DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2018 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 21 Steelers 21 Le'Veon Bell Not With Steelers

j/c:

Former player, Brandon Stokely chiming in:


https://twitter.com/bstokley14/status/1037532682274500609

I get why the players are mad too. They're a better team with him on the field.

I have not in all of my life every seen players go after other guys trying to fight the tag/get their money.

This is uncharted territory.

They change from week to week, but I think they stay the same throughout the course of a week.

I think Bell's beef is three things:

1. He wants the same type of deal that Rodgers, Beckham, Donald and Mack received. Unless I'm fuzzy on the latest offer, his offer was lower than theirs.

2. He and the rest of the NFL see the NBA and MLB guys getting way more per year and it's all guaranteed. While the NBA is growing fast, the NFL is still the biggest sport in the US. So how are the other leagues paying their stars more, guaranteeing all the years and are less violent? Plus, him being a RB, he takes more punishment than a QB, WR or linemen (well, linemen take a lot of hits too, but RBs usually get hit by bigger guys at full speed).

3. He can get franchised the next two seasons and be a broken RB by the time he wants a huge free agent deal. So, the lifespan of an NFL RB is a lot shorter than other positions. So he's GOT to cash in as much as possible now, not two years from now.

Those three points would want me to hold out for the best contract possible too. Sure, I'd eventually report to the team because $14M is a lot of money, but these guys don't see it that way. I'm sure his worry is that he reports, they hand the ball off to him 35 times a game over the next two seasons and he's 65% of himself in two years. Poof, he'd then have to sign a league minimum contract from there.

Heck, an average QB could roll out of bed at 30-something+ and get $10M or more per year to backup. Didn't Cutler just get $10M to leave the booth at 34 years old and play very Cutler-like (not care for a few games and then get injured)? And remember Mike Glennon got paid $19M to backup Trubisky last year? I'd be ticked off too, as a RB, that I can "only" get $14M per year as the best RB in the game in my prime and most teams would be afraid to sing me long term because RBs burn out so fast.

It's not like the NBA, where you're a max player, you get max money, regardless of position. In the NFL, you get big money as a QB any time, you get big money at most other positions only at the beginning of your prime and RBs are treated like "dirt" almost every time (Gurley got paid, but I think the Rams see that as a PR move. They HAD to get him on the field, sell jerseys and create a positive attitude in their new town. Teams like Pittsburgh and NE don't need to pay Bell. They can kick him to the curb when they're done with him.)

no doubt Bell sees this as the way to go (and that he deserves that money) ... I don't disagree with him.

I also don't believe in screwing over teammates (unless you feel your contract is that egregious)

I'm all in with you on this one.

Got my shades, got my straw hat, all I need is a hammock and a ringside seat to the circus going on with Pittsburgh. Oh, give me one of those drinks poured into a coconut with an orange and brown umbrella in it!!!

Bells tender is 14.54 million for this year ... last year he made 12.1 million ... his rookie contract was worth 4.1 million ....

If he signed this (and the day he signs it ITS FULLY GAURANTEED according to the site i got his salaries from) ..... so he’s all ready banked 16 mill ... if he signs this he’ll have made over 30 million dollars ...

So he’s all ready made way more than enough to be comfie and live pretty much any lifestyle he chooses and his kids are set and he can take care of his family and friends ...

That much we know for sure ... now ...

NONE OF US KNOW what was in the offer as far as gauranteed money went ... NONE OF US KNOW exactly why he’s holding out ... so all we can do is SPECULATE ... here’s my shot at it .. *L* ..

This ain’t ablout money ... its about EGO and PRIDE ... not sure thats debatable ... this may be ... its also about Bell being a sellfish ass ... thats my opinion ...

Another thing no one wants to mention ...

Dudes been SUSPENDED TWICE .... next time ... it may be a year ...

Ty sir ...

The rumors I have heard are that the Roony's have a writer at a local paper in Pittsburgh that is "their guy" and they let it leak that if LeVeon "kept clean and played 16" he would be paid. He pulled this stunt and now he is not playing for pitt next season.

Roony's could always hide behind the source, so impossible to take them at their work but interesting none the less.

Dawg ... dang dawg ...

Your in the wrong spot on the Isle if u u would like a drink poured in a coconut with an orange and an umbrella and u dont have one ...

Either get out your map or give me a call and I’ll send up a dawg signal so u can find it ...

We gotcha covered dawg ...

Well, the bottom line for Browns fans is no Bell this Sunday. Not citing a direct source - just sayin' - he ain't playin'.

Expect to see plenty of James Conner, and an O-Line hell-bent on opening lanes for him. This soap opera has spawned plenty of solidarity with this Steelers team... I think we would have been better off if Bell reported on Wednesday and they were busy plotting out ways to get him involved without going overboard.

BITE ME .. who needs a dose of reality now .. *L* ...

GREAT POINT ... crap ... i never thought of that ... it could really fire them up .. especially the OL ...

May end being a perfect example of:

watch what u ask for, u might get it ...

AND in my case ...

IGNORANCE IS BLISS ... i was much better off before U brought it up .. *L* ..

Haha. No free drinks on the Isle for me this week!

Only if Conner rushes for 130 yards and a td or two and we lose a squeaker ... *L* ...

jc:



https://twitter.com/ohrnberger/status/1037476925499797504

Loving the Pissburgh turmoil.

Grain of salt....."turmoil" for a team predicted to win the SuperBowl almost every season.

Umm ... who is Rich Ohrnberger?

I take it where I can get it with the Steelers.

Former guard in the NFL.

** Shrugs shoulders**

j/k...I know who he is. However, he is no Brandon Stokely.

IMO The Steelers are going to make a HUGE effort to make sure Conner has a big day. Their OL will be trying their hardest in the run game.

