Antonio Brown skipped walkthrough, left game early

i'd LOVE to get a trade with either the niners or the jets. combined with a trade up to around 10th to get kevin white , we could have the best pass rusher and the best ILB in the draft.
OR... if allen seems to be a better fit at ILB , we would again be able to make teams one dimensional.
i'm convinced the lack of being able to stop the run is because of shitty Inside linebackers.
they were always at the top against the run with timmons and farrior. unless of course you think tuitt, heyward and hargrave are a big drop off from smith, keisel and hampton.

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

i'd LOVE to get a trade with either the niners or the jets. combined with a trade up to around 10th  to get kevin white , we could have the best pass rusher and the best ILB in the draft.
OR... if allen seems to be a better fit at ILB  , we would again be able to make teams one dimensional.
i'm convinced the lack of being able to stop the run is because of shitty Inside linebackers.
they were always at the top against the run with timmons and farrior. unless of course you think tuitt, heyward and hargrave are a big drop off from smith, keisel and hampton.

I think they are just an upper LB and CB away from a much better D. If we could get a good pick out of him I'm all for it, especially if it also included an established player as well as some of these trades in the article speculate. I have a hard time seeing getting this kind of return. I've already said it on this thread a couple times, but it just seems to me a 31 year old WR with this kind of baggage is going to be tough to get the level of return the Steelers likely want. I hope I am wrong and the Ray Fittipaldos of the world are right.

It is a funny thought to think of AB on the Raiders or Jets and getting Darnold or Carr throwing to them. AB lost his mind when he had to play with Landry Jones. Maybe the Raiders get AB, sign Bell, and become Steelers West that would give them a real quick Mike Wallace appreciation of things.

Let's hope the Jets will give up their first-round pick so we have the #2 pick. That way we are sure we either have Nick Bosa or Josh Allen. And like Master Of Puppets said, then trade up for Devin White even if it cost us our second round pick or next year's first round pick. I'm done with all of these late first round picks that don't pan out anyway. We have enough quantity, we need some high quality players on defense now.

Stella Nation wrote:

Let's hope the Jets will give up their first-round pick so we have the #2 pick. That way we are sure we either have Nick Bosa or Josh Allen. And like Master Of Puppets said, then trade up for Devin White even if it cost us our second round pick or next year's first round pick. I'm done with all of these late first round picks that don't pan out anyway. We have enough quantity, we need some high quality players on defense now.

That would be a really good draft for us. We know we can get value at WR in say round 3. The rest of our picks we could get a capable CB and some depth in other areas.

I was told by a Steelers player yesterday it would have been "mutiny" if Antonio Brown had dressed for Sunday's game and a bad scene. So much so "we were mad enough at him someone would have forcibly taken his pads off him and stopped him from going out there."

— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) January 4, 2019

Tim Benz: Don't let Roethlisberger off the hook amid Steelers turmoil

https://triblive.com/sports/columnists/timbenz/breakfastwithbenz/14468524-74/tim-benz-dont-let-roethlisberger-off-the-hook-amid-steelers-turmoil

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

Interesting perspective. Gotta watch the video as well. Here's a sampling ...

Quote :

Further underscoring what Jones had to say, how many headline-worthy Steelers stories have gained legs when Roethlisberger has advanced them on his weekly radio show?

Passive-aggressive takes on Todd Haley's play-calling. Publicly speculating about his retirement. Second-guessing the drafting of Mason Rudolph. Questioning Tomlin over how hard the Steelers work in practice. Airing out James Washington after the Denver loss.

He's not wrong. We're focusing all of our anger on AB, but we're giving Ben a free pass. Here's a snippet from a story from 2017 with comments from Hines Ward ...

Quote :

“I sometimes disagree with kind of how he comments on other people,” Ward said. “I know some guys might take that the wrong way. I know earlier in his career, he hated to be critiqued by some of the veteran guys himself.”

Ward didn’t hold back talking about the egos on the team and how that “me first” mentality is hurting the team.

https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2017/10/11/hines-ward-takes-shots-at-ben-roethlisberger-and-his-old-team/

Benz is not wrong. Far to many "me first" guys. However, as the old expression goes, "Winning solves everything."

