https://es.pn/2PGlmR9

I’m amazed a dude hasn’t figured out that this is exactly how one should play the last year of the dumb ass franchise tag. Sit for ten weeks, show up out of shape, and “pull a hamstring” on your first play,

He's got nothing to prove

What's the company line on why he's gone seasons without a deal

Bet all of those guys crowing about his absence and how confident they are in Conner...have a contract

especially if you're a running back - have to maximize your health and earnings potential.

if he thinks he's going to get a 17MM+ deal elsewhere (as a RB in 2018) he's getting bad advice

He's good, borderline special even, but the team will still win 10+ games without him.

Get your money. Steelers should just pay him and quit all this bullshittin over all these years

Either the Steelers can commit to healthier usage of him, or he can rest his body a few weeks and easily make that money back later.

but what about people who drafted him first in fantasy leagues? i know someone in a 500 dollar league

>but what about people who drafted him first in fantasy
>leagues? i know someone in a 500 dollar league

Hehe. If they drafted in late August, it was foolish to take Bell in the top 5 when he hadn’t showed up yet or even commented that he would show up.

I’m in a league where a dude took Bell in the first and McKinnon in the 3rd. And he didn’t draft any of the backups. In an 18 round draft. Price is Right horns on that shit.

and picked up Conner yesterday




*************************************

Fuck aliens

-Warriorpoet415

https://astackofwax.com/

#2dopebrothersandastackofwax

https://www.instagram.com/thirtythree.three/

The Greatest Story (N)ever Told (finished)

http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=s

I quietly grabbed DeAngelo Williams and ATE!

Answer: O-line, dumbasses..



*************************************

Fuck aliens

-Warriorpoet415

https://astackofwax.com/

#2dopebrothersandastackofwax

https://www.instagram.com/thirtythree.three/

The Greatest Story (N)ever Told (finished)

http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=s

I knew when we picked him up he had something. Now all the fans in Pittsburgh use DW as proof anyone can run behind our OL but DW was no slouch.

Hit the hole DeAngelo...and make haste...save all your juking for after you get out of the backfield.


*************************************

Fuck aliens

-Warriorpoet415

https://astackofwax.com/

#2dopebrothersandastackofwax

https://www.instagram.com/thirtythree.three/

The Greatest Story (N)ever Told (finished)

http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=s

tawbout "he will be here Wednesday", like they had some special communication. Then when everyone showed up Wednesday and Bell is rolling up another joint while sitting poolside, he looked dumb.

god bless him

upset at the guy for wanting to get paid for killing himself and not the billionaires who won't pay him.

linemen get paid when levean bell has 2000 total yards, not so much when some scrub rbs get half of that.

Pay them what they're worth, too?

should be ashamed of himself, for real.

Bell's career high isnt much more than "half of that" at 1350ish, and hes never cracked 5 ypc

if the hometown cancer survivor cracks 100 on sunday, he might be trying to make money for a different group of linemen sooner than he thinks.

oops!

How many times does a player keep that pace?

As a Steeler fan I hope it happens but I also know we have played the Browns twice, and Atlanta. If he goes off tonight I will definitely be hype as fuck since I have him in fantasy but the remaining schedule is brutal

Panthers, Jags, Pats, Saints, Chargers...

Could be brutal. Could also be shootouts. I think yards and TD’s are up this year too. Not sure these numbers mean much until it’s done over a few years.

but that isn’t how this is going to play out.

I wish it would but I think we start spreading it around now that we know Bell isn’t coming back.

Last thing we need is another concussion or MCL right before the playoffs.

Ridley cracked 100 with back ups last year in our last game.

It’s consistency, received by and pass protection.

The reason Conner didn’t get more PT last year I’d because his pass protection was terrible.

this is coming from a life long steeler fan
they should have not franchised him the second time
you knew what the numbers were from two years ago
when negotiations didnt go anywhere...LET HIM WALK
with or without him our defense is not good enough to win a super bowl
we could have the whole pro bowl start on offense and still loose to jacksonville or in foxboro
and the players shooting off...thats on Tomlin
fuck this season is done already

...because this is the first time we've ever seen a team shit on a guy for a holdout. Everyone holds out and it never makes noise. But the ENTIRE squad is blown.

Steelers are known for blue collar, bring your lunch pal type of work ethic
AB and Lev are the first two premier position talents we have ever considered paying in our history
Mike Wallace got the same type of treatment in the '12 season when held out...except in his contract year he ripped the team apart and sucked

he came onto the field when the team had agreed not to.

It's absolutely the team culture.

Franchise dude once...maybe not a big deal

Homie puts up the most touches in the league...and they franchise him again

FOH

Keep reminding him how disposable he is, let's see how that works out.

I think the linemen would have been fine with Bell just telling everyone he wasn't going for it.

The issue they had was he said he would be there wednesday and he didn't show.

https://mobile.twitter.com/LeVeonBell/status/1034545169100623872

He actually hasn't said anything IRT reporting

That was an ASSumption made by Pouncey

Even if true, that is seemingly the crux of the issue. The linemen assumed/knew/were told by Pouncey he would come in, he didn't and now they feel some type of way.

plus the OL knows they look much better when Bell is back there.

Bunch of drama queens. STFU and stop feeding the media red meat.

