Le'Veon Bell for Rob Gronkowski:

[Cyphon25]

So earlier in the offseason there was some talk about the benefits of trading Bell or not signing him to a long term deal and instead using that money on defense or whatever. I am not going to get into the pros and cons of that or what the writer talked about. However, with Heath retiring and our new need at TE it made me think of what I feel is a very intriguing question.

That is, would you trade Le'Veon Bell for Rob Gronkowski. You can answer from either teams perspective or both if you want. Here are my thoughts:


Patriots perspective:

Gronk is the best TE in the game without question and Brady's blanket. He is also a really good blocker. So it is obvious what you lose if he goes. So let's talk about the gain in bringing in Bell. Brady was one of the 10 most sacked QB's in the NFL last year and his strength as a passer is picking apart D's from the pocket mainly using short to intermediate routes. In my opinion, Bell is the perfect play to not only help take pressure off of Brady but also plays to his strengths as a pass with his ability to catch out of the backfield. Bell is arguably the best all-around RB in the game so with his addition to the Pats he would keep opposing defenses honest which would keep them from teeing off on Brady and give Brady the time he needs to pick them apart. And again, could sit in the soft spots to give Brady another target who is great after the catch.

This doesn't even account for what a genius like Bellicheck would do with Bell that us average Joes might not even think of.

Steelers perspective:

Bell is an amazing RB. As Steelers fans you don't need to tell me what he brings. But I want to talk about what Gronk would add. One of our biggest issues over the last few years has been redzone offense. No matter what weapons we have had we have struggled there. I can't imagine that the addition of Gronk wouldn't be a big help in fixing that. On top of if, I think Gronk is the perfect kind of target for a QB like Ben who often times breaks into a backyard style of play. What better guy to have than someone his size who is nearly un-coverable?


In my opinion this would be a mutually beneficial trade for both teams. And look, I know it would never happen but I think it makes for a fun discussion and would like to see what other people think about it. Would it be a mostly even trade? Do you think one team benefits more? Would you make it?

[steelreserve]

Fuck that! Bell adds a whole different dimension to the offense, and Gronkowski's got Patriots stink on him.

[hawaiiansteeler]

unrelated but funny nevertheless:

Rob Gronkowski is basically paying people to have sex in public on his party cruise

February 22, 2016

Rob Gronkowski is hosting a cadre of drunken coeds in the Caribbean aboard his party cruise this weekend, and well, it might be more outrageous than you would imagine.

Everyone is getting drunk and dancing all over the place. It's fun, college-esque spring break stuff. Good for them.

Oh, there's also this video of Gronk basically offering $10,000 to any couple that will have sex in front of the large group of people:

to read rest of article and watch video:

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl-news...ida-waka-flaka

[Cyphon25]

Fuck that! Bell adds a whole different dimension to the offense, and Gronkowski's got Patriots stink on him.

Look, I love Bell but I don't see where he adds a whole different dimension to our offense. Williams was practically a thousand yard back and can catch out of the backfield as well. Is Bell better? Without question. But so much better that you wouldn't than Williams that you wouldn't want Gronk and Williams over Bell? I don't see it.

And while I hate the Patriots I have a ton of respect for what Gronk can do on the football field. He is one of the only players in the NFL who is unquestionably number 1 at their position.

[Dwinsgames]

I think the Pats sign Matt Forte in FA , he will bring to the table a lot of what Bell brings for Brady and Forte is probably in search of a Ring before he is done so they may get him on the relative cheap side considering his talent level

[vindrow]

Uhhhhhh...No.

[Cyphon25]

I think the Pats sign Matt Forte in FA , he will bring to the table a lot of what Bell brings for Brady and Forte is probably in search of a Ring before he is done so they may get him on the relative cheap side considering his talent level

Not really what I was getting at. I am asking in a hypothetical world what you think of this trade. From both sides of the table.

Uhhhhhh...No.

Nice insight. Very intellectual.

[hawaiiansteeler]

Look, I love Bell but I don't see where he adds a whole different dimension to our offense. Williams was practically a thousand yard back and can catch out of the backfield as well. Is Bell better? Without question. But so much better that you wouldn't than Williams that you wouldn't want Gronk and Williams over Bell? I don't see it.

And while I hate the Patriots I have a ton of respect for what Gronk can do on the football field. He is one of the only players in the NFL who is unquestionably number 1 at their position.

I agree, DeAngelo + Gronk > Le'Veon Bell

however, DeAngelo may only have another season left in him...

[86WARD]

No.

Why trade the leagues best YOUNG running back for one of the leagues best TEs who is "older".

No thanks.

[Cyphon25]

No.

