, apologize to the teammates, collect a free $855,000 and then go from there...

Fire Goodell
09-06-2018, 01:01 PM
Might not have an impact on other team's thinking.

1. Steelers offer Bell a deal that he does not like. He declines.
2. The Steelers designate Bell as their Franchise Tag player.
3. Bell does nothing.

Bell has not agreed to do anything at this point. Everyone assumed that he would come in and play for the franchise amount. That assumption has proven to be incorrect.

NFL coaches and GMs are nothing if not arrogant. I'm sure they will simply believe that if we meet this players financial price point, then everything will be fine and we get a dedicated and motivated player. I mean Keyshawn Johnson held out all the time and I think he even missed a # of regular season games and teams kept signing up to ride the ride.

He didn't just do nothing, he lied to his team which rubbed them all the wrong way. Posting things on twitter like "9/9/18, Can't wait!!" is implying that you're going to show up. When that doesn't happen, paired with the douchiness of his agent, well, that just looks like a D move.

I don't think he gets the same backlash if he said his intention was to hold out. He's getting this treatment because he's pussy-footing around and people are tired of it, his teammates included.

steelreserve
09-06-2018, 01:05 PM
What is so delusional about the top NFL running back wanting to get a long term contract with some guaranteed earnings? I wonder what the average fan thinks Bell has made in his career so far? The answer is $15.9 million over his first 4 years and most of that came on the tag last year. I think he has earned some security and guaranteed money and I think he sees the contracts of Gurley, Odell Beckham, Mack and Donald.....and wants to cash in as well. That isn't unreasonable IMO.


Delusional is when you stage a "holdout" that isn't even a holdout because you are prohibited by rule from renegotiating your contract, so there is no possible benefit to you from doing it. It's funny that you mention Gurley, Beckham, Mack and Donald, because every last one of them occurred after Bell already passed the deadline for signing a long-term deal - so there's no way he could have seen those deals while deciding to reject his own offer.

Let's not forget the guy also turned down a $70 million deal that, in effect, would've become fully guaranteed the moment it was restructured for the first time, which it would have been by next offseason if it wasn't already by now. Nobody was ever saying he doesn't deserve to get paid for his performance or doesn't deserve security; he was offered both and refused them.

As I've said before, I don't think this is about the money or the security or the team at all. It's that he wants to be the center of attention as the big-money, big-drama headliner in free agency, and for that reason he wasn't going to re-sign at any price. He didn't get to be the big-money center of attention, and now he's throwing a shitfit so there's at least big drama over money, and he still gets to be the center of attention.

Big money. Big drama about money. Equals big rapper. I think that's his mentality, and now that there's big money involved every year, the drama will be a constant background effect that follows him wherever he goes.

AtlantaDan
09-06-2018, 01:10 PM
Posting things on twitter like "9/9/18, Can't wait!!" is implying that you're going to show up.

Maybe he meant that he couldn't wait for 9/9/18 being the first NFL opening Sunday that he could wake & bake then watch Sunday Ticket all day since he was at Michigan State :noidea:

Craic
09-06-2018, 01:32 PM
OJ Simpson is a HOF running back and a murderer.

Alleged, after all, he was never convicted.


https://media2.giphy.com/media/GpyS1lJXJYupG/giphy.gif

ETL
09-06-2018, 01:54 PM
He will probably come in, sign the tender on Saturday, apologize to the teammates, collect a free $855,000 and then go from there...

And people will love him when he runs for 150 and catches for 90 and scores 3 TDs

Fire Goodell
09-06-2018, 02:07 PM
And people will love him when he runs for 150 and catches for 90 and scores 3 TDs

I'll cheer, but it will be for the Steelers and not Le'Veon Bell. Even if he has that kinda performance in the SB, I'd rather cut ties with him, dude's a drama queen

Mojouw
09-06-2018, 02:29 PM
He didn't just do nothing, he lied to his team which rubbed them all the wrong way. Posting things on twitter like "9/9/18, Can't wait!!" is implying that you're going to show up. When that doesn't happen, paired with the douchiness of his agent, well, that just looks like a D move.