Had we made deep playoff runs for the past 2 or 3 years, and a true SB contender, everything you heard and seen this week would be a moot point.

https://www.steelers.com/news/labriola-on-letting-it-soak-thinking-about-it

Quote :

• “A great boss,” is how Greene began, before adding, “I never forget him saying that when you have big decisions to make, let it soak. Think about it. He said that when teams lose, it’s not always the head coach’s fault, and good head coaches are hard to come by. Give them time.”

Quote :

• Let it soak. Think about it.

As I mentioned earlier, step away from the ledge.

I'll admit the way this season ended was painful. A train wreck we couldn't escape. A train wreck which had multiple conductors pulling the wrong handles. A train wreck which had too many conductors - PERIOD!

Do changes need to be made? Most definitely.
Do they need to be knee jerk reactive changes? Hell NO! That's why teams like the browns have been at the bottom of the division for years - that's YEARS!
Is the 2019 season lost? Not even close.

Wallace108 wrote:

Tim Benz: Don't let Roethlisberger off the hook amid Steelers turmoil

https://triblive.com/sports/columnists/timbenz/breakfastwithbenz/14468524-74/tim-benz-dont-let-roethlisberger-off-the-hook-amid-steelers-turmoil

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

Interesting perspective. Gotta watch the video as well. Here's a sampling ...

Quote :

Further underscoring what Jones had to say, how many headline-worthy Steelers stories have gained legs when Roethlisberger has advanced them on his weekly radio show?

Passive-aggressive takes on Todd Haley's play-calling. Publicly speculating about his retirement. Second-guessing the drafting of Mason Rudolph. Questioning Tomlin over how hard the Steelers work in practice. Airing out James Washington after the Denver loss.

He's not wrong. We're focusing all of our anger on AB, but we're giving Ben a free pass. Here's a snippet from a story from 2017 with comments from Hines Ward ...

Quote :

“I sometimes disagree with kind of how he comments on other people,” Ward said. “I know some guys might take that the wrong way. I know earlier in his career, he hated to be critiqued by some of the veteran guys himself.”

Ward didn’t hold back talking about the egos on the team and how that “me first” mentality is hurting the team.

https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2017/10/11/hines-ward-takes-shots-at-ben-roethlisberger-and-his-old-team/

What I've been saying in another topic. If you blame Tomlin for the off the field antics, you also need to blame Ben.

Stella Nation wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

Tim Benz: Don't let Roethlisberger off the hook amid Steelers turmoil

https://triblive.com/sports/columnists/timbenz/breakfastwithbenz/14468524-74/tim-benz-dont-let-roethlisberger-off-the-hook-amid-steelers-turmoil

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

Interesting perspective. Gotta watch the video as well. Here's a sampling ...

Quote :

Further underscoring what Jones had to say, how many headline-worthy Steelers stories have gained legs when Roethlisberger has advanced them on his weekly radio show?

Passive-aggressive takes on Todd Haley's play-calling. Publicly speculating about his retirement. Second-guessing the drafting of Mason Rudolph. Questioning Tomlin over how hard the Steelers work in practice. Airing out James Washington after the Denver loss.

He's not wrong. We're focusing all of our anger on AB, but we're giving Ben a free pass. Here's a snippet from a story from 2017 with comments from Hines Ward ...

Quote :

“I sometimes disagree with kind of how he comments on other people,” Ward said. “I know some guys might take that the wrong way. I know earlier in his career, he hated to be critiqued by some of the veteran guys himself.”

Ward didn’t hold back talking about the egos on the team and how that “me first” mentality is hurting the team.

https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2017/10/11/hines-ward-takes-shots-at-ben-roethlisberger-and-his-old-team/

What I've been saying in another topic. If you blame Tomlin for the off the field antics, you also need to blame Ben.

Yep. And to tie that view in to what Truck has been saying, we need to walk away from the ledge and give this time to play out. We want immediate gratification, but it's good that the Steelers aren't making any knee jerk reactions to the situation.