I wonder if we can work in some run blitzes and try to stay ahead of their plan

Her's not even Spencer Drango.

Damm ... Bell’s a real douche ... contract situations one ball of wax ... was just watching the nfl network and they went to a reporter in Pitt at the facility ... she said a meeting just broke ... she gave us a little more info on why this is so personal to the OLman ...

Bell’s not returning any of there calls or texts to let them know whats going on .... that’s DOUCHE ..

If i were Bell i wouldn’t tell them my plan .... but it sure as all hell wouldn’t IGNORE THEM ... that’s CLASSLESS ...

Dude ... pick up the phone .. call or text ... tell your TEAMMATES what u can ... like maybe ..

Were working through it ... not sure how or when its going to be resolved ... sorry that this is where were at ..

Hell .. if he was smart ... he’d use it to his advantage ... PLANT SEEDS .. if he’s not being a self involved jerk here just tell the truth ...

MANY OPTIONS ... in this case ... NO RESPONSE IS CLASSLESS and tells me a lot about Bell ...

Duplicate ... ooops

Bell can do whatever he wants.

He has an opportunity to make over $14 million this year, then get a longer term contract next year. Maybe somewhere else. For.......what? $10 to 12 million a year, over 4 years? Maybe half of that guaranteed?



Let me do some math: 14 million this year, plus maybe 20 million guaranteed over the following 4 years (assuming he got a long term, 4 year deal, at 10 mil per, and only 20 mil. guaranteed)


OR - sit out this year. Lose 14 million in income, and MAYBE sign next year a 4 year contract for around 20 mil guaranteed.


Hmmmm........



edited to add: How much might it hurt him if his replacement has a great year? Teams might say "know what? Maybe it wasn't Bell, maybe it was the O. The line, scheme, etc"



And also: It doesn't affect me 1 way or another. He can do what he wants.

I agree with everything u said ...

If I were the Steelers, I'd just say screw Bell and give Peyton Hillis a call LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bet he'd be willing to sign extra, extra cheap hahahaha.

Not wearing his ass down for the playoffs, wearing it down for next year.

What i deleted was the part of my post to bone where i talked about punishment .. hence chs’s response to what i said thats now gone ...



The only way to wear his ass down for next year is to way overwork him this year ...

If u way overwork him this year ... how’she gonna be fresh for this years playoffs ...

Its not an either/or ...

U can’t wear him down for next year w/o having him worn out for this years playoffs ..

I know your smarter than me (not a shot .. i mean it) but sometimes even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile in the “thinking” dept ...

Unless u can explain to me how there going to wear him out for next year and have him not worn out for this years playoffs ...

BLIND SQUIRELL WINS ... *L* ..

j/c...

No matter the reason, I'm glad he isn't playing.
It's Next Man Up, and folks are starting to talk up this other guy James Conner, but Conner isn't Bell - not even close. If he was all that, Bell would have less than zero leverage.

You take care of you Bell, and you have my blessings to take all season to do it

Bell had over 400 touches in 2017, doing that in back-to-back years would potentially kill his career.

(Larry Johnson says hi!)

DeMarco Murray riding shotgun...

That's what really kills me about Saquon Barkley at pick #2, Zeke, and to a lesser extent, Gurley & Fournette in the top ten. Setting aside the risk that comes with any draft pick, there is simply not a good on-field ROI if you aren't already in your SB window (i.e. have a franchise QB), if you ask me.

If Saquon is what everyone thinks he is, the Giants are going to be tempted to run him into the ground. I guess Eli's got a couple rings & they think can get a 3rd before they consume their RB. Because that's what you do with workhorse backs...you don't just ride them, you consume them.

Zeke's a great back, but with Dak at the helm, his career is looking more like it will be wasted. It just seems that more often than not, these elite RBs are good enough to put your team in the middle of the pack, which is like purgatory. They can't get over the hump, nor will they totally crash and burn (and set themselves up for an elite QB).

The Rams lucked out a bit that they were able to trade up for Goff, he seems legit, AND that they had the cap to go all-in on D. The Jags also bucked the trend because they don't have that elite QB, but built perhaps the most dominant D since Baltimore's early 2000s squad.

Adrian Peterson, Larry Johnson, LaDanian Tomlinson, Arian Foster, David Johnson, etc., etc. These guys more often don't get their teams to the promised land. Not their fault, but the trend is what it is.

I'm SO glad we didn't go that route. Let's open a SB window by building a lasting foundation before we go buying a consumable like that.

The only argument for drafting a running back high and/or signing him to extension is if affect both the run and passing game. Gurley and Bell (and potentially Barkley) do that. Even still, I don't think I would ever sign any of these guys to long term extensions.

I think that there is another argument for drafting a RB fairly high.

You get him cheap for 4 years. You then franchise them for a couple of years, all the while riding that horse as hard as you can.

Then, you let him hit the open market when RBs are at an age where they are decreasing in value.

It's pretty cold-blooded, but it is what it is.

He’s not a moron ... he’ll report Saturday to collect his 850k and by next Wednesday it will be back to business as usual with the Stilers ..

Yes, it is what it is ... a RB is a short career position for the most part.

Not many Otis Anderson's playing today.

I honestly don't really care if/how Bell gets paid....

But this situation in general, is set up perfect to be like a movie of the week.. Bell holds out until the last possible moment on Saturday.. as the cameras follow him with a lot of long distant stares as he contemplates life and his future......

then Sunday early in the 3rd quarter with the Browns up by 14, Bell jogs out of the tunnel as the players look at each other in anticipation and the crowd erupts as he puts his helmet on..

then in less than a half, he puts up 128 total yards and 3 touchdowns, including the game-winner as the clock expires...

and gets carried off the field while the whole stadium chants "RUDY!!! RUDY!!!"