Bell would be making twice as much Villanueva, 7X as much as foster

Bell's issue isn't even the money, it's the years

Just don't get teammates throwing him under the bus, when it's the franchise that faiLed to handle this properly

...and they could very well be in the same situation when they want to negotiate a new deal...

Very strange stance for players to take IMO.

Doesn't surprise me that much. It's a lot of people in a locker room, and lots of people may feel some type of way in the heat of the moment.

Decastro already walked back his comment. The intersection of money and fraternity and people's individual/personal goals is a fraught one.

usually guys don't comment on each other's money.

But this holdout isn't about money.

They held him hostage and gave him an outdated lowball contract (when it comes to guaranteed money).

Either he is trying to get released or he is trying to “punish” the team by missing games and saving his body from contact.

Fans say other teams are taking notes and won’t sign him to big money but they are lying to themselves. You think the Jets care if Bell misses a few games to save his body for next year?

Another speculation is weed. Not sure if he can be tested since he isn’t under contract. If this is true, maybe he is waiting to make sure his piss is clean.

>They held him hostage and gave him an outdated lowball
>contract (when it comes to guaranteed money).

It's not a lowball contract in terms of NFL running backs at all. It's just not what Bell wants, which is fair, because he wants job security, not one big payday.

>
>Either he is trying to get released or he is trying to
>“punish” the team by missing games and saving his body
>from contact.

He wants to get paid or wait till next year and get the long term deal he wants

>
>Fans say other teams are taking notes and won’t sign him to
>big money but they are lying to themselves. You think the Jets
>care if Bell misses a few games to save his body for next
>year?

They definitely do not care haha

Not sure I would sit out when there is 15 mill guaranteed on table but thats neither here not there. He should do whatever he wants.

>
>Another speculation is weed. Not sure if he can be tested
>since he isn’t under contract. If this is true, maybe he is
>waiting to make sure his piss is clean.

This seems farfetched

.

see you at practice monday, leveon! lol

It won’t have any impact on Bells contract next year.

The better Conner plays the more leverage Levean loses.

The only decision left to make is Bell's; when does he report before week 10?

That's it

The franchise tender is the offer, he signs it before week 10...that's it.

There's no room to budge because all of the deadlines have passed

Conner's performance is not a factor.

>There's no room to budge because all of the deadlines have passed

I was simply giving some perspective, fam...nothing more. Unbunch your Steelers underoos.

>I was simply giving some perspective, fam...nothing more.
>Unbunch your Steelers underoos.

.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24770741/steelers-now-listening-trade-offers-leveon-bell

..franchise tag is some bullshit.

pay the players or let them seek that value elsewhere.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

b/w PIT in last place

What was that you were saying...

is exactly why he is didn’t report.

and our O looks like trash without him.

Tried to tell these fools Bell is the best player in our O but nah... Connner ran hard vs the Browns, we don’t need Bell.

--idiot fans that dont read

Mad ass fans who try to compare their lives to NFL players

I went at 4 or 5 motherfuckers on Twitter for that after the Vontae Davis thing. "So, I'm just gonna walk out of work at lunchtime, then...since that's so cool". Dumb shit like that. Asshole...if the next batch of jalapeno poppers you drop could possibly leave you paralyzed, then by all means, walk the fuck out.

these replaceable ass mfers think they can compare their job situation with PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS.

He lied to his teammates so that’s why I’m mad

Huh?

I have a good 4 or 5 people who have me on ignore on a Steeler site because they refused to believe the RB market was going to be reset. Now it’s “we still wouldn’t win those games if he was here”

Niggas really believe elite talent is easy to replace because they hear people say the RB position is the easiest to replace.

the undercurrent of racism talking about Bell is right in line with how fans view the players all the time
the game Bell comes back might be a national security risk

.

www.Tupreme.com

..its clear he's not taking any unnecessary risks.

i don't blame him.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

if he plays i went from having an alright team with him sitting, to a surprisingly good team w/ him still sitting, to a juggernaut

I don't even watch football but he is my favorite player now.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-fletcher-cox-reportedly-agrees-restructure-his-deal

Ajayi on IR, we're left with a healthy Smallwood at RB.

Give us that second round pick bruh

A day in his life will come where he’ll wish he had that 7 million

So, please, ye of the enlightened order, tell me why this is still a good idea

So he risk 8 mill thus far for a chance to get 40 to 60 mill next year.

Would you risk it all for 8 mill when you will have a chance to get 40 to 60 mill next year?

LeVeon THINKS he can makes that. Rather, he HOPES he makes that.

Truth is, he’ll be a year older and plays the least valued position in the sport.

There’s a very real chance he’s playing himself.

and matched an offer made by another team

The reasons they didn’t do this is because they know another team would give him a fair market deal. The Steelers offered Bell $70 mill not only guaranteed the first year.

The Gurley and DJ contracts showed how teams are paying elite RB’s in 2018. Hell, McKinnon got 12 mill and he never had more than 600 yards rushing in a season.

You are still using the 2016 contract model. That’s not how things are in 2018. Teams are throwing money at elite players and most will guarantee more than the first year.

trying to put yourself in another mans shoes and judging him for his personal decision is chicken shit

Unless every team with huge cap room has a Conner type RB on their roster I still see one of them spending money on a playmaker like Bell.

All it takes is one.

and that one team who breaks their bank may not compete every year like yall do

theres a reason hes the only one ever

Neither has done it for a length of time like Bell.

