Bell not expected to report

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

If you think the return of Bell will fix this train wreck of a team you haven’t been paying attention very well.

I don't think it would hurt the team either. They lost their chemistry with Bell holding out, at least on the offensive side of things Bell would definitely provide a boost.

Defensively though, I don't know if they can fix that mess. Bell might provide a morale boost, but the lack of an ability to cover with our secondary isn't going to be fixed by a running back coming back.

He would be nothing more than the Engineer on this train wreck. While I do agree this team couldn't get much worse I think Bell would prove us wrong. Whether or not his heart was ever in Pittsburgh I know it's not now and coming back to a team the he feels disrespects him won't cause him to play hard.

The marriage is over. Hopefully we get something for him that we can turn into a positive.

It depends on which Bell we get. Off the field he's an asshole, but on the field he's worked really hard for the team in the past. If he still does that our offense will improve, especially on 3rd down and in controling the clock which will give our defense more rest. If that allows the defense to become a little bit better is another story.

the Bell that doesn't want to get hurt.

trade him to the Eagles so him and Blount can get back to smoking blunts on the way to the airport for out of town games.

I don't think he really wants to play football.

i wouldn't let him enter the facility.
here's the message i'd leave for him with security.....

Oh, I'd let him in the building. After all, James Conner needs a 3rd or 4th backup for when he needs a breather.

I've never been a fan of players loosing their job due to injury. Since Bell has not been hurt I'd have him spell Connor for the remainder of his time here. But first he'd have to prove he deserves it.

Connor has heart and determination. He showed yesterday what he is capable of if the O line opens holes for him but most importantly he is a team player.

and the offensive linemen really like Conner which is a big plus to me.

effyou515 wrote:

the Bell that doesn't want to get hurt.

trade him to the Eagles so him and Blount can get back to smoking blunts on the way to the airport for out of town games.

FYI, Blount is in Detroit.

Anyway, on a different note, I think we're looking at this all wrong. As fans, we're on the emotional side of it, not the business side of it. To be honest, the Steelers have never had to deal with this side of it this deep in to the business side of football.

I believe Bell when he says he wants to be a Steeler for his career. Unfortunately, the business side of it has impacted the decision. IMO, Bell has proven his importance to the Steelers moving forward. As I understand it, the biggest issue with the contract was the guaranteed money. Does he deserve to be the highest paid RB in the NFL? In short, Yes! Does he deserve to get paid an abundant amount? No! So what's the compromise? IMO, give him guaranteed money, with a solid contract but also have some parts of the contract which he has to pay back money if he fails a drug test, gets suspended, or has any negative impact on the team or his future (i.e. gets hurt doing something he shouldn't on his own time - like riding a wave runner).

The combination of Bell, Conner, Brown, Ju-Ju, McDonald, etc on offense would be a boost to it's already high power and probably take a lot of pressure off Ben.

stlrtruck wrote:

effyou515 wrote:

the Bell that doesn't want to get hurt.

trade him to the Eagles so him and Blount can get back to smoking blunts on the way to the airport for out of town games.

FYI, Blount is in Detroit.

Anyway, on a different note, I think we're looking at this all wrong.  As fans, we're on the emotional side of it, not the  business side of it.  To be honest, the Steelers have never had to deal with this side of it this deep in to the business side of football.

I believe Bell when he says he wants to be a Steeler for his career.  Unfortunately, the business side of it has impacted the decision.  IMO, Bell has proven his importance to the Steelers moving forward.  As I understand it, the biggest issue with the contract was the guaranteed money.  Does he deserve to be the highest paid RB in the NFL?  In short, Yes!  Does he deserve to get paid an abundant amount?  No!  So what's the compromise?  IMO, give him guaranteed money, with a solid contract but also have some parts of the contract which he has to pay back money if he fails a drug test, gets suspended, or has any negative impact on the team or his future (i.e. gets hurt doing something he shouldn't on his own time - like riding a wave runner).

The combination of Bell, Conner, Brown, Ju-Ju, McDonald, etc on offense would be a boost to it's already high power and probably take a lot of pressure off Ben.

I just think Bell is not good for this team going forward both from a fans perspective and a FO perspective. He is a giant distraction. If you go and look at his years in the league he's been suspended and had pretty serious knee injuries. I know he's past these issues but as a GM I'd be against any guaranteed money. I would of been willing to negotiate guarantees that had a conduct clause but he doesn't seem to remember the trouble he's caused in the past because his present behavior is all about him and getting his.

As far as him taking pressure off of Ben that is what Connor did yesterday. I say we give Connor the rest of the year to prove he can do it consistently.

stlrtruck wrote:

effyou515 wrote:

the Bell that doesn't want to get hurt.

trade him to the Eagles so him and Blount can get back to smoking blunts on the way to the airport for out of town games.

