Le'Veon Bell is unlikely to report to the team by Tuesday's deadline

So...can we delete all the LB threads now?

Jason La Canfora is not the most credible reporter, so we'll see.

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Originally Posted by polamalubeast

I did not see it on twitter .... Where did you see that?

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I wish I could tell you .... but I can't ..

Read the league and it's lawyers along with the Steelers will be trying to determine what this all means come 2019 and what Bells tag number will be ..

this is uncharted waters many believe an unsigned Tag is like no tag at all because the terms of it where not carried out by both parties and the team has a right to the player at the premium price if they so desire and if the player did not hold up to his end of it why would he be credited with the Tagged year ....

others believe simply placing the tag is enough even though the player dictated the results and did not play or practice a down or sign the tag ...

personally I believe that the former will be the result and if so there is a very good chance the Steelers tag him and control his destination via a trade and reap some value above a comp selection

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Originally Posted by Craic

I don't know why everyone's saying we get a 3rd round pick. If Bell sucks as much as everyone says he does, we're not going to get anything for him. Moreover, if we go out and pick ourselves up a good CB or LB like everyone wants, it'll negate a 3rd round pick pretty fast. Now, if we also lose Foster in the offseason, it'll help us out some with picks. How, I'm not sure, but it will.

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It doesn't take much to get a 3rd rounder. If he goes away and becomes a feature back we'll get the 3rd.

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Originally Posted by Craic

If Bell sucks as much as everyone says he does...

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I don't think anyone anywhere said "Bell sucks". He does not suck. He's probably the most complete back in the league today. He's just not worth the price he demands and more than a bit of a head case. We have proven that we can get comparable (in some ways superior) performance from a much more grounded and affordable RB.
Also no longer our problem. Let him go be a money sucking primadonna elsewhere. We've got work to do.

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Originally Posted by Fire Goodell

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

Oh... It ain't over MFers :chuckle:

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:applaudit:

Colbert = Cube
Bell = Eazy

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Originally Posted by GoSlash27

I don't think anyone anywhere said "Bell sucks". He does not suck. He's probably the most complete back in the league today. He's just not worth the price he demands and more than a bit of a head case. We have proven that we can get comparable (in some ways superior) performance from a much more grounded and affordable RB.
Also no longer our problem. Let him go be a money sucking primadonna elsewhere. We've got work to do.

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At least Bell will miss out on a ring by not signing :).

Soooo happy this drama is over.

Next man up! The job is officially all yours, James Conner. LET'S GO! :tt02:

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Originally Posted by steelreserve

To be honest, at this point unless they think they're going to get a first and a third in a trade offer, there's not a whole lot of point in another tag; just tying up a huge amount of cap space again for a guy who may or may not show, and probably hates your guts. Maybe it could be good leverage to get him to do a sign-and-trade, I guess. I'd be shocked if we signed him to a long-term deal given everything else that's happened in the meantime, and equally shocked if we used another tag except maybe the tranny, which isn't affected by this.

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Sure there is. Anything more than a third is a bonus. The $14.5M could be used later to extend players, not necessary to have it immediately. On top of a possible extra pick or two above a third, the Steelers could possibly decide where to send him. What’s the worst that happens? An arbitrator finds in favor of Bell or they franchise him for $14.5M again and he no shows them?

Pat Kirwan floated a theory out there today that he believes Bell has a deal in place already with another team and that’s why he would give up the $15M so easily. Which makes sense. If you know you have a big pay day waiting, then it’s very easy to pass on $15M later. He may have a $100M deal with $40M guaranteed sitting out there with some easy to attain bonuses that he may not of normally had.

If I’m Pittsburgh and I suspected such, I’d make sure I’d make that as difficult as possible for him.

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Originally Posted by polamalubeast

Jason La Canfora is not the most credible reporter, so we'll see.

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It’s coming from a lot of sources that this will most likely go to arbitration to decide if it can/should be done again.

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Originally Posted by vasteeler

So...can we delete all the LB threads now?

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I wish. :lol:

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Originally Posted by GoSlash27

I don't think anyone anywhere said "Bell sucks". He does not suck. He's probably the most complete back in the league today. He's just not worth the price he demands and more than a bit of a head case. We have proven that we can get comparable (in some ways superior) performance from a much more grounded and affordable RB.
Also no longer our problem. Let him go be a money sucking primadonna elsewhere. We've got work to do.

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He neither sucks nor is he the most complete back in the league. Steelers got his prime, which was over before last year.

Bell will never make up the $ in the long run. He will be the Jamarcus of RBs. Next contract he will show a little and then take a dive.