Why trade the leagues best YOUNG running back for one of the leagues best TEs who is "older".

No thanks.

1. Gronk is 26 to Le'Veon Bells 24. RB's tend to burn out earlier. So age isn't necessarily a concern.

2. Gronk is thee best TE in the league. It isn't even debatable.

3. For the reasons I explained above.

[Born2Steel]

1. Gronk has missed with major injuries, but can dominate when healthy.
Bell has missed with major injuries, but can dominate when healthy.

2. Gronk is a huge redzone weapon.
Bell is a huge redzone weapon.

3. Bell's shortened 2015 season = 4.9yrds/rush, 5.7 yrds/rec
Gronk's 2015 season = 16.3 yrds/rec, no rushes.

4. Bell's 2016 offseason plan = Getting healthy
Gronk's 2016 offseason plan = Says getting in shape but cruising and giving lap dances by all reports.

Going to stay with Bell.

[Mojouw]

It all depends on how much you hold to the idea that RBs are fungible. If you think that you can find a guy who can replicate Bells' production in any of the first 4 rounds of a given draft, then the trade is lopsided and if the Pats offer Gronk, you do it in a heartbeat.

If you believe that not all RBs are created equal, then you likely stick with Bell since he is impactful in more alignments.

[Cyphon25]

It all depends on how much you hold to the idea that RBs are fungible. If you think that you can find a guy who can replicate Bells' production in any of the first 4 rounds of a given draft, then the trade is lopsided and if the Pats offer Gronk, you do it in a heartbeat.

If you believe that not all RBs are created equal, then you likely stick with Bell since he is impactful in more alignments.

I think you more or less nailed my thoughts in a summarized manner. With the add on from me that I think RB's are absolutely fungible.

I will be the first to say that Bell is special. But even with that, I can't imagine how much more he would have added to what Williams gave us. I mean, Williams had a great season. How much greater would Bell have made it?

We also saw it a bit in Seattle when Lynch was out. Nobody Thomas Rawls stepped up big.

[lipps83]

Gronk 9 times out of 10. Bell is probably the best back in the game right now. Gronk very well may be the best TE to ever play the game. There is no match up against Gronk that favors the other team, unless he is out. The Steelers lost Bell and didn't miss a beat.

You can't replace Bell 100%, but you can come pretty close. That and the career span for a back is much, much shorter than a TE.

Having a great back isn't nearly as important today as it was 20 years ago. Today it is just a nice to have.

Name the last great hall of fame caliber back to win a super bowl.

..............................and.........

Jerome Bettis over 10 years ago and he wasn't even the starting back that season.

I bet very few can name more than 5 of the starting halfbacks on the last 10 super bowl teams, not counting the Steelers.

You don't even need a 1000 yard rusher to win a super bowl. Heck, not even 4 teams had one in the last 10 years. Mostly have been backs by committee.

Bell is not only unnecessary, but signing him to a big contract very well may handicap this team since there are much, much bigger needs to fill.

That is the reality.

[zulater]

First and foremost I don't see either team reaching out to initiate the proposed deal. If at any point that changes then perhaps I'll take this more seriously. But as I don't believe there's a snowball in hell's chance of this happening I'm not going to waste a great deal of time discussing it.

Second I can see some sense in it. But I disagree with the assertion that DeAngelo Williams is a suitable replacement for Bell. Yes he did a great job last season. But he's ancient by NFL rb standards and projecting him to carry the load for the entire 16 season isn't something I would endorse. I am hoping that Haley incorporates both into the offense, something like a 60-30 split for offensive snaps. I could see their combined production as being something really special next season.

Yeah it would be nice to have Gronk. But again I'm quite content with what we've got and don't really see any chance of it happening anyway.

[Cyphon25]

First and foremost I don't see either team reaching out to initiate the proposed deal. If at any point that changes then perhaps I'll take this more seriously. But as I don't believe there's a snowball in hell's chance of this happening I'm not going to waste a great deal of time discussing it.

You are correct in the fact that there is no way this would ever happen. The purpose is just to have an interesting topic during the down time of the NFL. Especially a topic I doubt you will find anyone else on the planet talking about.

Second I can see some sense in it. But I disagree with the assertion that DeAngelo Williams is a suitable replacement for Bell. Yes he did a great job last season. But he's ancient by NFL rb standards and projecting him to carry the load for the entire 16 season isn't something I would endorse. I am hoping that Haley incorporates both into the offense, something like a 60-30 split for offensive snaps. I could see their combined production as being something really special next season.

Yeah it would be nice to have Gronk. But again I'm quite content with what we've got and don't really see any chance of it happening anyway.