FYI, Blount is in Detroit.

Anyway, on a different note, I think we're looking at this all wrong.  As fans, we're on the emotional side of it, not the  business side of it.  To be honest, the Steelers have never had to deal with this side of it this deep in to the business side of football.

I believe Bell when he says he wants to be a Steeler for his career.  Unfortunately, the business side of it has impacted the decision.  IMO, Bell has proven his importance to the Steelers moving forward.  As I understand it, the biggest issue with the contract was the guaranteed money.  Does he deserve to be the highest paid RB in the NFL?  In short, Yes!  Does he deserve to get paid an abundant amount?  No!  So what's the compromise?  IMO, give him guaranteed money, with a solid contract but also have some parts of the contract which he has to pay back money if he fails a drug test, gets suspended, or has any negative impact on the team or his future (i.e. gets hurt doing something he shouldn't on his own time - like riding a wave runner).

The combination of Bell, Conner, Brown, Ju-Ju, McDonald, etc on offense would be a boost to it's already high power and probably take a lot of pressure off Ben.

But if Conner can continue playing like he did yesterday, why tie up all of that money in Bell? We need to invest that money in the defensive side of the ball.

Lokki wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

effyou515 wrote:

the Bell that doesn't want to get hurt.

trade him to the Eagles so him and Blount can get back to smoking blunts on the way to the airport for out of town games.

FYI, Blount is in Detroit.

Anyway, on a different note, I think we're looking at this all wrong.  As fans, we're on the emotional side of it, not the  business side of it.  To be honest, the Steelers have never had to deal with this side of it this deep in to the business side of football.

I believe Bell when he says he wants to be a Steeler for his career.  Unfortunately, the business side of it has impacted the decision.  IMO, Bell has proven his importance to the Steelers moving forward.  As I understand it, the biggest issue with the contract was the guaranteed money.  Does he deserve to be the highest paid RB in the NFL?  In short, Yes!  Does he deserve to get paid an abundant amount?  No!  So what's the compromise?  IMO, give him guaranteed money, with a solid contract but also have some parts of the contract which he has to pay back money if he fails a drug test, gets suspended, or has any negative impact on the team or his future (i.e. gets hurt doing something he shouldn't on his own time - like riding a wave runner).

The combination of Bell, Conner, Brown, Ju-Ju, McDonald, etc on offense would be a boost to it's already high power and probably take a lot of pressure off Ben.

But if Conner can continue playing like he did yesterday, why tie up all of that money in Bell?  We need to invest that money in the defensive side of the ball.  

I like Conner. I just think he's not able maintain a high level of running on a weekly basis. I do hope he proves me wrong. If he can do it, then by all means, let him tote the ball. But if he can't bust through, then we're back to square one and won't be able to focus on the defensive side of the ball because we'll also have needs in the RB position.

Conversely, if we can get Bell on a good contract, with conduct clauses, etc., then we have the leverage going defense going in to the off-season.

stlrtruck wrote:

Lokki wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

effyou515 wrote:

the Bell that doesn't want to get hurt.

trade him to the Eagles so him and Blount can get back to smoking blunts on the way to the airport for out of town games.

FYI, Blount is in Detroit.

Anyway, on a different note, I think we're looking at this all wrong.  As fans, we're on the emotional side of it, not the  business side of it.  To be honest, the Steelers have never had to deal with this side of it this deep in to the business side of football.

I believe Bell when he says he wants to be a Steeler for his career.  Unfortunately, the business side of it has impacted the decision.  IMO, Bell has proven his importance to the Steelers moving forward.  As I understand it, the biggest issue with the contract was the guaranteed money.  Does he deserve to be the highest paid RB in the NFL?  In short, Yes!  Does he deserve to get paid an abundant amount?  No!  So what's the compromise?  IMO, give him guaranteed money, with a solid contract but also have some parts of the contract which he has to pay back money if he fails a drug test, gets suspended, or has any negative impact on the team or his future (i.e. gets hurt doing something he shouldn't on his own time - like riding a wave runner).

The combination of Bell, Conner, Brown, Ju-Ju, McDonald, etc on offense would be a boost to it's already high power and probably take a lot of pressure off Ben.

But if Conner can continue playing like he did yesterday, why tie up all of that money in Bell?  We need to invest that money in the defensive side of the ball.  

I like Conner.  I just think he's not able maintain a high level of running on a weekly basis.  I do hope he proves me wrong.  If he can do it, then by all means, let him tote the ball.  But if he can't bust through, then we're back to square one and won't be able to focus on the defensive side of the ball because we'll also have needs in the RB position.