A reminder that Antonio Brown isn’t the first #Steelers great who indicated their intent on leaving, remember what happened when Joe Greene did it in 1974? Oh yeah, 4 Super Bowls rings is what happened. @SCBlitz pic.twitter.com/Yo0kH1Moik

— Greg Forbes (@red_scox) January 4, 2019

Wallace108 wrote:

A reminder that Antonio Brown isn’t the first #Steelers great who indicated their intent on leaving, remember what happened when Joe Greene did it in 1974? Oh yeah, 4 Super Bowls rings is what happened. @SCBlitz pic.twitter.com/Yo0kH1Moik

— Greg Forbes (@red_scox) January 4, 2019

The difference there was Joe was playing at the time for a perennial loser. I'd excuse him for that. Didn't Noll and his guys draft 4 HOFers that year.

solardave wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

A reminder that Antonio Brown isn’t the first #Steelers great who indicated their intent on leaving, remember what happened when Joe Greene did it in 1974? Oh yeah, 4 Super Bowls rings is what happened. @SCBlitz pic.twitter.com/Yo0kH1Moik

— Greg Forbes (@red_scox) January 4, 2019

The difference there was Joe was playing at the time for a perennial loser. I'd excuse him for that. Didn't Noll and his guys draft 4 HOFers that year.

True. But AB has played for a perennial underachiever.  

In no way am I justifying his actions, but I think there's a lot more to this story than simply AB being a diva. There are some deep seeded problems on this team that don't get fixed simply by dumping AB. Ultimately, I wish they could fix whatever is wrong with the team culture and find a way to set things right between AB and the team. While possible, that's probably just wishful thinking.

Meanwhile ...

From @gmfb Weekend: The #Steelers are expected to consider trade offers for WR Antonio Brown, and they will ask for a lot. As they should. pic.twitter.com/C77EB3bJbl

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 5, 2019

Really good article from Bouchette at Post Gazette about the Steelers offseason Brown included. Bouchette always seems to bring a lot of insight into what they'll do going forward. Personally it seemed to me that they might have trouble getting a 1st pick out of Brown but he seems to think they would, so it makes me feel a lot better about.




Ed Bouchette: Antonio Brown is the biggest decision of many as Steelers turn to 2019

Alejandro Villanueva stuffed belongings from his locker into a large, black garbage bag, breaking only to talk about the Steelers’ fortunes, which really wound up in the trash.
As distasteful as 2018 was for Villanueva and his Steelers teammates, it did not end with the Ferrari going over the cliff as it did a year earlier.

“We saw this coming; it was an easy death,” Villanueva explained one day after the Steelers were eliminated from making the playoffs. “It wasn’t a tragic loss in the playoffs. It was as easy to put down as possible. We knew there was a very small chance of us going into the playoffs. We knew we were in a hole and we put ourselves in a very bad situation.”

So while the end to 2018 came with a whimper, the noise as they move toward 2019 could be explosive. There will be changes, Mike Tomlin promised without specifying who or what. He made his first on Friday when he fired Joey Porter as outside linebackers coach.

They do not need to overhaul the product — BetDSI Sportsbook, for one, already has them tied as the No. 2 favorite to win the Super Bowl next year. But they need to improve it, both by talent and creating an atmosphere where winning supersedes all else, including the selfishness that may have helped bring them down.

They have two major orders of business first: Pass on tagging Le’Veon Bell for the third time, and explore a trade for Antonio Brown. Unthinkable a few years ago, those decisions actually should be easy now. They started the ball rolling toward their 2018 disappointment by giving Bell the franchise tag again last year. He held out until six days before the start of the 2017 regular season, and they misjudged badly his intentions for 2018. Let him go and collect that third-round draft pick in 2020 for him.

They will need to add another good running back either through free agency or the draft to add to the mix of James Conner and Jaylen Samuels. That would give them a solid backfield again and, perhaps, one more immune to an injury. With another good back, they could abandon the idea of using primarily one player to carry the ball and spread things around as many other successful offenses do.
They cannot trade until the new NFL season begins March 13, when free agency also starts. But they can explore trades before then and should do so for Brown. If so, they would need to replace him, and that’s where the difficult part comes.

They can use some of his $15 million in salary and bonuses that won’t be paid or count on their cap to sign another receiver and/or draft one.