For the record I would never argue Williams is a suitable replacement. Age is definitely a concern. My point focuses more on loss vs gain for each side. As I pointed out, Brady was sacked a lot last year and doesn't do well under pressure. So Bell is an almost perfect fix because he makes defenses worry about him which takes pressure off of Brady and relieves some of their OL weakness. Not only that, but Bell is a great option out of the backfield and he tends to catch the ball right where Brady likes to throw it.

On our side of things you may lose some of that scaring the defense stuff Bell brings, but it isn't as important to us for multiple reasons.

1. We have a great offensive line. They don't need a lot of help.

2. Ben is good under pressure.

And on the positive side of things, Gronk GREATLY increases our redzone capabilities which is our offenses biggest flaw by a very wide margin.

[zulater]

You are correct in the fact that there is no way this would ever happen. The purpose is just to have an interesting topic during the down time of the NFL. Especially a topic I doubt you will find anyone else on the planet talking about.



For the record I would never argue Williams is a suitable replacement. Age is definitely a concern. My point focuses more on loss vs gain for each side. As I pointed out, Brady was sacked a lot last year and doesn't do well under pressure. So Bell is an almost perfect fix because he makes defenses worry about him which takes pressure off of Brady and relieves some of their OL weakness. Not only that, but Bell is a great option out of the backfield and he tends to catch the ball right where Brady likes to throw it.

On our side of things you may lose some of that scaring the defense stuff Bell brings, but it isn't as important to us for multiple reasons.

1. We have a great offensive line. They don't need a lot of help.

2. Ben is good under pressure.

And on the positive side of things, Gronk GREATLY increases our redzone capabilities which is our offenses biggest flaw by a very wide margin.

As far as our offensive line. We had a good offensive line for the past two seasons. But we've got Foster and Beachum both facing free agency, so our quality depth is limited. And if Gilbert or DeCastro go down to injury who knows where that leaves us?

Obviously Gronk is a quality blocker so that would help in that regard. But let me throw in one additional caveat against this potential move. As silly as it may sound with Bell having both his last two seasons finished up early due to injures, I think Gronk is a bigger health risk than Bell. Bell's injury's have come about due to two isolated cheap shots. Gronk on the other hand seems to be showing signs of wear and tear associated with constant contact. Bell other than his isolated injuries has proven more durable imo. 99% of the time after a hard hit Bell has gotten up unscathed. In contrast it seems like Gronk is limping off the field every other play when I see a Patriot game. He presents a huge target, and is constantly getting taken down low. I think sooner rather than later we're going to see his play start to fall off. Yes I know he's only 26, but he's an old 26 if that makes sense?

I would say this. If Deon Lewis was thrown into the deal, providing he passes a physical, I would have more interest. But there again that's another reason this will never happen. I think Lewis is the real deal, and I think the Patriots think so as well. So they probably have a running back they're content with already.

[steelreserve]

A great RB lets you do more things than a great TE. No tight end has ever accounted for 2,200 total yards in a season. Gronkowski's best total season yardage is less than Bell's best season rushing yardage, then there are 900 more receiving yards for Bell.

In Bell's only full season, his receiving yards alone would've been in the top half of Gronkowski's career receiving yardage seasons.

Bell has been injury-prone his first few seasons, but Gronkowski has been just as injury-prone if not more.

TEs can block and RBs can block. Which kind of blocker do you want? That's all.

Bell got knocked the fuck out and still held on to the ball to let us score a touchdown, when 99.9% of people drop the ball and it turns over to the other team. I mean, what the fuck do you want from the guy?

Bell is two awesome players in one. Gronkowski is possibly the best in his position, when he's not injured, playing in the most pass-friendly offense in the history of the game, and he comes from a franchise that's a dick, and he's a dick. Is this even a real question?

[Steeldude]

The Steelers wouldn't utilize Gronkowski to merit his huge salary.

[Born2Steel]

But wouldn't you guys love to have both?

[steelreserve]

But wouldn't you guys love to have both?

No. Fuck the Patriots and fuck everything about them, which includes Gronkowski.

[Cyphon25]

But wouldn't you guys love to have both?

Ha, that would be awesome.

If the Steelers announced today that we were getting Gronk I might just go ahead and bet everything I own that we win an SB.

[silver & black]

Ha, that would be awesome.

If the Steelers announced today that we were getting Gronk I might just go ahead and bet everything I own that we win an SB.

You may well win it anyway. I'm a die hard Raiders fan but, The Steelers are the best team in the league right now. If it wasn't for injuries, they probably would have won it this year. I'm gonna have to go wash my mouth out now.

[zulater]

But wouldn't you guys love to have both?

