Bell a no-show

[CzechSteeler]

And, i keep saying he's gonna be booed when he is 1st introduced at Heinz this season...I change my mind: he's gonna be freaking vilified....

I would love to be fly on the well when he meets players in the dressing room for the 1st time.

[W&M_Steeler]

It is funny though, I wish some reporter could ask Bell if he would be willing to sign the deal that either Gurley or Johnson signed. What would his answer be?

Bell is the victim of his own hype. At this point in his career, Bell is a very good back, clearly ranking in the top 5-7 backs in the league. But he's not the best back- that's Gurley- and he's probably not the second best back- that's Johnson. However, the media built a narrative in 2014 that Bell's a transcendent, game-changing, all-time great player, and it has not backed off from that despite Bell's subtle, but steady, decline, especially since Bell's fantasy points are still high. Bell himself seems to have bought into this hype completely, as his demands indicate he thinks he's head and shoulders better than the rest of the RBs in the league.

I think this disparity in valuation is the root cause of Bell's holdout. The Steelers (or any team) would be foolish to pay Bell what he thinks he's worth, and Bell's ego apparently won't let him take a more reasonable value. In the end, Bell has to hope that some stupid team like the Dolphins or Redskins will give him an unreasonably high due to name value alone. But that's where I think Bell is making a huge mistake this year. If there are teams stupid enough to give Bell $17 million /year guaranteed (I'm not sure there are, but you never know), then those stupid teams would probably give Bell a huge contract next year even if he were to get injured this year. So Bell is throwing away $14.5 million and tons of goodwill for little other than to mitigate the risk of suffering a career ending injury this year.

[bradshaw2ben]

I'm starting to think Bell is afraid.

Let's say he thinks his skills are declining. The more he plays before the contract, the more he shows where he's at.
Otherwise, he was objectively stupid to not take a deal last year. He would have made SB + salary similar to what he would have earned for playing a full season on two consecutive franchise tags... AND already have a contract for next year that would probably pay him another $10M+ unless his leg falls off before week 1. In other words, he'd have gotten more $ of the contract in 3 years than Gurley is likely to see in his over the 4.

[W&M_Steeler]

I'm starting to think Bell is afraid.

Let's say he thinks his skills are declining. The more he plays before the contract, the more he shows where he's at.
Otherwise, he was objectively stupid to not take a deal last year. He would have made SB + salary similar to what he would have earned for playing a full season on two consecutive franchise tags... AND already have a contract for next year that would probably pay him another $10M+ unless his leg falls off before week 1. In other words, he'd have gotten more $ of the contract in 3 years than Gurley is likely to see in his over the 4.

He is stupid for not taking the contract last year. And if he''s scared now, he should really be terrified at the prospect of Conner coming in and having a very good season. If that happens, the it starts to look more like the system than the back, and Bell's value will plummet. Bell is counting on the Steelers' run game faltering without him, but that's no sure thing.

I wonder if there are other issues behind the current holdout. Maybe he let himself get out of shape and isn't ready to come back. Or maybe he stopped partying too recently and needs a week or two for the residue to move out of his system so he can pass a drug test.

[Scunge]

When is the last time the Steelers went after a stud free agent? Kevin Greene? Isn’t Dupree going to take up $9 million of that $14.5 next year?

Gee, thanks for reminding me Suwanee! If Dupree stinks up the joint this year in his 4th season, he if does not break out, then add his $9 million to that 30-35 million projected total of mine! That 5th year option can easily be yanked from Dupree, he can be cut and the Steelers could very easily be flush with $40-45 million under the cap!!

In terms of not playing in free agency, not really true. Joe Haden was given a 3 year $27 million contract. Going back over Kevin Colbert's run, he did bring in Jeff Hartings from the Lions who moved from Guard to Center, became a two-time Pro Bowler. James Farrior was a free agent brought in from the Jets, he moved from OLB to ILB and was a two-time Pro Bowler, Ryan Clark was brought in from the Redskins, he made the Pro Bowl.

Mike Mitchell, Ladarius Greene were disappointing and some might say Vance McDonald is that way too, but I say too early to tell, let this season play out before passing judgement.

But the point that I am making is that when have the Steelers ever had so much money to work with in free agency going into next off-season? The answer is probably they have never been in that position.

[stillthere]

When is the last time the Steelers went after a stud free agent? Kevin Greene? Isn’t Dupree going to take up $9 million of that $14.5 next year?

Gee, thanks for reminding me Suwanee! If Dupree stinks up the joint this year in his 4th season, he if does not break out, then add his $9 million to that 30-35 million projected total of mine! That 5th year option can easily be yanked from Dupree, he can be cut and the Steelers could very easily be flush with $40-45 million under the cap!!

In terms of not playing in free agency, not really true. Joe Haden was given a 3 year $27 million contract. Going back over Kevin Colbert's run, he did bring in Jeff Hartings from the Lions who moved from Guard to Center, became a two-time Pro Bowler. James Farrior was a free agent brought in from the Jets, he moved from OLB to ILB and was a two-time Pro Bowler, Ryan Clark was brought in from the Redskins, he made the Pro Bowl.