You sound like Steeler fans who forget just how special Bell is as a player because he isn’t playing this year.

They didn't need to pay him top dollar... and a few other teams wouldn't need to either... but you're right that at least 1 team will, because they'll expect him to be their offensive savior.

RBs really just aren’t special and aren’t worth spending on

Conner might ALSO be an elite back

but that just makes Bell look worse for not recognizing that before throwing down the gauntlet

I don’t see how his success impacts Bell

Just means the Steelers drafted a good RB and anyone who watched PITT knows Conner was a monster before the injury and cancer.

He was ACC offensive player of the year before his injury.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25237155/leveon-bell-not-expected-report-pittsburgh-steelers-tuesday-deadline-sources-say

If he doesn't report and get ANY of this money…I don't really understand how it's a win.

You were unemployed for a year
Got older at a position where that is viewed as the cardinal sin
A younger player took your spot, performed, and now people wonder if you are a system RB
You didn't collect any of the dough


So yeah, you didn't get any more wear-and-tear but unless someone backs up a Brinks truck next year...

...maybe he’ll finally realize just how badly he played himself

Gave up 14 Mill
Handed over all of the leverage to the team
Was usurped by a far cheaper player who was every bit as qualified as he was

The matter is in the CBA. Negotiate better there. But trying to play hardball within the current frameworks of the league and PA just isn’t a zero sum game, ESPECIALLY when you play at the least valued position in the sport.

>You were unemployed for a year
>Got older at a position where that is viewed as the cardinal
>sin

Technically he didn't, as "aging" in running backs is
largely about the accumulation of punishment from carries

>A younger player took your spot, performed, and now people
>wonder if you are a system RB

LOL. Nobody thinks he was a system running back. He's
still light years better than Conner by every metric.
Issue is less that than whether the Steelers need an
elite back to be a potent offense. The latter is Bell's
big issue,

>You didn't collect any of the dough

Correct

>So yeah, you didn't get any more wear-and-tear but unless
>someone backs up a Brinks truck next year...

Issue for the Steelers is that heavy duty between the
tackle backs like Conner wear out QUICK (remember when
Marion Barber and Alred Morris were "elite" power runners).

The special thing about Bell was that he's been able to put
together those numbers year after year, and does it multiple
ways.

So Bell definitely in trouble but it's still not clear

----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

>
>>You were unemployed for a year
>>Got older at a position where that is viewed as the cardinal
>>sin
>
>Technically he didn't, as "aging" in running backs is
>largely about the accumulation of punishment from carries
>

The value of ANY nil player, and especially a running back, is closely tied to age. Yes, accumulation of carries matters AS WELL, but not enough that this isn't an important factor. He only has so much time left to make big money, he is not a QB.


>>A younger player took your spot, performed, and now people
>>wonder if you are a system RB
>
>LOL. Nobody thinks he was a system running back. He's
>still light years better than Conner by every metric.

It's not like Bell came out of college as a future superstar. What metric?

I like Bell a lot and think he is great, but he definitely COULD be benefiting from a system. Conor's stats right now look pretty impressive for a fourth round power back…


>
>>You didn't collect any of the dough
>
>Correct
>
>>So yeah, you didn't get any more wear-and-tear but unless
>>someone backs up a Brinks truck next year...
>
>Issue for the Steelers is that heavy duty between the
>tackle backs like Conner wear out QUICK (remember when
>Marion Barber and Alred Morris were "elite" power runners).

Levon Bell came into the league as that type of back out of Michigan State. Then he lost weight and diversified his portfolio. Any reason to think Conner can't do they same?

Steelers and Bell are done anyway, so it's not really relevant to his future.

>
>The special thing about Bell was that he's been able to put
>together those numbers year after year, and does it multiple
>ways.
>
>So Bell definitely in trouble but it's still not clear
>


Bell holding out made sense to me, but not coming in for the last however many games to get your 14 mill is dumb unless you and your agent know something the rest of the league doesn't.

I like the guy, just don't see how sitting out this entire year is smart. If you were a QB or an edge rusher…I could see it, otherwise, come in for your minimum amount of games, collect the paper and dip.

>He
>only has so much time left to make big money, he is not a QB.

He wanted the long-term, big-money deal with guaranteed money, and the Steelers were giving him the 1-year franchise. If he blows out his ACL this season, that big-money deal he wants goes bye-bye.

>
>>He
>>only has so much time left to make big money, he is not a
>QB.
>
>He wanted the long-term, big-money deal with guaranteed money,
>and the Steelers were giving him the 1-year franchise. If he
>blows out his ACL this season, that big-money deal he wants
>goes bye-bye.

Yes, but I would say come get your $14 mill for 6 regular season games, where you will be platooning with the new starter.

That's a great risk-reward

If he waits till next year and gets that enormous guaranteed deal, then cool. Any deal where the guaranteed money is not major…I think he fucked up not getting this guaranteed money for 6 games.

and if you aren’t going to play for 14 mill due to the risk why the fuck would you play for 6 mill?

Originally I think everyone believed he had to report to get credit but his agent found a loophole.

Only way this is a bad decision is if no one offers him a deal. If I’m another GM with cap room I damn sure would prefer he sits out a whole year before he signs a deal with me. I wouldn’t be surprised if a GM told them about the loop hole.

I actually really hate that it ended like this. I thought it was a smart move, until now.