Brown has been a spectacular receiver for them, but it’s time they move on as he turns 31. Despite his baggage and age, he has three years left on his contract and should fetch a first-round draft pick.

That would put the end to the Killer B’s with only Ben Roethlisberger back, which is the biggest reason the Steelers are still highly regarded as a Super Bowl contender.

He does not need to be surrounded by stars. Brown, Bell, and Martavis Bryant never won a Super Bowl. Roethlisberger needs competence at receiver.

They would do well to feature tight end Vance McDonald even more. The guy is a brute, and while he did catch 50 passes for 610 yards, he has Rob Gronkowski-like ability to do more. With JuJu Smith-Schuster, an improved James Washington and the receiver who replaces Brown, the Steelers will have at least an adequate receiving corps that also includes backs Conner and Samuels.

The Steelers won Super Bowls with less.

Their offensive line will remain among the strongest in the league even if they lose Ramon Foster and part ways with Marcus Gilbert. Both could return because Gilbert is under contract and Foster, who turns 33 Monday, might be amenable to re-signing with them at a fair price rather than test free agency. If both leave: Matt Feiler performed well at right tackle in Gilbert’s long absence, and B.J. Finney is a starting guard in waiting but a restricted free agent.

Improving the defense, which has been ongoing for years, will be more difficult.
It is an annual statement that the Steelers need another cornerback, but they may need more than one. Artie Burns was benched for much of the season, and unless something changes there, he’s not much in their plans. Joe Haden enters the final year of his contract. Coty Sensabaugh, who replaced Burns unspectacularly, will be an unrestricted free agent. Others have not shown they are capable of stepping in.

Then there are the linebackers. They need a bunch — starters and depth. After T.J. Watt, all are replaceable, and some should be.
They have not adequately replaced Ryan Shazier but must keep trying. It has become obvious that Bud Dupree is not the next James Harrison. Although they committed to paying him $9.232 million when they picked up his fifth-year option for 2019, they are not bound by that. He would not make near that on the open market if they withdrew it. They could negotiate a multi-year contract for him at a much lower price.

Anthony Chickillo, their only backup for most of the season at outside linebacker, is an unrestricted free agent, as is L.J. Fort, their most reliable inside backup.
Tyson Alualu and Daniel McCullers, the only two backups they used regularly on their defensive line, also will be unrestricted.

What the Steelers need on defense are playmakers, defensive backs who intercept passes and others who not only force fumbles but know how to recover them. Not forcing turnovers may have been the biggest factor that kept them out of the playoffs.
They must decide on whether to re-sign punter Jordan Berry and what to do with kicker Chris Boswell, who is due a $2 million signing bonus in March. Pay that and have him compete with Matt McCrane, or just move on without Boswell?

There are changes every year, but when the Steelers don’t make the playoffs, especially after 13-3 last season and high expectations for 2018, making those changes are easier. A few more coaches may join Porter and go as well, but they made a bunch of coaching changes last season and that didn’t help the bottom line.

Soon, Mike Tomlin will find one of those large, black garbage bags like Villanueva’s and start using it.


https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2019/01/04/Antonio-Brown-biggest-decision-of-many-as-Steelers-turn-to-2019-Ben-Roethlisberger-James-Conner-Le-Veon-Bell-Mike-Tomlin-JuJu-Smith-Schuster-T-J-Watt-Bud-Dupree/stories/201901030130

solardave wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

A reminder that Antonio Brown isn’t the first #Steelers great who indicated their intent on leaving, remember what happened when Joe Greene did it in 1974? Oh yeah, 4 Super Bowls rings is what happened. @SCBlitz pic.twitter.com/Yo0kH1Moik

— Greg Forbes (@red_scox) January 4, 2019

The difference there was Joe was playing at the time for a perennial loser. I'd excuse him for that. Didn't Noll and his guys draft 4 HOFers that year.

Man, what a draft. It was before my time but saw those guys at the end of their careers. It would be so awesome to have a Lambert in the middle of the D again.