Mike Mitchell, Ladarius Greene were disappointing and some might say Vance McDonald is that way too, but I say too early to tell, let this season play out before passing judgement.

But the point that I am making is that when have the Steelers ever had so much money to work with in free agency going into next off-season? The answer is probably they have never been in that position.

Didn't we trade for McDonald? Like a 4th for him and a 5th. Not to nit pick to much but he was not really a free agent that we swooned.

[franco32]

The stats are nice and don't lie, but all you really have to do is play some film from a couple years ago. Then compare it to last year. The jump cuts? Less explosion. The acceleration out of the cut? Slower. Speed to the edge? More labored. Ability to beat LBs and Safeties on passing plays? Less separation.

The eyes don't lie.

[Legacy User]

The stats are nice and don't lie, but all you really have to do is play some film from a couple years ago. Then compare it to last year. The jump cuts? Less explosion. The acceleration out of the cut? Slower. Speed to the edge? More labored. Ability to beat LBs and Safeties on passing plays? Less separation.

The eyes don't lie.

If this is what declining, shitty Bell looks like, sign me the hell up.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=581K5-g9aG8[/youtube]

Also, I don't give a shit about the 14 points, Ben was a fucking monster in that game. Our defense sucks so bad I can't even think about it.

[W&M_Steeler]

The stats are nice and don't lie, but all you really have to do is play some film from a couple years ago. Then compare it to last year. The jump cuts? Less explosion. The acceleration out of the cut? Slower. Speed to the edge? More labored. Ability to beat LBs and Safeties on passing plays? Less separation.

The eyes don't lie.

If this is what declining, shitty Bell looks like, sign me the hell up.

I don't think anyone is saying that Bell is "shitty". He's very, very good. He's just not quite what he was three seasons and two knee injuries ago, and he's not worth $15+ million / year. If he showed signs that the Jags playoff game would be fairly typical for him going forward, then he might be. But the Jags game was an outlier.

[Legacy User]

The stats are nice and don't lie, but all you really have to do is play some film from a couple years ago. Then compare it to last year. The jump cuts? Less explosion. The acceleration out of the cut? Slower. Speed to the edge? More labored. Ability to beat LBs and Safeties on passing plays? Less separation.

The eyes don't lie.

If this is what declining, shitty Bell looks like, sign me the hell up.

I don't think anyone is saying that Bell is "shitty". He's very, very good. He's just not quite what he was three seasons and two knee injuries ago, and he's not worth $15+ million / year. If he showed signs that the Jags playoff game would be fairly typical for him going forward, then he might be. But the Jags game was an outlier.

No, he's not worth what he's asking. But I remain indifferent to the arguments that Bell has declined to the point that it does not matter if he leaves because our line is so good. I remain skeptical that Conner is going to be anything close to what Bell right now is.

I wish we could keep him. I wish he was not acting like a douche.

But he is still a premier back, IMO.

[Suwanee88]

When is the last time the Steelers went after a stud free agent? Kevin Greene? Isn’t Dupree going to take up $9 million of that $14.5 next year?

Gee, thanks for reminding me Suwanee! If Dupree stinks up the joint this year in his 4th season, he if does not break out, then add his $9 million to that 30-35 million projected total of mine! That 5th year option can easily be yanked from Dupree, he can be cut and the Steelers could very easily be flush with $40-45 million under the cap!!

In terms of not playing in free agency, not really true. Joe Haden was given a 3 year $27 million contract. Going back over Kevin Colbert's run, he did bring in Jeff Hartings from the Lions who moved from Guard to Center, became a two-time Pro Bowler. James Farrior was a free agent brought in from the Jets, he moved from OLB to ILB and was a two-time Pro Bowler, Ryan Clark was brought in from the Redskins, he made the Pro Bowl.

Mike Mitchell, Ladarius Greene were disappointing and some might say Vance McDonald is that way too, but I say too early to tell, let this season play out before passing judgement.

But the point that I am making is that when have the Steelers ever had so much money to work with in free agency going into next off-season? The answer is probably they have never been in that position.

Would love to cut ties with Dupree if he has a breakout year or not honestly, but my.concern is they sign him no matter what kind of year he has - seems to be their way - they just don’t give up on young guys too easy.

That’s a lot of cap space above you outline - would love to see it.

The free agents you list where more calculated, slower developing type moves. Mitchell and Greene were the most agressive and terrible moves in hindsight.

[W&M_Steeler]

I don't think anyone is saying that Bell is "shitty". He's very, very good. He's just not quite what he was three seasons and two knee injuries ago, and he's not worth $15+ million / year. If he showed signs that the Jags playoff game would be fairly typical for him going forward, then he might be. But the Jags game was an outlier.

No, he's not worth what he's asking. But I remain indifferent to the arguments that Bell has declined to the point that it does not matter if he leaves because our line is so good. I remain skeptical that Conner is going to be anything close to what Bell right now is.