This is like when you cheer for a player negotiating his own contract, then you see the contract he negotiated and it's a disaster waiting to happen.

If he gets no offers or a terrible offer then yeah.. he played himself.

https://twitter.com/LeVeonBell/status/301812139256061952

lolz

He left 14.5 mill on the table but after Earl Thomas and Dez Bryant you see why he made his decision. It’s short money vs long money. Now sure, he could’ve played, stayed relatively healthy and still got a huge contract but look at his history of injuries and his high touch count.

As long as he gets more than 2 years guaranteed he made the right move IMO.

If the guaranteed money is less than 30-40 mill, he fucked up.

Sure someone will probably pay him and in the end be fine.

But this went from smart and pro players having more power to just wanting to not give in at all.

At some point how it all played out and ended is going to hurt him. Guaranteed money wise, jersey sales, endorsements all of it adds up.

He wasn't creating a brand for himself like TO while making people mad, he was just doing nothing.

So it doesn’t matter how many jerseys you sell vs the next guy.

All the rest of that stuff is just fans being mad he didn’t bend over for the owners. If he gets a decent contract with more guaranteed money it’s a win for his camp.

and while having not played in two months, Earl Thomas is still being paid now. Bell isn’t proving a point and, worse yet, isn’t being paid either.

or gets a bunk deal due to injury you think it’s smarter than sitting out a year, being healthy and getting a huge FA contract?

Y’all thinking short money.

If you’re unhappy with your deal, that’s on your agent and on the people you’ve trusted to negotiate the CBA. In general, few NFL players have a sense of just how undervalued they are. Most are just happy to have jobs, and that there’s so many players doesn’t help their cause. Negotiate better deals, and hold your ground as a group. It’s a team sport, so mobilize and defend as a team.

Individually speaking, purposefully passing up on millions when you have children and bills is just foolhardy. Dangerous even. Earl Thomas came back because he knew he ultimately couldn’t afford to stay home. Brutal way for his story to end, but he had to.

I think he should have reported before the deadline, taken the 7 mill for less than half a season and kept it pushing.

This approach is all well and good but if the guaranteed money is less than ridiculous, it won't be much of a victory.


Also…if you are skipping the season, just say so. Why even have this long drawn out saga which does nothing for you from a public relations standpoint.

Just say "I don't want to play under a Franchise tag, I want to secure my future. I'll see everyone next year" and you would probably have a PR victory instead of this, whatever it is.

He was funny style on twitter but for he most part he held his ground and it was other players talking for him and making predictions.

I honestly think he was going to report week 1 but then the Gurley deal happened. Proved he was right about the RB market being reset.

Then I truly believe Earl Thomas made him think twice

Lastly I think his agent found a loophole where he didn’t have to play at all and could be a transition tag next year do they changed their mind.

It’s been 6 years and he hasn’t been able to test the market to see his true value. I’m not mad at him even tho I’m a Steeler fan.

.

>He was funny style on twitter but for he most part he held
>his ground and it was other players talking for him and making
>predictions.
>
>I honestly think he was going to report week 1 but then the
>Gurley deal happened. Proved he was right about the RB market
>being reset.
>
>Then I truly believe Earl Thomas made him think twice
>
>Lastly I think his agent found a loophole where he didn’t
>have to play at all and could be a transition tag next year do
>they changed their mind.
>
>It’s been 6 years and he hasn’t been able to test the
>market to see his true value. I’m not mad at him even tho
>I’m a Steeler fan.
>

None of this, even if true, makes the way he handled the PR aspect particularly smart.

It's really a lost opportunity no matter how you look at it. He either was makign it up as he went along or had an unimpressive plan.

Whether missing out on 14.5 mill guaranteed was smart or not, we will have to see. Right now, it looks bad. I do think he is a great player and would love him on the Bears (he would eat big-time in Nagy system) but I wouldn't want my team giving him 17 mill a year with big guaranteed money.

And he needs a blockbuster deal in terms of guarantees to make this shutdown worth it.

So if he gets 4 years 60 mill I think it’s a win for him.

He took a year off but that’s a year of safety so he could test the market.

Sure, he may have made it healthy but we were giving him 400 touches a year. You know damn well we were going to run him ragged if this was his last year in Pittsburgh.

He isn’t a QB or a Centerr who can play until he is 40. Dude has 3 to 5 tears for one big contract. It wasn’t worth the risk in his eyes... I don’t blame him.

I agree on the PR but these new dudes can’t stay off Twitter

I said "a blockbuster deal in terms of guaranteed money" so that's the same thing

>So if he gets 4 years 60 mill I think it’s a win for him.

Then you didn't say how much guaranteed in your example, so this example tells us nothing.

>
>He took a year off but that’s a year of safety so he could
>test the market.
>
>Sure, he may have made it healthy but we were giving him 400
>touches a year. You know damn well we were going to run him
>ragged if this was his last year in Pittsburgh.

Just play 7 games of platoon duty then…or don't.

plus the Steelers will probably make the playoffs and you get paid peanuts in the playoffs.

>plus the Steelers will probably make the playoffs and you get
>paid peanuts in the playoffs.


Until you say a guaranteed amount of money that makes this a good move, I don't know what to tell you.

Anything less than 30 mill guaranteed is a failure IMO

But I wouldn’t be the least surprised if he got 50 to 60 from a terrible organization trying to hype up the fans.