I'll throw a target on my chest and say we should keep AB. Rooney should sit down with him and remind him that they gave him more money than his contract stated when he outplayed his contract. They signed him to a very good, long term deal. Rooney should let him know they took a chance on him and gave him his opportunities. Finally, he should let him know that AB will be the loser if he continues to act this way ... not only in future deals, but endorsements. Hate to say this, but I think AB needs help that might come partly from a boot to his ass and partly an older adviser taking him aside and letting him know right from wrong in his actions ... al la Dan Rooney/Ike Taylor. Beak him of his diva behavior.

The reality is, this team is a winner with AB and will win fewer games without him. I believe they should find a way to fix the problem/relationship and not go all scorched earth because of wounded pride. AB, on the field, is worth the money the Steelers are paying him. Take a guy who was homeless in high school and help him be a man. In return get ~15 TDs next year from the guy and tear the league a new one.

kirklandrules wrote:

I'll throw a target on my chest and say we should keep AB. Rooney should sit down with him and remind him that they gave him more money than his contract stated when he outplayed his contract. They signed him to a very good, long term deal. Rooney should let him know they took a chance on him and gave him his opportunities. Finally, he should let him know that AB will be the loser if he continues to act this way ... not only in future deals, but endorsements. Hate to say this, but I think AB needs help that might come partly from a boot to his ass and partly an older adviser taking him aside and letting him know right from wrong in his actions ... al la Dan Rooney/Ike Taylor. Beak him of his diva behavior.

The reality is, this team is a winner with AB and will win fewer games without him. I believe they should find a way to fix the problem/relationship and not go all scorched earth because of wounded pride. AB, on the field, is worth the money the Steelers are paying him. Take a guy who was homeless in high school and help him be a man. In return get ~15 TDs next year from the guy and tear the league a new one.

I just got done saying in another thread that we usually agree, and here we are again.

I don't think I'm in the camp of keeping him as strongly as you are, but I do think they need to take some time and evaluate things, and see if they can possibly work things out. Like I said in an earlier post ... all their problems won't get fixed by getting rid of AB. I don't know for sure, obviously, but I suspect AB is a symptom of the problems, not the cause.

And I don't think we can necessarily blame Tomlin either. It starts at the top with Rooney. Think back to when they fired Arians. Although I agreed with dumping him, Rooney handled the situation poorly, and I think it put some stress on Tomlin. If nothing else, it made Tomlin look bad after he publicly stated that both coordinators would be returning.

So I think for things to get fixed, the front office needs to sit down and evaluate themselves and the culture they've created. Getting rid of AB might be a case of treating the symptom rather than the disease.

Wallace108 wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

I'll throw a target on my chest and say we should keep AB. Rooney should sit down with him and remind him that they gave him more money than his contract stated when he outplayed his contract. They signed him to a very good, long term deal. Rooney should let him know they took a chance on him and gave him his opportunities. Finally, he should let him know that AB will be the loser if he continues to act this way ... not only in future deals, but endorsements. Hate to say this, but I think AB needs help that might come partly from a boot to his ass and partly an older adviser taking him aside and letting him know right from wrong in his actions ... al la Dan Rooney/Ike Taylor. Beak him of his diva behavior.

The reality is, this team is a winner with AB and will win fewer games without him. I believe they should find a way to fix the problem/relationship and not go all scorched earth because of wounded pride. AB, on the field, is worth the money the Steelers are paying him. Take a guy who was homeless in high school and help him be a man. In return get ~15 TDs next year from the guy and tear the league a new one.

I just got done saying in another thread that we usually agree, and here we are again.

I don't think I'm in the camp of keeping him as strongly as you are, but I do think they need to take some time and evaluate things, and see if they can possibly work things out. Like I said in an earlier post ... all their problems won't get fixed by getting rid of AB. I don't know for sure, obviously, but I suspect AB is a symptom of the problems, not the cause.

And I don't think we can necessarily blame Tomlin either. It starts at the top with Rooney. Think back to when they fired Arians. Although I agreed with dumping him, Rooney handled the situation poorly, and I think it put some stress on Tomlin. If nothing else, it made Tomlin look bad after he publicly stated that both coordinators would be returning.

So I think for things to get fixed, the front office needs to sit down and evaluate themselves and the culture they've created. Getting rid of AB might be a case of treating the symptom rather than the disease.