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Originally Posted by stillers4me

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Poor Levar Burton. He gets confused for LaVar Ball and Le'Veon Bell. :lol:

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Originally Posted by Fire Goodell

I said it before and will say it again, paying RBs ridiculous money isn't a formula that wins super bowls. How many championships did Adrian Peterson or Larry Johnson win? :chuckle:

Certainly less than Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, etc

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Totally agree. When's the last time a stud RB lead their team to a Superbowl victory? In today's pass happy NFL it's been a VERY long time.

Here is a list of Superbowl Champions and their starting RB's. I'd argue you have to go all the way back to Marshall Faulk in 1999 to find a stud RB that won a Superbowl but that team had a TON of weapons and air attack. So looking back past 1999 maybe you could argue Terrell Davis in 97 & 98 he was pretty dominant. But the 1995 Cowboys with Emmitt Smith were probably the last team with a stud RB to win it all. So essentially since 1999 teams with "okay" starting running backs have won it all.

Year		Team		Starting Running Back(s)
1995		Cowboys		Smith
1996		Packers		Levens
1997		Broncos		Terrell Davis
1998		Broncos		Terrell Davis
1999		Rams		Marshall Faulk
2000		Ravens		Jamal Lewis
2001		Pats		Kevin Faulk
2002		Bucs		Alstott
2003		Pats		Kevin Faulk
2004		Pats		Kevin Faulk
2005		Steelers		Parker, Bettis (end of Career)
2006		Colts		Addai
2007		Giants		Bradshaw, Jacobs
2008		Steelers		Parker, Moore
2009		Saints		Bush
2010		Packers		Starks
2011		Giants		Bradshaw, Jacobs
2012		Ravens		Rice
2013		Seahawks		Marshawn Lynch
2014		Pats		James White, Blount
2015		Broncos		Anderson, Hillman
2016		Pats		James White, Blount
2017		Eagles		Blount, Ajayi

I mean look at the RB's the Pats have won their five Superbowls with ...

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Originally Posted by polamalubeast

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Ben could have let that stay private - shows he is pissed at how Bell has handled communicating

Full quote from Ben

I hope Ben and the other players follow Tomlin's lead and just say it is over

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Originally Posted by Ezra Tank

Totally agree. When's the last time a stud RB lead their team to a Superbowl victory? In today's pass happy NFL it's been a VERY long time.

Here is a list of Superbowl Champions and their starting RB's. I'd argue you have to go all the way back to Marshall Faulk in 1999 since a stud RB won a Superbowl but that team had a TON of weapons and air attack. So looking back past 1999 maybe you could argue Terrell Davis in 97 & 98 he was pretty dominant. But the 1995 Cowboys with Emmitt Smith are probably the last team with a stud RB to win it all. So essentially since 1999 teams with "okay" starting running backs have won it all.

Year		Team		Starting Running Back(s)
1995		Cowboys		Smith
1996		Packers		Levens
1997		Broncos		Terrell Davis
1998		Broncos		Terrell Davis
1999		Rams		Marshall Faulk
2000		Ravens		Jamal Lewis
2001		Pats		Kevin Faulk
2002		Bucs		Alstott
2003		Pats		Kevin Faulk
2004		Pats		Kevin Faulk
2005		Steelers		Parker, Bettis (end of Career)
2006		Colts		Addai
2007		Giants		Bradshaw, Jacobs
2008		Steelers		Parker, Moore
2009		Saints		Bush
2010		Packers		Starks
2011		Giants		Bradshaw, Jacobs
2012		Ravens		Rice
2013		Seahawks		Marshawn Lynch
2014		Pats		James White, Blount
2015		Broncos		Anderson, Hillman
2016		Pats		James White, Blount
2017		Eagles		Blount, Ajayi

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What make Marshall Faulk very special is that as receiver he was a huge mismatch, even against a CB!

In 1999, Faulk had more that 1,000 yards as receiver and was a true homerun threat.

Bell is a good receiver, but most of his catch are checkdown against a linebacker and he is not a HR threat.

The player that looks like the most Faulk is also playing for rams right now (Gurley) but I do not think he's a good receiver like Faulk was.

For the list of players you have named since 2001, not many players who have made the pro bowl in the year that their team won the SB too!

Only Dillon in 2004,Rice in 2012 and Lynch in 2013.

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Originally Posted by polamalubeast

What make Marshall Faulk very special is that as receiver he was a huge mismatch, even against a CB!

In 1999, Faulk had more that 1,000 yards as receiver and was a true homerun threat.

Bell is a good receiver, but most of his catch are checkdown against a linebacker and he is not a HR threat.

The player that looks like the most Faulk is also playing for rams right now (Gurley) but I do not think he's a good receiver like Faulk was.

For the list of players you have named since 2001, not many players who have made the pro bowl in the year that their team won the SB too!