I wish we could keep him. I wish he was not acting like a douche.

But he is still a premier back, IMO.

Conner is the big question mark. If he's as good as an over the hill DeAngelo Williams was a few years ago, then the drop off from Bell won't be dramatic and the Steelers will be fine. If he's no better than Isaac Redman or Jonathan Dwyer, we're going to have a big problem. But caving in to Bell and giving him the kind of money he wants would cause other big problems. It's a bad situation all around. Too bad Bell couldn't be satisfied with a measly $12 million or so per year.

[jewelsongs]

I don't think anyone is saying that Bell is "shitty". He's very, very good. He's just not quite what he was three seasons and two knee injuries ago, and he's not worth $15+ million / year. If he showed signs that the Jags playoff game would be fairly typical for him going forward, then he might be. But the Jags game was an outlier.

No, he's not worth what he's asking. But I remain indifferent to the arguments that Bell has declined to the point that it does not matter if he leaves because our line is so good. I remain skeptical that Conner is going to be anything close to what Bell right now is.

I wish we could keep him. I wish he was not acting like a douche.

But he is still a premier back, IMO.

Conner is the big question mark. If he's as good as an over the hill DeAngelo Williams was a few years ago, then the drop off from Bell won't be dramatic and the Steelers will be fine. If he's no better than Isaac Redman or Jonathan Dwyer, we're going to have a big problem. But caving in to Bell and giving him the kind of money he wants would cause other big problems. It's a bad situation all around. Too bad Bell couldn't be satisfied with a measly $12 million or so per year.

If Conner can't do it, Ridley can. He started in the league, and looked good in the preseason.

[W&M_Steeler]

No, he's not worth what he's asking. But I remain indifferent to the arguments that Bell has declined to the point that it does not matter if he leaves because our line is so good. I remain skeptical that Conner is going to be anything close to what Bell right now is.

I wish we could keep him. I wish he was not acting like a douche.

But he is still a premier back, IMO.

Conner is the big question mark. If he's as good as an over the hill DeAngelo Williams was a few years ago, then the drop off from Bell won't be dramatic and the Steelers will be fine. If he's no better than Isaac Redman or Jonathan Dwyer, we're going to have a big problem. But caving in to Bell and giving him the kind of money he wants would cause other big problems. It's a bad situation all around. Too bad Bell couldn't be satisfied with a measly $12 million or so per year.

If Conner can't do it, Ridley can. He started in the league, and looked good in the preseason.

Maybe, but there's probably a reason Ridley hasn't caught on as a starter elsewhere. Samuels might also surprise. Ultimately, Bell is making a bet that the Steelers run game will look terrible without him. If he's right, he has put an exclamation point on his demands and has demonstrated that he makes the Steelers' run game work. If he's wrong, then he's cost himself millions, possibly tens of millions, but refusing the Steelers' contract offers and choosing to hold out.

[stillthere]

Maybe, but there's probably a reason Ridley hasn't caught on as a starter elsewhere.

I read just last night that he had some knee issues when he left NE and that he is feeling better now than he did prior to the knee issues. I know you have to take that stuff with a grain of salt. If it is true then it will be nice to have a vet that can grind on the roster. He also looked pretty spry in the preseason work he got granted it was mostly against guys that are not in the NFL now.

[Legacy User]

I'm starting to think Bell is afraid.

Let's say he thinks his skills are declining. The more he plays before the contract, the more he shows where he's at.
Otherwise, he was objectively stupid to not take a deal last year. He would have made SB + salary similar to what he would have earned for playing a full season on two consecutive franchise tags... AND already have a contract for next year that would probably pay him another $10M+ unless his leg falls off before week 1. In other words, he'd have gotten more $ of the contract in 3 years than Gurley is likely to see in his over the 4.

I'm thinking he's afraid of pissing hot. And after a week or two, when he knows he can pass the test, he'll come back.

THC stays in your system a long, long time.

[stillthere]

I'm starting to think Bell is afraid.

Let's say he thinks his skills are declining. The more he plays before the contract, the more he shows where he's at.
Otherwise, he was objectively stupid to not take a deal last year. He would have made SB + salary similar to what he would have earned for playing a full season on two consecutive franchise tags... AND already have a contract for next year that would probably pay him another $10M+ unless his leg falls off before week 1. In other words, he'd have gotten more $ of the contract in 3 years than Gurley is likely to see in his over the 4.

I'm thinking he's afraid of pissing hot. And after a week or two, when he knows he can pass the test, he'll come back.

THC stays in your system a long, long time.

THC stays in your system a long time if you are smoking a lot. If I went out and smoked a bowl or a blunt today I could pass a drug test in like 3 or 4 days similar to cocaine. If I were to smoke everyday for a week then the THC would still be in my system for like 10 days or 2 weeks. If you are a habitual smoker and blaze often for a month then it will take 30 days to clear your system.

[Legacy User]

Billy casually mentioned on the radio feed that he's hearing rumors Bell comes back Monday.

Mmmm hah....