Yeah, that and a Gulfstream jet and a mansion in the Hamptons.

[vindrow]

Not really what I was getting at. I am asking in a hypothetical world what you think of this trade. From both sides of the table.



Nice insight. Very intellectual.

That's all that needed to be said with a rediculous statement like that.

[Cyphon25]

That's all that needed to be said with a rediculous statement like that.

Sure, when your brain can't formulate an intelligent thought on the subject. Probably just better not to post though. You just take up good discussion space.

[dduc996]

Bell is 60% done.
Two blown knees ? Whatever happens to him , he'll be a shadow of his former self. He ain't no AP.
I say trade him off , Gronk or not. Williams and company filled the Bell gap just fine.

[lipps83]

Bell is 60% done.
Two blown knees ? Whatever happens to him , he'll be a shadow of his former self. He ain't no AP.
I say trade him off , Gronk or not. Williams and company filled the Bell gap just fine.

Not only that, but even with Williams out the two other backs fared pretty well minus the one fumble in the Divisional playoff game.

I just can't believe there are some out there willing to spend 10 million per year to keep a guy this team REALLY does not need. It has been demonstrated over and over that Leveon Bell is not an important cog in the wheel AT ALL. You can get two above average players at positions you actually need to upgrade for the same amount. Proven commodities can be signed to upgrade weaknesses, and draft a young RB to fill the void left by Bell that can replace Williams when he retires.

The unfortunate thing in all of this is I fully anticipate the team resigning Bell to a big deal.

[fansince'76]

Bell is 60% done.
Two blown knees ? Whatever happens to him , he'll be a shadow of his former self. He ain't no AP.

One blown knee and one hyperextension. Whether he fully recovers from the torn MCL or not remains to be seen. But he's a good deal younger than AP and unlike AP, he didn't tear his ACL, so I'm hopeful. And if he does fully recover, I'm confident that he'll go right back to being the best all-around RB in the game.

I truly think people have extremely short memories regarding how good Bell really is. Not only as a RB, but as an extra blocker and an outlet receiver.

DeAngelo filled in admirably, but one, he's turning 33 years old in April, and two, you can only do so much to replace the 2,200+ yards of offensive production that Bell accounted for in 2014. Further, we still don't really know what we have in Todman/Toussaint.

Do you guys really want to take a chance on going back to the days of the Mendenhall/Redman/Dwyer shit sandwich? Count me out.

[Cyphon25]

One blown knee and one hyperextension. Whether he fully recovers from the torn MCL or not remains to be seen. But he's a good deal younger than AP and unlike AP, he didn't tear his ACL, so I'm hopeful. And if he does fully recover, I'm confident that he'll go right back to being the best all-around RB in the game.

I truly think people have extremely short memories regarding how good Bell really is. Not only as a RB, but as an extra blocker and an outlet receiver.

DeAngelo filled in admirably, but one, he's turning 33 years old in April, and two, you can only do so much to replace the 2,200+ yards of offensive production that Bell accounted for in 2014. Further, we still don't really know what we have in Todman/Toussaint.

Do you guys really want to take a chance on going back to the days of the Mendenhall/Redman/Dwyer shit sandwich? Count me out.

For my part I certainly remember how good Bell is and I think he is truthfully the number 1 RB in the NFL. But there has to be serious consideration to what you can do with the amount of money they are going to have to pay Bell to keep him. Let's put the thread topic aside for a second.

Do you take Williams and 1000 all-purpose yards and a good/great corner or do you take Bell with 2200 all-purpose yards and our current corners? Beyond that consider the other players who are going to be getting paid here soon. Ben has a huge contract and if you give on to Bell and then have to pay AB you wrap up a good portion of your money in 3 players. Normally I wouldn't mind but they are going to eventually have to let some good players walk and they haven't been as good as replenishing the talent lately.

And I really like Todman for what it is worth. The team certainly doesn't seem to but I thought he looked better in limited time than Toissant did.

Speaking of short memories, I think people forget what Redman did for us given the situation he was in. In one of his first games as a starter he ran for over 100 yards and had a TD in the playoff game vs the Broncos. He was a great pass blocker and could catch well out of the backfield too. For what it's worth he had the number 1 rated pass blocking efficiency on PFF out of all running backs and was 1st or 2nd in tackle breaking efficiency.

What really hurt Redman was 2 things. 1, our line wasn't even close to what it is today. That is why Redman had to break so many tackles and he was really good at it. 2, Tomlin kept rotating him with Dwyer and Rainey. That committee approached messed them all up because it didn't allow for any of them to ever get into e rhythm. But Redman was a very underrated back.