Only Dillon in 2004,Rice in 2012 and Lynch in 2013.

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Yeah, I think Marshall Faulk was the first version of the new RB of the future. I still argue the last true stud RB to win it all was Emmitt Smith in 1995, although Terrell Davis was pretty darn good before the headaches ended his career.

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Originally Posted by Ezra Tank

Yeah, I think Marshall Faulk was the first version of the new RB of the future. I still argue the last true stud RB to win it all was Emmitt Smith in 1995, although Terrell Davis was pretty darn good before the headaches ended his career.

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technically it was Marcus Allen , he was years ahead of his time ...

He is the first RB I recall splitting out wide and being successful at it ..

Dunlap: Bell Never Thought Conner Would Succeed

Like you, I grew tired of the Le'Veon Bell saga. Sure, the incessant talk about it --- remember, I'm in the talk business --- was good for business. But it got grating, it got mundane and, really, it just got plain old.

I'm pretty happy, for the most part, it's all done.

In retrospect looking back at all of this, I don't care to revisit it chapter and verse. I'm not interested in going over the intricacies of the different franchise tags or where Le'Veon Bell will end up or the general boneheaded nature of his agent. I'd much rather talk about the real chances of this edition of the Pittsburgh Steelers moving forward and how they could just be turning into a legitimate contender in the AFC.

But I do want to get to the heart of one thing. I want to get to the heart of this whole thing...

This entire Le'Veon Bell situation happened, and continued to roar through into mid-November because, quite simply, he never thought James Conner would be this good.

Bell bet against Conner --- he bet heavy against Conner.

Bell never thought Conner would be anything more than his backup. He thought Conner would be the guy who comes in when he taps his helmet.

Don't ever forget that.

Don't ever let Le'Veon Bell fool you into thinking he was some team player.

Don't ever let the charade of Le'Veon Bell posting his Pro Bowl vote for Conner on social media twist your thinking. It was and is all a front and a lie. A big game for Le'Veon Bell who has proven, if anything, he doesn't know all that much how to play the P.R. game. In reality, he really sucks at it.

You see, the truth of the matter in all of this is that Bell was actively rooting against Conner. He wanted Conner to --- and thought he would --- fall flat on his face. Bell felt as if the Steelers would be in a position where they quickly needed Bell to hustle back into the lineup because Conner wouldn't be a guy who couldn't handle the rigors of the NFL as a feature back.

That was Bell's fundamental plan in all of this.

It turned out to be his fundamental flaw and ultimate failure as a Steeler.

read more

https://937thefan.radio.com/articles...-would-succeed

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Originally Posted by Ezra Tank

Totally agree. When's the last time a stud RB lead their team to a Superbowl victory? In today's pass happy NFL it's been a VERY long time.

Here is a list of Superbowl Champions and their starting RB's. I'd argue you have to go all the way back to Marshall Faulk in 1999 to find a stud RB that won a Superbowl but that team had a TON of weapons and air attack. So looking back past 1999 maybe you could argue Terrell Davis in 97 & 98 he was pretty dominant. But the 1995 Cowboys with Emmitt Smith were probably the last team with a stud RB to win it all. So essentially since 1999 teams with "okay" starting running backs have won it all.

Year		Team		Starting Running Back(s)
1995		Cowboys		Smith
1996		Packers		Levens
1997		Broncos		Terrell Davis
1998		Broncos		Terrell Davis
1999		Rams		Marshall Faulk
2000		Ravens		Jamal Lewis
2001		Pats		Kevin Faulk
2002		Bucs		Alstott
2003		Pats		Kevin Faulk
2004		Pats		Kevin Faulk
2005		Steelers		Parker, Bettis (end of Career)
2006		Colts		Addai
2007		Giants		Bradshaw, Jacobs
2008		Steelers		Parker, Moore
2009		Saints		Bush
2010		Packers		Starks
2011		Giants		Bradshaw, Jacobs
2012		Ravens		Rice
2013		Seahawks		Marshawn Lynch
2014		Pats		James White, Blount
2015		Broncos		Anderson, Hillman
2016		Pats		James White, Blount
2017		Eagles		Blount, Ajayi

I mean look at the RB's the Pats have won their five Superbowls with ...

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Lol. You could probably argue that since 2000, Willie Parker is the best RB on that list.

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Originally Posted by Dwinsgames

technically it was Marcus Allen , he was years ahead of his time ...

He is the first RB I recall splitting out wide and being successful at it ..

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Roger Craig was no slouch.

31 PPG for the Steelers this year....

And LOL at you...The steelers have a WR number 2(JuJu) and a number 1 RB(Conner)...The only thing that this offense have not right now is a number 3 WR...

https://media.giphy.com/media/xUOwGn...HU8U/giphy.gif