Question about The Steelers....

[BBrown]

Is Tom Bradley making that much of a difference?
Because their defense and especially the secondary looks much better than the last few seasons.
Although that might be because they just played the Browns and Ravens.

 

[jim cummings]

I honestly forgot he even coached the DBs

 

[steelrazor]

At the beginning of the season Steeler fans was ready to string him up because of the horrible DB play.

 

[LafayetteBear]

I think LeVeon Bell miscalculated.

"We need volunteers, not hostages." LOL ...

 

[PSU Soupy]

LeVeon Bell probably could have a civil case against his Agent for the poor advice that has been given to LeVeon. He has shown in a team first sport, that he is a me first person. He has also shown that the yards that LeVeon has gained has somewhat been due to the Steelers System. I do believe that LeVeon is a great player and he will have a couple of teams interested in him....perhaps Baltimore or Miami, Houston??? But he could be putting up monster yardage with this offense, with the way that the OLine is playing, but instead he is waiving $800 K weekly checks.........

 

[Op2]

LeVeon Bell probably could have a civil case against his Agent for the poor advice that has been given to LeVeon. He has shown in a team first sport, that he is a me first person. He has also shown that the yards that LeVeon has gained has somewhat been due to the Steelers System. I do believe that LeVeon is a great player and he will have a couple of teams interested in him....perhaps Baltimore or Miami, Houston??? But he could be putting up monster yardage with this offense, with the way that the OLine is playing, but instead he is waiving $800 K weekly checks.........

I knew Conner was doing pretty well but what I didn't know until I just now checked is that Conners numbers are as good as Bells were (better in some senses). If you didn't follow the 2018 season and someone showed you the numbers for the Steelers starting RB halfway through the season you'd assume Bell wasn't holding out.

I wonder if that will hurt Bell when he gets on the open market. Why give a ton of money to a guy that is replaceable by a 2nd year RB that was a 3rd round draft pick? Maybe instead spend it on O-Linemen to block for whatever RBs you have.

 

[PearlSUJam]

Is Tom Bradley making that much of a difference?
Because their defense and especially the secondary looks much better than the last few seasons.
Although that might be because they just played the Browns and Ravens.

It helps that they finally benched Artie Burns and got Morgan Burnett back healthy.

 

[BBrown]

It helps that they finally benched Artie Burns and got Morgan Burnett back healthy.

Yea how bad does that Artie Burns pick look.
1st round, 25th pick.

 

[PennStJeff]

I knew Conner was doing pretty well but what I didn't know until I just now checked is that Conners numbers are as good as Bells were (better in some senses). If you didn't follow the 2018 season and someone showed you the numbers for the Steelers starting RB halfway through the season you'd assume Bell wasn't holding out.

I wonder if that will hurt Bell when he gets on the open market. Why give a ton of money to a guy that is replaceable by a 2nd year RB that was a 3rd round draft pick? Maybe instead spend it on O-Linemen to block for whatever RBs you have.

The theory that RBs are highly replaceable is pretty much the reason why the Steelers were unwilling to commit to the guarantees that Bell was asking for. So far that has played out in their favor with Conner not missing a beat. I think he will still get paid market value but the Steelers have somewhat proven that guaranteeing money to a RB that is one play away from a season ending injury is a bad financial decision. The irony in Bell demanding guaranteed money speaks to his agreement with that premise. He knows he could be done in a single play.

 

[LemonEars]

I think LeVeon Bell miscalculated.

"We need volunteers, not hostages." LOL ...

Connor has exposed Bell. Connor is a back with mid-level skills at best and he is playing like an all-pro. Why? The Steelers have what might be the best OL in all of football. The Steelers' OL is likely what made Bell great. Bell is going to lose tons of money by not reporting this year since other teams will now recognize that his skills are questionable. There is no way to know how he might perform running behind an average OL and other teams won't want to risk tens of millions of dollars on a question mark.

 

[sluggo72]

LeVeon Bell probably could have a civil case against his Agent for the poor advice that has been given to LeVeon. He has shown in a team first sport, that he is a me first person. He has also shown that the yards that LeVeon has gained has somewhat been due to the Steelers System. I do believe that LeVeon is a great player and he will have a couple of teams interested in him....perhaps Baltimore or Miami, Houston??? But he could be putting up monster yardage with this offense, with the way that the OLine is playing, but instead he is waiving $800 K weekly checks.........

I have heard (I believe on NFL radio) that both his agent and the players association told him to sign the deal the Steelers offered.

 

[PearlSUJam]

Yea how bad does that Artie Burns pick look.
1st round, 25th pick.

Agreed. When the Cowgirls traded a 1st round pick for Amari Cooper, I didn't think it was a huge deal. At least you know what you are getting.

 

[PSU Soupy]

I have heard (I believe on NFL radio) that both his agent and the players association told him to sign the deal the Steelers offered.

Well he is an MSU Grad.....so maybe he did not understand. I used Grad loosely, not sure if he graduated or not.....but he did go to MSU.

