Chances are that Bell will go down at some point this year and the silver lining on that would be that they can see what Conner has. If he shows he's got the ability over a 2-4 game stretch, that reduces the need for paying Bell $12M a year.
Chances are that Bell will go down at some point this year and the silver lining on that would be that they can see what Conner has. If he shows he's got the ability over a 2-4 game stretch, that reduces the need for paying Bell $12M a year.
Some brutal observations on Bell from Joe Starkey of the P-G
He has yet to start and finish the same season. He’s coming off groin surgery, which came a year after knee surgery. He’s been suspended twice. He has participated meaningfully in two of the Steelers’ five playoff games during his career....
Including playoffs, the Steelers have played 70 games since they drafted Le’Veon Bell. He has played in 50 of them. Actually, if you strike last year’s AFC title game, and you really should, Bell has participated meaningfully in 49 of those 70....
If he retired this instant, the following sentence could easily kick off his football obituary: “Le’Veon Bell, who set records when active but twice was suspended by the NFL, missed 30 percent of his team’s games and never finished the playoffs healthy, retired from football today … “
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/j...s/201707180109
bottom line is truly this IMO
you have a guy who has missed roughly 30% of the teams games since he was drafted either to injury or suspension and he is offered 4 million dollars a year MORE than the next highest paid guy at his craft and he turns it down ....
he is an idiot
https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/sta...35623320797185
Good move, Steelers.
I'll worry about his status after the postseason.
For now, he's still a Steeler and it's time to focus on getting that Lombardi. Put up or STFU.
at his current tag price that could yield you Lesean McCoy and Matt Forte ... that is a lot of talent ..
who here wouldnt rather have them BOTH vs 1 Bell
not a fan of one of those guys ok fine ....
pick one of this group ( and one of the next or 3 maybe even 4 of the next group if you pass on group 1 ) that is how absurdly over paid Bell is at 12 million a year and its not enough for him in his eyes
group 1
LeSean McCoy
Doug Martin
Lamar Miller
DeMarco Murray
Chris Ivory
group 2
Giovani Bernard
Latavius Murray
Darren Sproles
Marshawn Lynch
Eddie Lacy
Mark Ingram
Matt Forte
Jonathan Stewart
Adrian Peterson
Jamaal Charles
https://overthecap.com/position/running-back/
Bell's availability is what's lacking, not talent. He strikes me as somebody who wants $15-$20 million per season guaranteed and will go down in Week 7. Then he will get fat like Woodley and we would eat a lot of cap space trying to unload him on another team.
All Defense!
I guess its all in how you want to look at it ... Shady McCoy averaged 5.4 YPC last year while rushing for nearly 1300 yards in 15 games behind a far lessor line than we have and a lessor QB at the helm allowing teams to stack the box vs him more often
for me its not about 5 years from now because Bell very well could be out of the league before then himself , its about Bens shrinking window
I would easily take McCoy and Matt Forte over 1 Bell
I then have proven built in quality depth and change in my pocket to spend
Bell is watching too many of his highlight reels and forgetting his big Incomplete in MVPs and SBs.
All Defense!
Waste of money this guy would be. I would rather upgrade another area of the team than dump that much money into a position that is becoming irrelevant.
And yes, Bell is best back in the league.
When was the last time 'best back in league' led a team to the super bowl? When was the last time 'best back in the league' was even on the super bowl winning team?
It's been a long, long, long time.
Bell is worth it if you want to sell a bunch of jerseys.
http://steelerswire.usatoday.com/201...-12m-per-year/Le'Veon Bell turns down more than $12M per year from Steelers
Considering his comments in the last 24 hours, it is clear any new contract offer to Le’Veon Bell before the deadline would have needed to set a new financial standard for running backs in the NFL. However, if the sources of NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero are to be believed, that is exactly what the Pittsburgh Steelers tried to do.
Should these figures prove to be correct, there can be little doubt Bell is betting on himself to have a huge season in 2017 and possibly clean up on the open market. Some might now wonder how serious he really was when he rapped “I’m a need 15 a year and they know this.”
An offer of $30 million over the first two years is more than Bell will be able to earn in the same time frame if the Steelers opt to franchise tag him again in 2018. While there is no mention of signing bonus amounts or the guarantees attached to the deal, the signing bonus would presumably have been around the $12 million to $15 million mark based on those numbers, with expected partial guarantees in the form of roster bonuses in the second and possibly third years. Ian Rapoport is reporting the deal was for five years.