Agreed and would take it one step further. The veterans on the team need to have a meeting and talk about how they are going to start getting guys in line. A good part of the team culture comes from the rhythm set by the vets. Seems the Steelers are missing guys like Bettis, Potsy, Aaron Smith, Heath. Heyward and Pouncey seem to be a bit vocal, but I think they need to set a tone that prevents BS and not speaks to it after the fact. Maybe DeCastro and Villanueva should group up with Pouncey, create some talking points and address the offensive players on how they will conduct themselves going forward. Then the same thing on the defensive side ... Heyward, Williams and Haden. Winning a championship requires a single focus on the goal, not all the crap we've seen.

kirklandrules wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

I'll throw a target on my chest and say we should keep AB. Rooney should sit down with him and remind him that they gave him more money than his contract stated when he outplayed his contract. They signed him to a very good, long term deal. Rooney should let him know they took a chance on him and gave him his opportunities. Finally, he should let him know that AB will be the loser if he continues to act this way ... not only in future deals, but endorsements. Hate to say this, but I think AB needs help that might come partly from a boot to his ass and partly an older adviser taking him aside and letting him know right from wrong in his actions ... al la Dan Rooney/Ike Taylor. Beak him of his diva behavior.

The reality is, this team is a winner with AB and will win fewer games without him. I believe they should find a way to fix the problem/relationship and not go all scorched earth because of wounded pride. AB, on the field, is worth the money the Steelers are paying him. Take a guy who was homeless in high school and help him be a man. In return get ~15 TDs next year from the guy and tear the league a new one.

I just got done saying in another thread that we usually agree, and here we are again.

I don't think I'm in the camp of keeping him as strongly as you are, but I do think they need to take some time and evaluate things, and see if they can possibly work things out. Like I said in an earlier post ... all their problems won't get fixed by getting rid of AB. I don't know for sure, obviously, but I suspect AB is a symptom of the problems, not the cause.

And I don't think we can necessarily blame Tomlin either. It starts at the top with Rooney. Think back to when they fired Arians. Although I agreed with dumping him, Rooney handled the situation poorly, and I think it put some stress on Tomlin. If nothing else, it made Tomlin look bad after he publicly stated that both coordinators would be returning.

So I think for things to get fixed, the front office needs to sit down and evaluate themselves and the culture they've created. Getting rid of AB might be a case of treating the symptom rather than the disease.

Agreed and would take it one step further. The veterans on the team need to have a meeting and talk about how they are going to start getting guys in line. A good part of the team culture comes from the rhythm set by the vets. Seems the Steelers are missing guys like Bettis, Potsy, Aaron Smith, Heath. Heyward and Pouncey seem to be a bit vocal, but I think they need to set a tone that prevents BS and not speaks to it after the fact. Maybe DeCastro and Villanueva should group up with Pouncey, create some talking points and address the offensive players on how they will conduct themselves going forward. Then the same thing on the defensive side ... Heyward, Williams and Haden. Winning a championship requires a single focus on the goal, not all the crap we've seen.

Exactly. And I'd like to see Art get more involved with the players, like Dan was. Be part of the team, not just the owner looking down from above. There's lots we don't know and we're just speculating on, but one thing seems certain ... a lot of the current players don't respect Art or the organization the way players did when Dan was there.

Really am shocked at his behavior. Thought he was one of the humble guys on there. Guess I was wrong.

Wallace108 wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

kirklandrules wrote:

I'll throw a target on my chest and say we should keep AB. Rooney should sit down with him and remind him that they gave him more money than his contract stated when he outplayed his contract. They signed him to a very good, long term deal. Rooney should let him know they took a chance on him and gave him his opportunities. Finally, he should let him know that AB will be the loser if he continues to act this way ... not only in future deals, but endorsements. Hate to say this, but I think AB needs help that might come partly from a boot to his ass and partly an older adviser taking him aside and letting him know right from wrong in his actions ... al la Dan Rooney/Ike Taylor. Beak him of his diva behavior.

The reality is, this team is a winner with AB and will win fewer games without him. I believe they should find a way to fix the problem/relationship and not go all scorched earth because of wounded pride. AB, on the field, is worth the money the Steelers are paying him. Take a guy who was homeless in high school and help him be a man. In return get ~15 TDs next year from the guy and tear the league a new one.

