It's time to play hardball with Brown and Bell

[j-d-s]

I for one have had enough with those two doing what they want in order to get to other teams.

Especially with AB, who is under contract through 2021, I'd tell him he better get in line because we won't let him go before 2021 and if he fails to report he will incur the fines for that, might as well retire right now. Looking at the cap hit he will give us even if traded and considering we probably won't even get 1st rounder for him, I see absolutely no reason why we should let him go. None at all. If he holds out, so be it. Let's see if he is willing to hold out for 3 years losing millions of dollars and probably not getting signed by a team after 3 years out of football.

For Bell, I'd at least try to give him the franchise tag again and then let an arbitrator sort out whether we can tag him for 2nd tag money because he held out last year. But since we will get $14 million of additional cap space I would support to franchise tagging him even if it is 3rd tag money... just to show everyone, if you sign with the Steelers, you better not even think about holdouts or similar things.

I'm sorry, but with Ben having maybe 3 more years left I'm not willing to let our two best offensive players leave just because they behave like spoiled kids. Unless maybe we get like two or three first round picks or Pro-Bowl players.

[Fire Goodell]

Let Bell go. I'm confident with Conner / Samuels going forward, for 1/10 the price.

AB I think if these rumors are true, deal him. He's basically becoming Terrell Owens #2

[Born2Steel]

I for one have had enough with those two doing what they want in order to get to other teams.

Especially with AB, who is under contract through 2021, I'd tell him he better get in line because we won't let him go before 2021 and if he fails to report he will incur the fines for that, might as well retire right now. Looking at the cap hit he will give us even if traded and considering we probably won't even get 1st rounder for him, I see absolutely no reason why we should let him go. None at all. If he holds out, so be it. Let's see if he is willing to hold out for 3 years losing millions of dollars and probably not getting signed by a team after 3 years out of football.

For Bell, I'd at least try to give him the franchise tag again and then let an arbitrator sort out whether we can tag him for 2nd tag money because he held out last year. But since we will get $14 million of additional cap space I would support to franchise tagging him even if it is 3rd tag money... just to show everyone, if you sign with the Steelers, you better not even think about holdouts or similar things.

I'm sorry, but with Ben having maybe 3 more years left I'm not willing to let our two best offensive players leave just because they behave like spoiled kids. Unless maybe we get like two or three first round picks or Pro-Bowl players.

You are not going to get any conversation on here about anything other than how much the entire organization just plain sucks and all the players are divas and worthless punks. Wait until after the SuperBowl and maybe 5-6 will start talking sense again.

[Butch]

I for one have had enough with those two doing what they want in order to get to other teams.

Especially with AB, who is under contract through 2021, I'd tell him he better get in line because we won't let him go before 2021 and if he fails to report he will incur the fines for that, might as well retire right now. Looking at the cap hit he will give us even if traded and considering we probably won't even get 1st rounder for him, I see absolutely no reason why we should let him go. None at all. If he holds out, so be it. Let's see if he is willing to hold out for 3 years losing millions of dollars and probably not getting signed by a team after 3 years out of football.

For Bell, I'd at least try to give him the franchise tag again and then let an arbitrator sort out whether we can tag him for 2nd tag money because he held out last year. But since we will get $14 million of additional cap space I would support to franchise tagging him even if it is 3rd tag money... just to show everyone, if you sign with the Steelers, you better not even think about holdouts or similar things.

I'm sorry, but with Ben having maybe 3 more years left I'm not willing to let our two best offensive players leave just because they behave like spoiled kids. Unless maybe we get like two or three first round picks or Pro-Bowl players.

I respect where you are coming from and to some degree wish it would play out like you say. That being said that just isn't the Steelers way. If a player doesn't want to be here then let him move on and hope what we get in return pays off two fold. I don't think the risk of losing others to his cancer is worth taking.

[pczach]

James Harrison is held up as a Steelers God around here by many.

He has turned out to be the man that ultimately poisoned the locker room and became a leader by example when it comes to being able to become such a disruption that a player can force his way off the team.

James Harrison - franchise killer and evil mentor. The man that ultimately destroyed the Steelers' locker room by poisoning Bell and AB.

[86WARD]

James Harrison is held up as a Steelers God around here by many.

He has turned out to be the man that ultimately poisoned the locker room and became a leader by example when it comes to being able to become such a disruption that a player can force his way off the team.

James Harrison - franchise killer and evil mentor. The man that ultimately destroyed the Steelers' locker room by poisoning Bell and AB.

I don’t know...I think the precedent was set when Blount forced his way off the team, landed back with New England and won a Super Bowl and then another Super Bowl the following year. Everything for Blount about that has been positive. Tomlin and the Steelers mishandled that from the get go.