Okay if he gets 30, I'll say solid return on gamble but nothing to write home about. Could have gotten that 14.5 and then still gotten 30.

If he gets 40, I'll say it's a solid win

50-60 is a pipe dream


I hope he gets 30

I doubt he gets 40 but it could happen.

And I cannot see 50-60 but there is always one team…


That said…I could see him ending up with 25 guaranteed, easily and that is an L


I definitely wouldn't want my team giving him 40 guaranteed, or 30, for that matter.

I doubt this has anything to do with not being able to afford to stay away.

Mack held out and held his ground and got a huge deal.

It’s not about the CBA. It’s about how you choose to handle/gamble on yourself.

The franchise tag is BULLSHIT, it almost exclusively benefits the team. While a player may make more money in the short term playing on a franchise tag, he puts an entire year’s worth of wear and tear on his body and hits free agency a year later than he is technically slated to, typically hindering his earning potential for his next contract. More mileage on his body when he hits FA = less long-term impact a guy can have on his next team, so thinks most GMs/owners.(Sure, there’s exceptions like Kirk Cousins)

That franchise tags exist at all and aren’t vulnerable to something like, say, arbitration is ENTIRELY a failure of the NFLPA. The player’s association failed Le’Veon Bell, like it failed Earl Thomas and failed Aaron Donald for a period of time as well. Every one of these guys was in a “show up or else” position as a result of this wildly one-sided apparatus. Both things can be true: Leveon Bell can think he deserves more money, and Le’Veon Bell can also be committing an egregious error by passing up 14 million dollars guaranteed when there’s ample reason to believe he’ll never see a payday like that again.

The NBA players have their shit together because they realized long ago that they hold all the power, and they will actually stand their ground when threatened. But there’s too many football players, they’re not as smart as basketball players, and there’s disproportionate perceived values from position-to-position (Ben Roethlisberger is, what, 20x more important than Le’Veon?)

Get rid of the franchise tag
Tier positions and place pay minimums not only by longevity but by position as well
And stand your ground until ownership caves or counters with an offer that pays as well as players deserve to be paid

As far as Bell and the tag goes. Sure, it’s a shitty deal but it’s not like Bell can boycott the CBA.

He is doing what he can within the rules of the CBA when it comes to the tag. Seems like most folks can’t handle a player walking away for a year or chucking the duece.

What’s crazy is folks have more respect for Earl Thomas for playing and getting hurt which could awriously impact his earnings for the rest of his career but have issues with Bell not playing for 1 year before trying to maximize his earnings.

Folks keep talking like he lost but it’s not over until FA in March. We shall see if he made the right decision.

He is playing the long game.

gotten this year. you know the collusion is imminent to teach him a lesson.

plus no matter how good he is, running backs grow on trees as we've seen with Connor. i wouldnt want my team to make him a major FA signing.

You wouldn’t want this in your backfield?


https://youtu.be/-fcYQpoBt9o

Some of y’all sound like those dumb ass white NFL fans.. smh.

.

If I’m trying to get instant offense and I have a ton of cap room I’m going with a known quantity.

the money in football is so skewed against the players that anyone's best efforts would be derailed.

sitting out this year isnt adding $15M to whatever contract he would have signed over the summer had he played

My prediction is the Jets

A well run organization for well...the Jets?


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can even tell by Bell's sophomoric tweets and how he hasn't ever really stated his case - someone got this idea in his head and he thought he was clever and they ran with it. Never mind the money, this is just an epic PR fail too - that they never called ESPN for an interview or published a detailed press release on his Twitter is baffling.

Even the agent has found out certain facets of the tags that he didn't know about. He and Bell are in over their heads on this one and now just have to commit to their bit. I actually feel bad for Leveon Bell - he has no idea how grossly he was taken advantage of here and just how much money he gave up. A day will come where he'll wish he had that money. That's a guarantee as firm as the guaranteed money he was set to make this year.

You sound like a bitter Steeler fan or Steeler FO guy.. or maybe you had him in fantasy.

If anything Bells agent found a loophole where he realized he didn’t have to play at all.

From the jump Bell said he would sit out the year or retire. The problem is everyone else kept guessing wrong and kept blaming Bell for not telling them his plans ever week. He didn’t have to. He wasn’t under contract. Fuck em was his motto.

So if he signs a huge deal next year what did he do wrong? He didn’t play and risk injury.

If he doesn’t sign and retires... well, he already said it was an option. He has millions and his health. What’s the issue?

Only thing he did wrong was doing it his way and not having a PR or ESPN run which would have made y’all even more furious on some Bron The Decision bullshit. Y’all mad at him because he didn’t do it the white way.

man, he gave up 14 million dollars on purpose. I'm not "mad", I actually feel bad for the dude. This agent got in his ear and he ran with it. If someone gives him $15M next year then god bless him, but he's gonna be hard pressed to get that.

You are talking like the 2019 FA deadline for the spring just ended

As long as there are bad teams with tons of cap room and half empty stadiums Bells chances of making big money are pretty high.

He doesn’t even need 15 mil per year. I think he would be fine with 3 to 4 years at 12 to 15 as long as they are guaranteed.

Dude has been injured 3 out of 6 years. Another 400 touches on a one year contract is a huge risk when you are trying to get to FA.

would leave 10% of 14 mil on the table

theres no way his agent was behind this move.

steelers franchised him - what 3 years in a row? fuck that.

he did exactly what he wanted. he held them hostage and made em mad. i bet they dont tag him next year.