I don't think he gets the same backlash if he said his intention was to hold out. He's getting this treatment because he's pussy-footing around and people are tired of it, his teammates included.

yeah. sorry. wasn't clear. i get why his current teammates are pissed. I suspect future employers will not be scared off by it as he never made any contractual commitments to playing this year. That was all i really meant.

hawaiiansteeler
09-06-2018, 02:36 PM
I just picked up James Conner for my fantasy team so Bell can hold out as long as he wants as far as I'm concerned :hippo:

steelreserve
09-06-2018, 02:40 PM
And people will love him when he runs for 150 and catches for 90 and scores 3 TDs

No, they will think he's an asshole who scored 3 TDs.

I don't know who all these theoretical "fans" are who have the IQ of dirt and a 5-second attention span, but you sure would think there were a lot of them by listening to Bell supporters. I don't really see that reflected in reality as much as fantasy, though.

He's not going to rush for 150 yards when he comes back, either. More like 30 or 40, unless we forgot about the last time this happened. Speaking of short attention spans.

DesertSteel
09-06-2018, 02:52 PM
And people will love him when he runs for 150 and catches for 90 and scores 3 TDs
You’re way off the mark with your Bell insights.

Dwinsgames
09-06-2018, 02:53 PM
I just picked up James Conner for my fantasy team so Bell can hold out as long as he wants as far as I'm concerned :hippo:

I drafted 2 leagues last night and took Conner in the last round of both drafts ....

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 03:03 PM
1037747757929426951

86WARD
09-06-2018, 03:05 PM
And people will love him when he runs for 150 and catches for 90 and scores 3 TDs

I will. I don’t give a shit what he does off the field as long as he’s playing hard and the team is winning in the field. He’s still an ass, but if he’s putting up those numbers, he’s an ass I can cheat for. Lol.

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 03:11 PM
And people will love him when he runs for 150 and catches for 90 and scores 3 TDs

Maybe not ... We will see if that's going to happen too ...

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 03:29 PM
1037725821501415424

Mojouw
09-06-2018, 03:32 PM
I will. I don’t give a shit what he does off the field as long as he’s playing hard and the team is winning in the field. He’s still an ass, but if he’s putting up those numbers, he’s an ass I can cheat for. Lol.

Pretty much. It’s not like he did anything to me. Additionally it isn’t like the Pittsburg Steelers organization or players worry about how my day went so I’m not gonna really worry about how their Monday-Saturday made them feel. Sunday for 3 hours is all that matters.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 03:33 PM
And people will love him when he runs for 150 and catches for 90 and scores 3 TDs

And Bell was the offensive player of the month in the last december and he was not loved by the steelers nation

If it was not the case last year, what makes you say that this is going to be the case this year now that the relationship between Bell and the fans is fractured??

hawaiiansteeler
09-06-2018, 04:02 PM
I drafted 2 leagues last night and took Conner in the last round of both drafts ....

great late-round steal imo, I'm not going to start Conner on the road against the Browns because I want to see how he looks first but most likely I will start him next week at home against the Chiefs.

Dwinsgames
09-06-2018, 04:27 PM
1037431584931098625

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 04:28 PM
1037431584931098625

with around 29 PPG....

AtlantaDan
09-06-2018, 04:31 PM
Some salty comments from Tomlin

He had a terse reply for Bell’s agent, Adisa Bakari, who wondered aloud about the Steelers’ intended workload for his client and how it might affect his future earnings power. “I don’t communicate with agents regarding how I utilize players,” Tomlin said Thursday after practice. “I communicate with players regarding how I utilize players.”...

And a candid admission

Asked if the latest round of turmoil could affect his team, Tomlin said, “I think it can. Whether it’s negative or positive is up to the team.”

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2018/09/06/leveon-bell-update-mike-tomlin-press-conference-adisa-bakari/stories/201809060185

I have no clue how the team will react to this latest drama although I am not optimistic - as FrancoLambert posted in another thread, at some point it has to wear a team down

86WARD
09-06-2018, 04:36 PM
One more thing - We don’t know that this isn’t all agent speak and that Bell has some “yes men” preaching in his ears. Athletes aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed so a big part of it could be his agent telling him what he (the agent) is going to do and how it will be handled.