I just got done saying in another thread that we usually agree, and here we are again.

I don't think I'm in the camp of keeping him as strongly as you are, but I do think they need to take some time and evaluate things, and see if they can possibly work things out. Like I said in an earlier post ... all their problems won't get fixed by getting rid of AB. I don't know for sure, obviously, but I suspect AB is a symptom of the problems, not the cause.

And I don't think we can necessarily blame Tomlin either. It starts at the top with Rooney. Think back to when they fired Arians. Although I agreed with dumping him, Rooney handled the situation poorly, and I think it put some stress on Tomlin. If nothing else, it made Tomlin look bad after he publicly stated that both coordinators would be returning.

So I think for things to get fixed, the front office needs to sit down and evaluate themselves and the culture they've created. Getting rid of AB might be a case of treating the symptom rather than the disease.

Agreed and would take it one step further. The veterans on the team need to have a meeting and talk about how they are going to start getting guys in line. A good part of the team culture comes from the rhythm set by the vets. Seems the Steelers are missing guys like Bettis, Potsy, Aaron Smith, Heath. Heyward and Pouncey seem to be a bit vocal, but I think they need to set a tone that prevents BS and not speaks to it after the fact. Maybe DeCastro and Villanueva should group up with Pouncey, create some talking points and address the offensive players on how they will conduct themselves going forward. Then the same thing on the defensive side ... Heyward, Williams and Haden. Winning a championship requires a single focus on the goal, not all the crap we've seen.

Exactly. And I'd like to see Art get more involved with the players, like Dan was. Be part of the team, not just the owner looking down from above. There's lots we don't know and we're just speculating on, but one thing seems certain ... a lot of the current players don't respect Art or the organization the way players did when Dan was there.

Agree with all you 2 have said. I said before more than once that the players like Heyward, and Haden on D need to be VOCAL leaders. Pouncey, AV, and DeCastro on O need to do the same. Players only off season meeting to set the stage.
The Chief was loved and respected by everyone including his players. Go back and watch video of him around children. He was in his element. Dan was loved and respected by all. I don't see Art II as a players owner as much as a business man and who knows how involved he is in Tomlin's business.
When a coach is hired and also serves as GM it's easy to point fingers when things go wrong. In our case like you said Wally we don't really know how much or how little say Tomlin has on issues like Ben's radio gig or AB's childish antics.
AB is a once in a generation WR talent wise. It would be outstanding if someone could reach him. I get on here pissed off and have this "killem' all and let God sortem' out" attitude. Then I read other viewpoints,relax a little and get a rational. Would we be better with AB? Absolutely. Could we win a SB without him? Absolutely. When I'm calm and collected I lean towards wanting him to not only be a part of it but possibly be the MVP. It's hard to hate that smile. I still love watching that ESPN commercial. "ALL DAY LONG".

I really thought AB was more humble too. I remember early on you wouldn't hear much from him. He was quiet, but he went out there and played good with a smile on his face and that was it. I swear he doesn't seem like the same AB I remember. I just don't understand it.

Also, it seems like whenever the team is in a bad spot, he starts acting up. When they lose lately, he's got an attitude. When the playoffs seem out of reach or are on the line, he's acting out. Why? When we win you don't hear anything from him.

It's good he wants to win, but why the attitude? I do wish someone would sit down with him and get things together. Give him another chance for sure, because trading him seems a little silly. Especially after the season is over, and this team has other problems as to the position they sit in.

The crazy thing to me is how can a guy not answer phone calls from your immediate boss (Tomlin) and the CEO of your company (Rooney) during a potential playoff implication game week and expect to keep his job??

Regardless of how disgruntled he was, wouldn't that be the prime opportunity to vent his concerns? Instead he chose to act like a spoiled child and avoid all communication during the week then walk out on the team dressed in his finest diva furs half way through their last game of the season. Do all of those things sound like the character traits of someone who gives two shits about the organization they are a part of? Or more about their own personal public perception?

I'll miss his talent, but this aggression can not stand man...

I'm starting to think that he is bipolar.

Bi-polar or Narcissistic personality disorder.