No agent is telling their player to turn down 70 mill.

I actually think it’s 3% but still.. that’s major money for an NFL agent.

The real dude who got in his ear was Kirk Cousins.

That’s a no brainer.

The fuck I care if the organization is trash. It’s NYC. Bell would get all types of deals he would never get with the Steelers outside of football.

Especially if they have held me hostage for the last 2 tears and prevented me from FA.

I know and like to talk about how great an organization is and how special it is to be a part of a great one but they drafted Conner and gave Bell 1 year of guaranteed money. You think they were going to give him all 70 mill? Hell no

Also, the Steelers will welcome Bell back once he retires. We brought back Plaxico, Woodson, Faneca, etc who al left for more money.

They don’t pay for skill positions unless it’s the QB or a white LB

https://twitter.com/AndrewSiciliano/status/1062724519029141505

so he'd rather be over-safe and lame then risk backlash

https://twitter.com/leveonbell/status/56772240771002368?s=21

Man, I been arguing with Steeler fans all year. He prolly has a handshake with the Jets and they damn sure don’t care about him not playing and risking injury.

It’s all rumors but I’m making my prediction.

Dude has ball security issues and his hands are a lil suspect in the passing game.

On pace for how many yards and TD’s?

Hopefully he bounces back but don’t dare put him in the elite RB debate because he runs hard over bad defenses.

Bell is special...and that's ok. Pittsburgh doesn't even need a Bell level RB to win...they just need NOT.this.Ben.

You get bad Ben in moments like yesterday.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steelers went on the road and played a good defense in altitude and lost close. I think record-wise they’re right where they’d be if Bell were there instead of Conner.

Conner fumbled inside our 5 yard line vs Cleveland.

We wouldn’t pass as much with Bell. Less passes, less chances for INTs

I don't get why people can't understand that YES Bell is the better player and can do more thing better for the Steelers, but they don't need him to be a great offense.

For the Steelers, they should have just traded Bell a while ago.

Reminds me of when Sterling Sharpe-at that time arguably the best WR in the league- got hurt…and then the Packers kept getting better.

It wasn't cause Sharpe was gone, it was because their arrow was pointed up in so many areas, and the schemes were so productive, it turned out that they didn't really need him.

His INT ratio is horrible this year.

Haley was rigid and Ben didn’t like him but he knew how to protect Ben from himself.

and you need a RB like Bell who can protect Ben from himself. See, games like the KC playoff game last year or the Buffalo away game are prime examples why Bell makes a huge difference. Ben has been trash on the road these last few years.

With Conner you need the OL to block perfectly on most plays, with Bell it’s almost a guarantee the first dude is going to miss and sometimes it’s the first 2 to 4.

If you are the Steelers, Bell is an expensive luxury that you should have decided on and cashed out IMO.

There is a salary cap, you cannot pay everyone long-term. If you think they should be paying Bell instead of Ben, so be it, but that was never going to be the case.

I

We tried but we couldn’t keep everyone. Just sucks to lose your best weapon.

If it was me I would’ve moved Ben and paid Bell. His best days are behind him IMO.

That would never happen, for obvious reasons.


I thought I liked Leveon's game but some of you guys in here talk about him like he is Marshall Faulk.

He more like Marcus Allen to me, in terms of his talent, smarts and place in the game. A great player, but not so transcendent a running back that you move your HOF QB to accommodate him.

https://nypost.com/2019/06/21/leveon-bell-i-left-suspected-jewelry-thieves-naked-in-bed/

He’s smoking again

or never stopped.

.

Was signed as the Jets coach?

>Was signed as the Jets coach?

I thought it was the same summer. AKA Gase knew Bell was there when he took the gig, right?

If so, he takes the gig then goes out of his way to shade the dude from day 1. Makes little to no sense.

Now, they've won very little, scored even less, and Bell got beat the hell up for a year for basically nothing (but the money). I assume he regrets not figuring something out with Pittsburgh. That team has what you should want: good defense, top end offensive line, non-bufoonery at QB, and a coach who coaching, builds, and tries to fight ALONG WITH the team to win.

they signed Bell 2 months later. Also...I was saying that more to say...they were shopping Bell...they need to be shopping Gase. He's basically ruined the guy they used a top 5 pick on and he somehow couldn't get the offense to work with freaking LeVeon Bell.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1316180624571600896?s=20

They are a terrible team and he didn’t produce while he was there. He wasn’t running
behind a good oline.

There are too many young running backs in the league and RBs come a dime a dozen. He is going to have to take a significant pay cut to play somewhere else.

His focus should be to try to get with a contender...that’s if there is still something left in the tank.

Nice 1/2 punch. Don’t know.

Our running game isn’t that strong right now.

More than likely Conner will get injured again too.

They are straight, and with Claypool being used all over the field. They don’t need to mess with their offense at all.

but I also know our 1/2 punch isn’t good right now.

We are finding creative ways to run the ball with Jet sweeps but our running between the tackles isn’t good so far this year.

Plus the salary. All for playing 17 games.