 

[PearlSUJam]

I have heard (I believe on NFL radio) that both his agent and the players association told him to sign the deal the Steelers offered.

 

[dbsteel]

Connor has exposed Bell. Connor is a back with mid-level skills at best and he is playing like an all-pro. Why? The Steelers have what might be the best OL in all of football. The Steelers' OL is likely what made Bell great. Bell is going to lose tons of money by not reporting this year since other teams will now recognize that his skills are questionable. There is no way to know how he might perform running behind an average OL and other teams won't want to risk tens of millions of dollars on a question mark.

I think Conner is better than people think. Much better than mid level. He looks faster than Bell, and catches it as well. He's on pace for total 2000 yards from scrimmage. He's a fairly big guy with some moves. He's got more 20 yard runs than anyone in the league.

I'm more afraid that he will get hurt again, because he's always had injuries.

 

[bkmtnittany1]

It helps that they finally benched Artie Burns and got Morgan Burnett back healthy.

They had to bench Burns...they tried to put him in a chair and he couldn't guard it!

 

[bkmtnittany1]

I have heard (I believe on NFL radio) that both his agent and the players association told him to sign the deal the Steelers offered.

Tell him to stay in Florida! This will just screw up the Steelers locker room. They dont need him!

 

[razpsu]

Best offensive Line and qb is very good and receivers are great so That helps . Bell didn’t understand that. Tight end tandem does well also

 

[skilion]

Honest question - why would the Steelers at this point not pull the Franchise tag on Bell - they will lose him whatever happens so why not save the entire amount of the tag? I do not understand what Bell will bring to the table when he returns - and make no mistake about it - he will return so that he will get credit for this year and be a UFA after the season. Is he now an insurance policy in the event that Connor gets hurt?

 

[Nittany Ziggy]

I think Conner is better than people think. Much better than mid level. He looks faster than Bell, and catches it as well. He's on pace for total 2000 yards from scrimmage. He's a fairly big guy with some moves. He's got more 20 yard runs than anyone in the league.

I'm more afraid that he will get hurt again, because he's always had injuries.

Conner was in line to be a first round draft choice before he was tragically struck with illness. I know he was injured as a rookie but I attribute that to weakness from his treatments. He has now had the time needed to recover from his illness at the level of an NFL player.

 

[PearlSUJam]

They had to bench Burns...they tried to put him in a chair and he couldn't guard it!

If the Steelers DB scouts were half as good as their WR scouts, they very well could have earned a couple of more rings in the past several years.

 

[PearlSUJam]

Honest question - why would the Steelers at this point not pull the Franchise tag on Bell - they will lose him whatever happens so why not save the entire amount of the tag? I do not understand what Bell will bring to the table when he returns - and make no mistake about it - he will return so that he will get credit for this year and be a UFA after the season. Is he now an insurance policy in the event that Connor gets hurt?

With the way Conner runs so physically, it's probably not a bad idea to one of the best in the game as a back up. That is, as long as he is in shape and won't be a distraction to the team.

 

[Nittany Ziggy]

With the way Conner runs so physically, it's probably not a bad idea to one of the best in the game as a back up. That is, as long as he is in shape and won't be a distraction to the team.

If I have this correct, then the Steelers have to pay him if he elects to show up now. Maybe I am wrong. If they are obligated to pay him if he shows up, then the should run him into the ground and save Conner.

 

[Op2]

Honest question - why would the Steelers at this point not pull the Franchise tag on Bell - they will lose him whatever happens so why not save the entire amount of the tag? I do not understand what Bell will bring to the table when he returns - and make no mistake about it - he will return so that he will get credit for this year and be a UFA after the season. Is he now an insurance policy in the event that Connor gets hurt?

I'm not sure but I think that if the Steelers pull the franchise tag and then Bell leaves next year they get nothing but if they don't pull the franchise tag and then Bell leaves next year they get a draft pick in compensation for him leaving.

 

[PearlSUJam]

If I have this correct, then the Steelers have to pay him if he elects to show up now. Maybe I am wrong. If they are obligated to pay him if he shows up, then the should run him into the ground and save Conner.

I believe they can take the team option and not pay him for 2 weeks after he signs the tender.

 

[PearlSUJam]

If I have this correct, then the Steelers have to pay him if he elects to show up now. Maybe I am wrong. If they are obligated to pay him if he shows up, then the should run him into the ground and save Conner.

https://247sports.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/Article/LeVeon-Bell-Steelers-options-121506361/

"Once Bell signs the franchise tender, the Steelers can request up to a two-week roster exemption from the league office for him. If granted, it would then be the team’s option whether to pay his salary for the one or two games of the roster exemption."

 

[Obliviax]

Le'Veon Bell‏Verified account@LeVeonBell
Fairwell Miami

3:00 PM - 5 Nov 2018

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2,216 replies4,248 retweets14,705 likes
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[GregInPitt]

I think Conner is better than people think. Much better than mid level. He looks faster than Bell, and catches it as well. He's on pace for total 2000 yards from scrimmage. He's a fairly big guy with some moves. He's got more 20 yard runs than anyone in the league.