Fire Goodell
09-06-2018, 04:52 PM
I'm done talking about Bell, but will end with this. Bell is going to realize sooner or later, that he was a product of the system, and not as great as he thinks he is. Our offense has made a past his prime DeAngelo Williams put up star numbers. Fitzgerald Toussaint was balling out in the playoffs vs Cincy and Denver (before that fumble). Because we have Ben, AB, Juju to look out for, you can't really stack the box and not pay for it. Even so, this is one of the top OL's in the league.

Any 3 of our RB's will look good behind our line. Only one I'm iffy about is Samuels since I'm not 100% sold on him as far as being a pure runner goes. In any case when it comes to the RB situation I believe we'll be fine. If the defense can perform better than they did the last year, we'll be one of the teams to beat. I'm not worried about Bell, the defense is still my #1 concern.

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 04:55 PM
I'm done talking about Bell, but will end with this. Bell is going to realize sooner or later, that he was a product of the system, and not as great as he thinks he is. Our offense has made a past his prime DeAngelo Williams put up star numbers. Fitzgerald Toussaint was balling out in the playoffs vs Cincy and Denver (before that fumble). Because we have Ben, AB, Juju to look out for, you can't really stack the box and not pay for it. Even so, this is one of the top OL's in the league.

Any 3 of our RB's will look good behind our line. Only one I'm iffy about is Samuels since I'm not 100% sold on him as far as being a pure runner goes. In any case when it comes to the RB situation I believe we'll be fine. If the defense can perform better than they did the last year, we'll be one of the teams to beat. I'm not worried about Bell, the defense is still my #1 concern.

With or without Bell,the defense will decide the fate of steelers this year, especially in crucial moments.

steelreserve
09-06-2018, 05:02 PM
One more thing - We don’t know that this isn’t all agent speak and that Bell has some “yes men” preaching in his ears. Athletes aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed so a big part of it could be his agent telling him what he (the agent) is going to do and how it will be handled.

Did his agent tell him to turn down the deal last year, or to give every appearance that he is more interested in stupid shit than he is in being an All-Pro football player? I mean, a good amount of that can come from nowhere else but the source.

As an additional something to think about ... since free agency first became a thing, how many times have we wanted to keep one of our own players, made a reasonable offer of any kind, and not been able to get a deal done? Almost never, and the players involved were Mike Wallace, Plaxico Burress, and maybe one or two other guys so long ago I can't remember. In other words, players who just did not want to be here, and were usually dickheads in the first place.

The main lesson I draw from that is that, unless you are a huge jerk about it, this team tends to find a way to reach an agreement with important players, if it has anywhere near enough money available to do so. Just more evidence IMO that the problem here is with the player malfunctioning, and he was not going to come back in any case.

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 05:22 PM
1037826935806541824

I hope this is not true....

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 05:29 PM
1037816786832580610

Fire Goodell
09-06-2018, 05:31 PM
1037826935806541824

I hope this is not true....

If it is, I hope he doesn't get a helmet on Sunday. That's BS thinking he can just come in and unseat the guy who's put in work the entire offseason

AtlantaDan
09-06-2018, 05:31 PM
1037826935806541824

After which Foster, DeCastro, Pouncey and Bell will sing Kumbaya and hug it out? :hug:

I doubt it

BlackAndGold
09-06-2018, 05:33 PM
He won't be playing Sunday.

I want this drama to be over with, so hopefully it's true.

steelreserve
09-06-2018, 05:46 PM
I thought if he shows up Saturday expecting to get paid, the roster exemption we applied for means we don't have to, either this week or next.

I mean, seriously, if you think you can just waltz in totally unprepared and not play, and get paid as if you did your job, then there's something wrong with you. It's exactly like a small child testing the limits of what people will put up with.

bendsteel
09-06-2018, 05:49 PM
So I doubt that moron reads this or any website. My question is this, where and how can I just HAMMMER him via social media about being such a floppy douchebag?!?! Perhaps twitter and God help him if I see a tweet of his. My response will make a trucker blush! I would like to describe to him in detail howI feel about his Mama and Sista!