Conversely, if we can get Bell on a good contract, with conduct clauses, etc., then we have the leverage going defense going in to the off-season.

and bell did ? c'mon man...it's not like bell had a hundred yards in every game. in fact 8 of the 16 regular season games he was under 4.0 yards per carry. he only went over a hundred yards four times last year. he only had 50+ receiving yards 5 times.

bells first 5 games last year.
10 / 32 yards
27 / 87
15 / 61
35 / 144
15 / 47

102 / 371 - 3.6 yd avg....3 tds

receiving
27 / 144 yds ....5.3 yd avg..0 tds

129 touches / 515 total yds.

connor stats

rushing
84 / 342 ....4.1 yd avg....5 tds

receiving
22 / 239 ....10.9 yd avg...0tds

106 touches / 581 total yds

Just saw Jay Adjai from Philadelphia is out for the year with a torn ACL.

Wonder if Philly will be placing call.

I would like it very much if we could get Filthydelphia or the Vikings to trade for him. The Vikings running game is non-existent and Kirk Cousins needs help. The Eagles just lost Ajayi for the season.

Both of those teams are capable of making the playoffs or more, a rental for them might not be a bad idea.

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

Lokki wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

effyou515 wrote:

the Bell that doesn't want to get hurt.

trade him to the Eagles so him and Blount can get back to smoking blunts on the way to the airport for out of town games.

FYI, Blount is in Detroit.

Anyway, on a different note, I think we're looking at this all wrong.  As fans, we're on the emotional side of it, not the  business side of it.  To be honest, the Steelers have never had to deal with this side of it this deep in to the business side of football.

I believe Bell when he says he wants to be a Steeler for his career.  Unfortunately, the business side of it has impacted the decision.  IMO, Bell has proven his importance to the Steelers moving forward.  As I understand it, the biggest issue with the contract was the guaranteed money.  Does he deserve to be the highest paid RB in the NFL?  In short, Yes!  Does he deserve to get paid an abundant amount?  No!  So what's the compromise?  IMO, give him guaranteed money, with a solid contract but also have some parts of the contract which he has to pay back money if he fails a drug test, gets suspended, or has any negative impact on the team or his future (i.e. gets hurt doing something he shouldn't on his own time - like riding a wave runner).

The combination of Bell, Conner, Brown, Ju-Ju, McDonald, etc on offense would be a boost to it's already high power and probably take a lot of pressure off Ben.

But if Conner can continue playing like he did yesterday, why tie up all of that money in Bell?  We need to invest that money in the defensive side of the ball.  

I like Conner.  I just think he's not able maintain a high level of running on a weekly basis.  I do hope he proves me wrong.  If he can do it, then by all means, let him tote the ball.  But if he can't bust through, then we're back to square one and won't be able to focus on the defensive side of the ball because we'll also have needs in the RB position.

Conversely, if we can get Bell on a good contract, with conduct clauses, etc., then we have the leverage going defense going in to the off-season.

and bell did ? c'mon man...it's not like bell had a hundred yards in every game. in fact 8 of the 16 regular season games he was under 4.0 yards per carry.  he only went over a hundred yards four times last year. he only had 50+ receiving yards 5 times.

bells first 5 games last year.
10 / 32 yards
27 / 87
15 / 61
35 / 144
15 / 47

102 / 371  - 3.6 yd avg....3 tds

receiving
27 / 144 yds ....5.3 yd avg..0 tds

129 touches / 515 total yds.

connor stats

rushing
84 / 342 ....4.1 yd avg....5 tds

receiving
22 / 239 ....10.9 yd avg...0tds

106 touches / 581 total yds

I'm not saying Conner hasn't proven himself, but he's also had some lack luster performances.

My point is Bell still requires more attention than Conner does at this point. Having the defenses taking him in to consideration adds a different dimension to our offense.

Let him sign his paperwork then trade his silly ass...

Isn't Bell waiting until after the trade deadline? That's what I gathered by looking at the timing, but I could be wrong.

Trade deadline is Oct. 30th. If Bell is coming back to play against the Browns, he would need to report the week before for practice.

Okay, that would be the week before the trade deadline. Wonder if the Steeler will sign-and-trade?

From what I understand, Bell has to approve any trade deal. Maybe I'm wrong (it has happened before)

This has been talked about extensively in the Pittsburgh media. Here is what has to happen.

1. Bell has to sign the Franchise tender before anything can happen, even the Steelers having discussions with other teams.
2. At that point, Bell can be shopped around.
3. The new team cannot negotiate a new deal with Bell until the Franchise contract runs out.

Bell is effectively an extremely high priced rental that has no guarantee of resigning with his new team. Also, the Steelers asking price is high: a 2nd pick and a good player. Teams aren't beating down the door.