While that's not necessarily a net win with what he could've had had he played... considering if he'd blown out his ACL Week 3 on the Steelers after signing with only 10 mil guaranteed, and they coulda cut his ass whenever after that... I don't know. Bell probably isn't too unhappy with how it unfolded, I guess.

maybe im getting the details wrong but it seems like not playing set him back like 10-15M

I think if we assume health, then yeah, sitting out a year is clearly a monetary loss, but that guaranteed money was, if I recall, a major sticking point, because he could've blown an ACL Day 1 and they could've cut whatever giant deal they'd given him without consequence-- and the Jets gave him more than 25m guaranteed.

Now they’re unemployed. That’s really Hard to fathom.

I know these things are complicated and that there’s nuances to these things and that ultimately all parties are at fault in their own ways...

But my first response is “wow, that Steelers culture”

To have something that durable from top to bottom , a coach that mature, a system to actually DEVELOP players (receivers alone, sheesh!) ...

I can only marvel at what Pittsburgh is. Signed, a hopeless Washington fan.

how is Adam Gase still employed

>how is Adam Gase still employed

1) Gase is the worst coach in the league and should've been fired eons ago

2) Gase didn't bring in Bell and didn't WANT to bring in Bell

shitheads from top to bottom

a contender? Cuz...if he was saying he was cool with retiring, damn near 3 years ago...no way he's going to some bullshit squad that might win 4 games.

>a contender? Cuz...if he was saying he was cool with
>retiring, damn near 3 years ago...no way he's going to some
>bullshit squad that might win 4 games.

If they have the money, a nice answer for a good role and a good team is Bills. And bonus, same division.

If Bell wants to play a few more years and doesn't sweat the money now that he knows money <> happiness, maybe Miami is the deal. They don't have anyone to be married to. Oline is kinda bad tho.

If he wants to be at a SB parade whenever this season actually ends, he will try to roll up on Kansas City with the right words and understanding that he's not gonna get 29 touches every week.

I don't think he can go back to the Steelers unless Conner gets hurt again. And even then, I don't know who he called a punk mfer or whatever on the way out.

We all know he's actually gonna end up in New England if they want him.

.

>We all know he's actually gonna end up in New England if they
>want him.

But if Bell could get to 90% of what he was, he'd beast in that offense. His skill set is really close to Gurley's who was amazing there.

which makes sense.

We don’t need or want that headache. Too much of a disruption.

And we recently picked up Lamar Miller who will be activated for the next game. Practices are going extremely well.

We got Montgomery, Miller, Patterson. We are good.

as early as today.

but I would think playing time would be the biggest factor right now. Ohh, and the women and weather.

If he wants to “win games” go to the Bills or Chiefs but I doubt he will see the ball that much.

Would really be unfair to see this dude behind Mahomes in an Andy Reid offense. My Gawd.

>but I would think playing time would be the biggest factor
>right now. Ohh, and the women and weather.
>
>If he wants to “win games” go to the Bills or Chiefs but I
>doubt he will see the ball that much.
>
>Would really be unfair to see this dude behind Mahomes in an
>Andy Reid offense. My Gawd.

It’s Bell’s fault for trusting his career to the goofballs with Jets. MAYBE he could’ve figured something out with the Steelers and done a few commercials to get the rest of the money. But that was probably personal. Ie: I’d assume Ben and a few of his linemen didn’t have his back at all. So here we are. Dude wasted 2.5 years.

Now, if he’s even remotely interested in trying, he owes it to himself to go somewhere at least decent. All 3 of those choices are reasonable.

The asshole in me thinks he owes it to all of the jealous loser ‘football fans’ who lowkey hate seeing these guys happy to find a way to join the chiefs. Even heavily reduced Shady was decent there before he fumbled himself out of a gig. If healthy, Bell would be able to casually kill folks with 16 touches a game with Andy and Pat. And he might get to be up in a SB parade whenever this crazy season ends.

Yes, the Jets are a dysfunctional team, but dude is a selfish, disruptive player, and no team is going to put up with that.

Didn’t Pittsburg offer more than what he got from the Jets anyway?

That The jets decided to pay this dude to sit at home, instead of them getting something out of him on the team. They owe him 2 years worth of salary, but was like we don’t want to deal with this guy anymore.

So his former Steelers teammates must have been telling the truth about him. Even his former offensive line said that he was a selfish, disruptive teammate.

What’s relevant is this is another organization who does not want to deal with him, so there has to be some fire with that.

Usually a team, no matter how bad it is, will keep a player if they can’t trade him, to get some value out of him. ....Owners are stupid but they ain’t dumb, so for them to be like dude keep the money, just be gone, says a lot.

And as far his ability, maybe it was the system of Pittsburgh. When Conner is healthy dude has had success running the ball. Problem is he is injury prone.

he said he was ready to retire with Steelers, I'm sure he is now. Running backs have an expiration date these days.

>What’s relevant is this is another organization who does
>not want to deal with him, so there has to be some fire with
>that.
>
>Usually a team, no matter how bad it is, will keep a player if
>they can’t trade him, to get some value out of him.
>....Owners are stupid but they ain’t dumb, so for them to be
>like dude keep the money, just be gone, says a lot.
>
>And as far his ability, maybe it was the system of Pittsburgh.
>When Conner is healthy dude has had success running the ball.
>Problem is he is injury prone.
>

Not now. The meathead warehouse of authority figures in this league are very keen on looking like they’re in charge. Sometimes it is to a cut your nose to spite your face manner. The Jets and Giants have made this clear more than once in the last half decade. It’s like some of these folks can’t live with skill position dudes being popular now. They’d rather fork over 30 million a season for a bad qb or draft a bad qb then blame a 13 million dollar rb, cb, or wr for all of their problems when shit doesn’t go their way.