Paying Bell $42 million over three years works out to an average of $14 million a season to that point, a figure that unquestionably would have set new ground for a floundering running back market.
These numbers suggest Pittsburgh offered far more than many observers expected, with the media predicting amounts that would average out to $10 million a year. If these figures are correct, Bell’s rejection of this deal is something of a surprise to the salary cap experts.
Give a lib a fish--he eats for a day
Teach a lib to fish--he is back the next day asking for more free fish.
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
Spending on the Defense, especially on the secondary seems to be a more effective championship winning strategy. I would point to a recent Denver team as the example. A team with an over the hill QB and mediocre running backs.
"12 game" isn't going to change the trend of saving the money on RB's and using it on other positions.
If that's what the Steelers offered Bell then he really is full of himself and a dumbass.
This, there is no need to be pissed at Bell for wanting to gamble on himself. He will be a Steeler opening day, that's all that matters. Especially with the questions surrounding Ben and his playing future, this could be the last chance at a SB.
They'll re-do these contract talks after the season.
1. Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia 2. Zach Frazier, C, West Virginia 3. Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan 3. Renardo Green, CB, FSU 4. Mo Kamara, OLB, Colorado State 6. Logan Lee, DT, Iowa 6.Khristian Boyd, NT, Northern Iowa
So instead of making 15 million the first 2 years of the 3 year deal he is gonna play instead the 12.1 million franchise tag... Im sorry but this dude is an idiot and to be honest after this year either franchise him one more year then be done with him
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Hearing the numbers and his unwillingness to sign can't help but wonder how much of an influence sucker punch must be in this process. IMHO he's showing he doesn't really want to be here any more than he has to be. Run the hell out of him the next 2 years and be done with him.
Do a Herschel Walker trade with a gullible team.
Hater = Realist
Just curious: How would this board (and Steeler Nation) react if Bell shows up during training camp (he doesn't have to) and Villanueva does not show up?
I bet the negative reactions would be far less.
A lot of people on social media and this board are bashing Le'Veon right now for not signing a new contract, but imagine would it might be like if he's late or doesn't show up for training camp.
If Villanueva was late or wouldn't show up to training camp at all, there might be a few grumbles, but I think it wouldn't be anywhere near the criticism Le'Veon would receive.
How many rings did you win us?
Nowhere near the outrage from Steeler Nation that will be voiced if Villanueva shows up and Bell does not - lots to unpack about what would drive that
Of course players do not give a rip what fans think - what will be more interesting is if Ben would say about Villanueva not showing up July 27 what he said about Bell when Bell was a no show for OTAs
Yes Bell is the best RB in the league and, yes the Steelers ran the wheels off of him last year as well.
Thoughts (for what they are worth):
1. The Steelers made a savvy and fair offer. Would love to hear the actual guaranteed cash #'s. Maybe it was $45 over 3 years but with only $10.5 million guaranteed. That is the almost certainly the real # that Bell and the Steelers were apart on.
2. Bell is also making a smart bet. He can earn about $27 million in the next two years. Hit the open market at 27 and have some team decide that (after 2 more years of cap increases!) that $16 million per year for 3 years is a totally sound investment for the new "engine" of their offense. Obviously, that is a major gamble. Bell has to stay healthy for 2 full seasons, perform at a high level, and hope that a team doesn't just want to draft and develop a RB.
3. I honestly believe the RB position is going to experience a major upswing in league wide valuation. Everyone wants to move back to one back who can do it all - Bell, Johnson in Arizona, almost all of the young RBs drafted high in the past two classes were projected to be runners and receivers. Long story short - first round draft picks get paid. Bell represents the leading edge of that curve.
4. That list of other RBs that a team can have a few of for Bell's proposed cap hit - well I wouldn't sign any of those guys for the next 3 years at all. That is a list of either back with limited roles or reaching the end of their careers. I would rather pay Bell all of the franchise money than roll the dice that McCoy stays healthy or that a fork won't appear in Forte's back any day now. Father time remains undefeated.
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...-franchise-tag
Really nice breakdown of Bell's side of the coin.
It needs to be remember that there is a likely a dirtball agent in all of this to. The agent does not really care about the player (maybe a bit) - they just care about getting that total # as high as possible so their % is as much as possible.