AtlantaDan
09-06-2018, 05:58 PM
So I doubt that moron reads this or any website. My question is this, where and how can I just HAMMMER him via social media about being such a floppy douchebag?!?! Perhaps twitter and God help him if I see a tweet of his. My response will make a trucker blush! I would like to describe to him in detail howI feel about his Mama and Sista!

Bell has been off twitter since Sunday which shows astonishing discipline for him

https://twitter.com/LeVeonBell?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp% 7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 06:06 PM
1037831486173532161

BlackAndGold
09-06-2018, 06:17 PM
Wasn't going to say anything but I want to since many fans may read this.

Some of this 'dislike' towards Bell from fans is becoming horrible hatred. I don't have a twitter(bet it's horrible there) but my god I've read some terrible comments on Instagram towards Bell. These players are human, and they're doing what they feel is best for them. What you feel is irrelevant. Expressing frustration is one thing, but the stuff I was reading from fans telling him to go "kill himself", and having hope that bad things happen to his family is as low as you can go, it makes the whole fan base look bad.

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 06:20 PM
Wasn't going to say anything but I want to since many fans may read this.

Some of this 'dislike' towards Bell from fans is becoming horrible hatred. I don't have a twitter(bet it's horrible there) but my god I've read some terrible comments on Instagram towards Bell. These players are human, and they're doing what they feel is best for them. What you feel is irrelevant. Expressing frustration is one thing, but the stuff I was reading from fans telling him to go "kill himself", and having hope that bad things happen to his family is as low as you can go, it makes the whole fan base look bad.

Agree with this..This is too far....And I hate Bell.

DesertSteel
09-06-2018, 06:33 PM
If people are making suicide wishes, 1. I’d like to see a copy of the remarks to know it isn’t exaggeration. 2. Those people are sick in the head. My only wish is that he ends up working at Walmart.

Butch
09-06-2018, 06:35 PM
I don't care if he comes back Saturday or not, I plain don't trust him. I don't begrudge a man trying to get money but he didn't have to be a prick to the fans and his fellow teammates. I just wish the Steelers would pull his offer and let him walk away.

Devilsdancefloor
09-06-2018, 06:38 PM
If the steelers start 5-0 or better with conner starting bells stock just fell through the floor so if they start out good i expect him there with "bells" on dont wanna be viewed as a system back

steelreserve
09-06-2018, 06:39 PM
Wasn't going to say anything but I want to since many fans may read this.

Some of this 'dislike' towards Bell from fans is becoming horrible hatred. I don't have a twitter(bet it's horrible there) but my god I've read some terrible comments on Instagram towards Bell. These players are human, and they're doing what they feel is best for them. What you feel is irrelevant. Expressing frustration is one thing, but the stuff I was reading from fans telling him to go "kill himself", and having hope that bad things happen to his family is as low as you can go, it makes the whole fan base look bad.

Yeah, I don't get that level of hatred, which is borderline insane. I'm about the most spiteful person you'll meet, but all I hope for is that his stupid move doesn't pan out like he'd hoped.

If it's something related to your own stupidity and relatively harmless, like getting a DUI or failing a drug test, that's still within the acceptable realm of poor sportsmanship if you ask me. But all the kill yourself stuff - come on man, get your priorities straight.

teegre
09-06-2018, 06:44 PM
Yeah, I don't get that level of hatred, which is borderline insane. I'm about the most spiteful person you'll meet, but all I hope for is that his stupid move doesn't pan out like he'd hoped.

If it's something related to your own stupidity and relatively harmless, like getting a DUI or failing a drug test, that's still within the acceptable realm of poor sportsmanship if you ask me. But all the kill yourself stuff - come on man, get your priorities straight.

Telling people to go kill themselves is a Mike Mitchell type of thing.

DesertSteel
09-06-2018, 06:51 PM
I was thinking if there was any possible way I could put Bell back into my good graces. I think what would need to happen is he fires his agent, apologizes and immediately shows up. Then, especially the agent firing, I could give him a chance to earn his way back.