I'm more afraid that he will get hurt again, because he's always had injuries.

Yep, Connor is also an effort guy. Never gives in to the tackler and fights for the last yard. I agree with you regarding his style making him susceptible to injuries as he really tries to punish the defenders at times which is not a career extender in the NFL. His TD on the pass play yesterday was an example, where he got close to the goal line a just punished a defender with his shoulder..... Fortunately Connor has strong shoulders, but injuries are common for those in the NFL that throw their bodies at defenders.....

 

[GregInPitt]

Is Tom Bradley making that much of a difference?
Because their defense and especially the secondary looks much better than the last few seasons.
Although that might be because they just played the Browns and Ravens.

Bradley has not been able to make any improvement in the play of the Steelers 2016 first round choice Artie Burns, who has all the tools but can not seem to make plays..... And although the Steeler's defense has played somewhat better in some of the recent wins, so far this year they really only seem to play well when they put lots of pressure on the QB, not really because they are covering any better than they have the last few years....

 

[paws1957]

LeVeon Bell probably could have a civil case against his Agent for the poor advice that has been given to LeVeon. He has shown in a team first sport, that he is a me first person. He has also shown that the yards that LeVeon has gained has somewhat been due to the Steelers System. I do believe that LeVeon is a great player and he will have a couple of teams interested in him....perhaps Baltimore or Miami, Houston??? But he could be putting up monster yardage with this offense, with the way that the OLine is playing, but instead he is waiving $800 K weekly checks.........

Wouldn’t that be nice? No thanks keep your 800 thousand I don’t need it!

 

[franklinman]

Wouldn’t that be nice? No thanks keep your 800 thousand I don’t need it!

Bell said he took out insurance on any lost money this year on his contract.

 

[PennStateNate]

Connor has exposed Bell. Connor is a back with mid-level skills at best and he is playing like an all-pro. Why? The Steelers have what might be the best OL in all of football. The Steelers' OL is likely what made Bell great. Bell is going to lose tons of money by not reporting this year since other teams will now recognize that his skills are questionable. There is no way to know how he might perform running behind an average OL and other teams won't want to risk tens of millions of dollars on a question mark.

lol.. yeah Conner has minimal skills

 

[IANit]

I think Conner is better than people think. Much better than mid level. He looks faster than Bell, and catches it as well. He's on pace for total 2000 yards from scrimmage. He's a fairly big guy with some moves. He's got more 20 yard runs than anyone in the league.

I'm more afraid that he will get hurt again, because he's always had injuries.

Bell seemingly has a lot of injuries, and it always seems to be around playoff time.

 

[NoVa Lion]

Bell said he took out insurance on any lost money this year on his contract.

I can't imagine any policy that would cover lost money when he CHOSE to lose it.

 

[ST8FAN]

Honest question - why would the Steelers at this point not pull the Franchise tag on Bell - they will lose him whatever happens so why not save the entire amount of the tag? I do not understand what Bell will bring to the table when he returns - and make no mistake about it - he will return so that he will get credit for this year and be a UFA after the season. Is he now an insurance policy in the event that Connor gets hurt?

If the Steelers cut Bell now, as you mentioned, they would save the entire amount of the tag. However, there are 3 downsides to doing so:

1) As you mention, he would not be an insurance policy in the event of a Conner injury;
2) The Steelers would not get a 3rd Round Compensation pick because he would not be leaving as a free agent; and
3) He would likely sign with the Patriots (or another contender) for the rest of the year and help that team beat the Steelers.

Therefore, they likely feel it is worth paying him the relatively small amount he has left on his contract.

 

[dbsteel]

Bell seemingly has a lot of injuries, and it always seems to be around playoff time.

That is true- Bell was hurt a lot until last year. One of the reasons I'd never give him big money. Well that and the suspensions.

 

[LeatherHelmets]

If Bell were on the Giants with their O-line, he'd be very mediocre. Saquon is able to often make yardage largely on his own, making guys miss and having top-end speed. Bell doesn't have the moves or the speed that Barkley has. Bell's best fit would be with a team with strong O-line such as the Eagles.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Certainly not totally up-to-speed on Bell’s history, but from what I’m aware of I certainly wouldn’t want him in my locker room.

Connor’s had the cancer.....Bell IS the cancer.

 

[PittFan540]

I have heard (I believe on NFL radio) that both his agent and the players association told him to sign the deal the Steelers offered.

And his mother.

 

[JeffClear]

Bradley has not been able to make any improvement in the play of the Steelers 2016 first round choice Artie Burns, who has all the tools but can not seem to make plays..... And although the Steeler's defense has played somewhat better in some of the recent wins, so far this year they really only seem to play well when they put lots of pressure on the QB, not really because they are covering any better than they have the last few years....

Disagree, with Burns on the bench they are covering better.