So I keep going on and on about this cuz I’m wondering what makes people take the cheese on this slight of handle PR trickery so easily. Like only the highly paid wrs and Rbs on bad teams are occasionally jerks? Odell Beckham was such a jerk too, right? Well why do the giants still suck like a mfer now? How have the Browns survived his terror so far this year? How can the Bills be winning with Diggs? Why are the Vikes not magically fixed now?

As a Steeler fan I argue about this all the time. All they talk about is Bell ruining the cap with his 13 mill a year but Tuitt can make 11 mill and miss half a season and it’s crickets.

These organizations will give everyone else a ton of money but as soon as a RB gets a little coin he is responsible for the teams woes. It’s bullshit.

Everyone points at Conner like he has carried us to the playoffs since Bell left.

The GM who signed Bell was let go and Gase hired his own GM.

Now, remember this is the same Gase who ran off Adams and has a history of knocking heads with star players.

Bell chose to sign with a bad org for the money and that’s definitely on him but how the hell do you not use Bell in the passing game with a QB like Darnold who sees ghost because the OL sucks?

But now Frank Gore is the leading back, so was it a personality thing, because it
Couldn’t have been a skill thing?

Is old ass Frank Gore Gase’s guy?

That’s the crazy about all this.

everyone said Bell was a good teammate but he wanted more touches.. what star player doesn’t want more touches?

You pay the dude 14 mill per year and struggle to figure out how to get him the ball? Really?

So yeah... bringing in old ass Frank Gore (HOFer no shade) was Gase being an asshole.

it reminds me of O’Brien in Houston. You want to get cute and move your best player? Okay...

>That The jets decided to pay this dude to sit at home,
>instead of them getting something out of him on the team. They
>owe him 2 years worth of salary, but was like we don’t want
>to deal with this guy anymore.
>
>So his former Steelers teammates must have been telling the
>truth about him. Even his former offensive line said that he
>was a selfish, disruptive teammate.
>
>

It may be true. But people jumping to blame players and at most hop to hold these shithead coaches, gms, and owners accountable is something I continue to wonder about. The Jets signed Bell then hired a coach who immediately went out of his way to shit on Bell like he promised his buddies he would. And you know, Gase is supposed to be an offense guy but he can only make slot receivers good for fantasy football. And the catalog of players who do better after him is growing.

If we find out Bell turned down similar money to go to a bad team again, then I’ll take back my eyebrow/mild benefit of the doubt.

by a certain date. He never lied or promised. Pouncey just assumed he would show because he’s a company man and he showed up on that date the year before.

Worst thing in the world is teammates trying to shame you for contract negotiations.

Bell was never a locker room cancer. That was AB.

However, his teammates called him selfish and Disruptive because of his stance....It lead to a lot of tension and side taking.

Connor was in support of Bell, but a lot of other teammates were not. It was a huge headache for everyone, because every week the focus was on Bell and not the team.

because they knew Bell was a beast. It was mostly the OL.

it was strictly business. He had like 360 touches and they wouldn’t let him test the market.

Players should never speak on another mans contract situation.

.

>.

I hope he has something left. Or I hope we at least get to see it either way.

but, you know if he has anything, at all...Andy gone show us how it work. Shit, he had washed’ish Shady looking decent, until he turned into Omar Epps character from The Program.

>he had washed’ish Shady looking decent,
>until he turned into Omar Epps character from The Program.

he fumbled his way out of the rotation.

The rookie can’t punch it in at the goal line, so they
need a powrback.

Helaire for the speed and receiving..and bell in the red zone.

https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/1403833854457176074?s=20

>https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/1403833854457176074?s=20

https://youtu.be/Cc7mfAsNao4

The stop and go is still there but the go is much slower than it was in his best days.

folks are dying to hang onto the story that the NFL was super right years ago to not pay him/value him. There’s still shit linemen, linebackers, and corners all over the place. But let’s keep crying about wr and rb contracts. And I guess I’m hanging onto the idea that the league was wrong about his talent as an rb and a pass catcher being valuable…

Steelers aren’t winning shit. And the guy who was allegedly supposed to replace him with the Steelers clearly never did for long and is now elsewhere. They’re like 4 rbs since Bell now with an obviously falling off Big Ben (who is still making ‘you was the shit 10 years ago’ money but we don’t have time for that right now).

Other talented Rbs are making money now and their teams have fared very well.

But Bell? Now? Yeah, he’s fucked now.

And, at this point, he’s got no property value left, no name value, and nobody seems to be going out of their way to defend him..all bad shit for an aging rb who is visibly losing his good on-field shit and continuing to help folks bury his off-field whatevers.

how dare a man try to earn top dollar for touching the rock 30 times a game. Sitting out for a year?

Steeler fans are loving it and using it as proof the OL and QB were the reason for his success..

but their faith in Conner.. lol. He showed us that RB’s aren’t easily replacable and we had to get Najee to jump start the running game.

We haven’t won shit since Bell left but fans swear we are better because he looked bad on the Jets.

and Bell is right about Andy Reid. How the hell do you not run him a few times vs that Tampa D when the OL was getting abused in the passing game? Also, we know his son killing people while driving drunk didn’t help the team in their prep for the SB.

… needs to do, like, any research at all, lol.