The Steelers are in a rough spot with Bell. Conner is playing well enough right now, though I still have doubts. If Conner does continue to produce, where does Bell fit in? Do you bench or split reps with Conner, who has said and done the right things all year?

You are right, jak.

My opinion: its generally a good business practice that, if you have a starter who makes a lot of money (say, Bell's $855K/wk), and another guy who is almost as good (such as Conner - for now I'll set aside my thought that Conner may be better than Bell because I'm not convinced Bell really wants to play), and less money (about 1/16 that amount) - you dump the high salary. Its just good business sense, especially if they can get a decent return for him.

nine vegetable wrote:

You are right, jak.  

My opinion:  its generally a good business practice that, if you have a starter who makes a lot of money (say, Bell's $855K/wk), and another guy who is almost as good (such as Conner - for now I'll set aside my thought that Conner may be better than Bell because I'm not convinced Bell really wants to play), and less money (about 1/16 that amount) - you dump the high salary.  Its just good business sense, especially if they can get a decent return for him.

Well said and I agree. Bell may want to play more football but I don't think it's in a Steeler uniform.

It's also a business and if some other team agrees to a trade after the tag is signed then I think we go for it. I believe Bell will hold out until after the deadline just to prove his point whatever that is? If he does and Connor continues to impress if I had a say in it Bell would ride the bench for the remainder of his time here unless he is needed in an injury situation. Last resort because we already know we're not going to see his best effort. This is what I think for what it's worth.

solardave wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

effyou515 wrote:

the Bell that doesn't want to get hurt.

trade him to the Eagles so him and Blount can get back to smoking blunts on the way to the airport for out of town games.

FYI, Blount is in Detroit.

Anyway, on a different note, I think we're looking at this all wrong.  As fans, we're on the emotional side of it, not the  business side of it.  To be honest, the Steelers have never had to deal with this side of it this deep in to the business side of football.

I believe Bell when he says he wants to be a Steeler for his career.  Unfortunately, the business side of it has impacted the decision.  IMO, Bell has proven his importance to the Steelers moving forward.  As I understand it, the biggest issue with the contract was the guaranteed money.  Does he deserve to be the highest paid RB in the NFL?  In short, Yes!  Does he deserve to get paid an abundant amount?  No!  So what's the compromise?  IMO, give him guaranteed money, with a solid contract but also have some parts of the contract which he has to pay back money if he fails a drug test, gets suspended, or has any negative impact on the team or his future (i.e. gets hurt doing something he shouldn't on his own time - like riding a wave runner).

The combination of Bell, Conner, Brown, Ju-Ju, McDonald, etc on offense would be a boost to it's already high power and probably take a lot of pressure off Ben.

I just think Bell is not good for this team going forward both from a fans perspective and a FO perspective. He is a giant distraction. If you go and look at his years in the league he's been suspended and had pretty serious knee injuries. I know he's past these issues but as a GM I'd be against any guaranteed money. I would  of been willing to negotiate guarantees that had a conduct clause but he doesn't seem to remember the trouble he's caused in the past because his present behavior is all about him and getting his.

As far as him taking pressure off of Ben that is what Connor did yesterday. I say we give Connor the rest of the year to prove he can do it consistently.  

A poll at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette shows strong opinion against his return at this point:



Poll: Majority of fans don't want Le'Veon Bell to play for Steelers

If Le’Veon Bell returns to the Steelers next week as reported, his welcoming committee will probably be pretty small.

Polling for the Post-Gazette by Civic Science found that just 22 percent of 1,485 respondents chose “yes” when asked if they want the star running back playing for the Steelers. A whopping 66 percent said “no,” while 12 percent said they didn’t have an opinion on the matter.

Bell has been absent from the team since the end of last season. In 2018, he’s skipped preseason workouts, training camp and the first five games of the regular season amid the team’s decision to use the franchise tag on him and failed negotiations for long-term contract.

In his place, James Conner has performed well. The backup is averaging 4.1 yards per carry as the lead back and is coming off one of his best games of the season. He piled up 185 scrimmage yards in a win over Atlanta Sunday at Heinz Field.

That performance, coupled with Bell’s absence, has made Conner a clear favorite with fans. In another poll, 90 percent of 262 respondents — with a margin of error of 4 percent — said they’d prefer to see Conner start if and when Bell returns to the team.

All of this tracks with polling by Civic Science last month that found Bell’s popularity dwindling. At the time, 49.5 percent of respondents said they don’t like him at all. That number has ballooned in recent weeks and sits at 80 percent this week.


http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2018/10/11/leveon-bell-contract-holdout-james-conner-antonio-brown/stories/201810110170