[Devilsdancefloor]

bell is gone transition tag him to just to mess with him

AB im still shaking my head WTF is wrong with him. He might need mental/anger help the throwing furniture everything isnt adding up with him, but he can sit for 3 years or play for the steelers

[pczach]

I don’t know...I think the precedent was set when Blount forced his way off the team, landed back with New England and won a Super Bowl and then another Super Bowl the following year. Everything for Blount about that has been positive. Tomlin and the Steelers mishandled that from the get go.



I hear you, but AB isn't having interviews bashing the Steelers with Blount. He's doing it with Harrison. I think there's a correlation there.

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

bell is gone transition tag him to just to mess with him

AB im still shaking my head WTF is wrong with him. He might need mental/anger help the throwing furniture everything isnt adding up with him, but he can sit for 3 years or play for the steelers AB ain't sitting out many games regardless if he is with The Steelers or someone else. He won't sit out on his own and wants to beat Rice's record. This is where The Steelers have the leverage knowing he won't pull a LB.

[Mojouw]

I often wonder what power NFL teams have to mandate medical assessment. Like in this case tell AB that he has to go get a baseline mental health test.

That and I am shocked he hasn't had to pee in a cup yet. All the publicly available information points to the potential for a significant mental health issue.

Related to all that, the Steelers have been troubled lately with players who faced mental health issues. From Sweed to Bryant to Burns to AB, I have to wonder if a trip to the headshrinker wouldn't be useful.

[pczach]

AB ain't sitting out many games regardless if he is with The Steelers or someone else. He won't sit out on his own and wants to beat Rice's record. This is where The Steelers have the leverage knowing he won't pull a LB.


Those are very good points. I tend to agree with you. AB burns through so much money and has a maniacal obsession with his stats and their historical relevance that I don't think he would be willing to sit out for any length of time if they call his bluff.

[Rotorhead]

Bell is a waste of air, that moron wants all his $$ guaranteed and more than anyone else. He won’t even get what the Steelers offered him in FA. He was replaced and is gone, no point in even talking about him. Brown wants traded, so let’s trade him for a top CB or ILB and at min a high 2nd so we can improve our defense. We will need to get a solid #2 (unless Washington makes the jump most think he can) for next season. With a trade, we can fix the 2 major problems on our defense, CB and ILB and maybe even upgrade Dupree also. I would rather have AB here, but he has burned several team bridges it seems, so get the most we can for him and let his stats fall off somewhere else.

[Dwinsgames]

We will need to get a solid #2 (unless Washington makes the jump most think he can) for next season.


for statistical purposes ..

Antonio Brown rookie year ..... 16 catches 167 yards and a fumble
James Washington rookie year 16 catches 207 yards and a td

[ALLD]

AB is worth 2 Bells + a draft pick. Who needs a WR real bad?

[Fire Goodell]

for statistical purposes ..

Antonio Brown rookie year ..... 16 catches 167 yards and a fumble
James Washington rookie year 16 catches 207 yards and a td

AB was pretty much a non contributor until the playoffs. Washington started turning it on late in the season. I'm not worried about him at all, he doesn't seem to have the same confidence issues Coates and Wheaton did.

On a side note, hey we went from young money crew to the Killer B's, maybe if Jesse James can up his game, their next group of playmakers will be the James gang. Jesse James, James Conner, James Washington :chuckle:

[Devilsdancefloor]

AB ain't sitting out many games regardless if he is with The Steelers or someone else. He won't sit out on his own and wants to beat Rice's record. This is where The Steelers have the leverage knowing he won't pull a LB.

well i hope they use the leverage! but again he is under contract im sure rosenhouse still gets his money if AB sits out or misses time. rosenhouse is a smart man he should be helping his client more than he is!

[86WARD]

It’s not time to play hard ball. It’s time to play smart ball and do what’s best for your organization to excel on field and win a championship. Trading AB for a first round pick or less, that’s going to hurt your organization. Letting Bell walk without putting up a fight in arbitration, that’s not doing your organization it’s due diligence.

[Rotorhead]

Can we just forget about Bell, we will get a 3rd rounder for him next year, he has already been replaced, 2x, this season. If we can get a top level CB or ILB and a high draft pick for AB then we are not going to be worse as a team, we can fix our two biggest holes on the defense and immediately improve that side of the ball. Our Off won’t be as good, but I think we have more than enough talent there now, and plenty more after the draft and FA to be fine on offense. Overall an improvement.

[86WARD]

Why. I’d put him back in play if AB is gone. Why not?

[st33lersguy]

Bell already lost with the Steelers. He lost $14.5 million and a year of his prime and now his market value dropped. And then Chris Ballard of the Colts is saying he won't go after someone like Bell. Bell is slowly but surely derailing his career. AB I think it may be best to trade him as long as they can get a first rounder but I wouldn't trade him to San Fran unless they are willing to part with the 2nd overall pick or they offer a 1st round pick in 2020 and no other team is willing to offer a first