AtlantaDan
09-06-2018, 06:53 PM
1037831486173532161

Then Mike Florio’s contribution on the NBC pregame was that as the union rep Foster was out of line calling out Bell because the union rep should never interject himself in a dispute involving the consequences of a contract dispute

Hawkman
09-06-2018, 07:13 PM
Then Mike Florio’s contribution on the NBC pregame was that as the union rep Foster was out of line calling out Bell because the union rep should never interject himself in a dispute involving the consequences of a contract dispute

What it seems like all of them don’t understand is.....there is no dispute. He either signs and shows up or he doesn’t. The dispute ended back in July. Foster is a player/teammate first and a union rep second.

Dwinsgames
09-06-2018, 07:14 PM
1037831486173532161


have you ever seen a bigger clown than Michael Irvin ?

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 07:19 PM
1037849516744093696

teegre
09-06-2018, 07:20 PM
1037747757929426951


I agree with Cowherd.

Ugh... kill me. :lol:

DesertSteel
09-06-2018, 07:20 PM
have you ever seen a bigger clown than Michael Irvin ?
That's the reason I don't like NFL Channel studio analysts. All they hire are clown ex-players who are never studied up in the film room. There's a couple exceptions and Willie McGinnest has actually improved, but most of them are indeed clowns (Reggie Wayne, Ike Taylor, et al).

Hawkman
09-06-2018, 07:24 PM
I agree with Cowherd.

Ugh... kill me. :lol:

Yeah, I always get a case of acid reflux whenever I agree with him.:chuckle:

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 07:26 PM
1037752876741918721

Hawkman
09-06-2018, 07:30 PM
1037752876741918721

WOW! Similar to what I just said on the previous page. Way to call it Adam.

Mojouw
09-06-2018, 07:33 PM
Wonder where Crash is on all this? It’s likely Haley’s fault somehow.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

pczach
09-06-2018, 07:35 PM
Then Mike Florio’s contribution on the NBC pregame was that as the union rep Foster was out of line calling out Bell because the union rep should never interject himself in a dispute involving the consequences of a contract dispute



Any time the media comments on this, they say the players should shut their mouths about Bell and never question a man trying to get his money. The message is never mess with a man's money. What's amazing is all 53 men in that locker room will have their next contracts be largely affected by how well the team performs. With their star RB holding out while also stopping the team from spending nearly $15 million to sign talent, and giving every player in that locker room a better chance to win a Super Bowl.....and earn more cash for themselves.

The funny thing is, most of these media guys have their heads so far up the players asses that they are the ones that are sending false messages to the public. Most of them always say what they think will keep them in the good graces of the players as a whole.

I am so sick of media in general. Very rarely do you get a gut reaction. So much of what they say is calculated and edited to kiss up to players. Not even mentioning the fact that the only job these guys have is to know everything about the NFL and to report it to those of us that don't have as much access to the information...…..and they consistently give bad information on most things they report. There are very few reporters/analysts that are reliable with what they report.

Watching all these guys fall all over themselves talking to players is just beyond old at this point. Watching them bend over and make fools of themselves kissing up to the superstars of the game takes it to another level.

ETL
09-06-2018, 08:10 PM
And Bell was the offensive player of the month in the last december and he was not loved by the steelers nation

If it was not the case last year, what makes you say that this is going to be the case this year now that the relationship between Bell and the fans is fractured??

i think it’s because football fans in general have a short attention span and have a “what have you done for me lately” view of things.

polamalubeast
09-06-2018, 08:46 PM
1037729385954959360

86WARD
09-06-2018, 09:04 PM
Did his agent tell him to turn down the deal last year, or to give every appearance that he is more interested in stupid shit than he is in being an All-Pro football player? I mean, a good amount of that can come from nowhere else but the source.



Of course his agent told him to turn the deal down...lol. It’s what agents do. Bell is an asshole but he’s being advised by a bigger asshole in his agent.

steelreserve
09-06-2018, 09:18 PM
Of course his agent told him to turn the deal down...lol. It’s what agents do. Bell is an asshole but he’s being advised by a bigger asshole in his agent.

Last year, his agent accepted the offer the Steelers put on the table and was just waiting for confirmation from Bell-Einstein himself, who rejected it against the advice of both the agent and his own mother, Mrs. Bell-Einstein.