Bell is a greedy, stupid idiot....

[Coach]

Bell says he wants 15 million a year. He should know he's not getting that amount, so what's the point in holding out?

Do we have another Mike Merriweather here?

For the younger fans, Merriweather was a fantastic blitz and cover linebacker. He wanted more money and sat out an entire year. Then the Steelers traded him for a first round pick.

" Merriweather was drafted in the 3rd round (70th pick overall) of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. His first professional season was 1982 with the Steelers and he was elected to the Pro Bowl in three consecutive seasons: 1984, 1985, and 1986. In 1984, he was 5th in the NFL with 15 sacks (Mark Gastineau led the league with 22), and was named first-team all-NFL that year. He was named Pittsburgh Steelers' Most Valuable Player in 1987.

After a salary dispute which saw him sit out the entire 1988 season, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for a first-round pick "

 

[antdrewjosh]

They leaked part of the guaranteed money, $30mil the first two years, which again tops the two years at franchise tag numbers. Lets look at it like this...

David DeCastro signed a 5 year, $50 mil contract with $16 mil signing bonus. We'll only look at the first two years of the deal. They were $2 mil base salary in the first year, $1.1 mil base salary the second with $6.7 mil guaranteed, with a roster bonus of $6.7 mil. Roughly $16 mil the first two years of the deal. His cap hits those first two years were, $5.2 mil and $11 mil. However, if we had decided to cut him after his first year, he would have cost us $19 mil the first, then $9, then $6, then $3 the following years.

They already leaked that Bell would receive $30 mil in the first two years, those are basically guarateed years as it would cost WAY too much money to cut him until his 3rd or 4th year of the contract at the earliest. He is not going to get anything close to $26.5 in actual guaranteed money or signing bonus. Brown got $19, and Ben got $34... That's just how contracts work. Even if he somehow gets RB and WR money (because that has worked out so well for other players that tried that), he's still not going to approach $26 mil as a signing bonus/guarantees. He's stuck on the $15 mil a year average, and he doesn't have the leverage for that. The suspension and injuries have put the ball squarely in the Steelers court.

Brown was putting up stupid numbers as a WR for years, and he's just under $14 mil a year average. He's consistent, Bell has yet to have that type of consistency. Some of it is not his fault (the two hits against cinci), but some of it is, the suspension. He's missed 17 regular season games his first four years in the league with only 1 game being because we didn't play our starters, so an entire season worth. Brown has missed 11 in his 7 years, 7 his rookie year where he wasn't active, 3 his 3rd year due to injury, and 1 last year when we didn't play our starters .

Ok i get that. But you have to look at it from his point of view too. He is going to approach 26.5 by playing for the tag. Maybe he is stuck on the 15 million. I can see merit for that. But my point is the guaranteed money. If anyone knows you can be hurt any time its him. Especially playing RB. Especially doing all the things he is asked to do in our offense. **** he was hurt catching a pass. So if you arent getting the per year deal you think you are worth why not take the 26.5 guaranteed and if an agreement cant be met test the open market. Also i have no problem with the steelers at some point trading him and getting value. He wins steelers win. I just cant find fault with anyone trying to get as much as they can from their job. Even if its not with our beloved steelers as long as it doesnt effect your effort on the field IE mike wallace

 

[SteelerSask2]

It just pisses me off because it seems to me that the Steelers more than met the salary demands. He wanted to reset the market for running backs. They did. Thats substantially more than the highest paid back isnt it. He wanted to be paid like a best back. Second best receiver. I believe that offer did that. Now its guarenteed money. Its a negotiation and Bells shortfall is reliability. You cant have it all. At least not in Pittsburgh. Finish a season at its most crucial moment and you can talk.

 

[ZonaBurgh]

Ok i get that. But you have to look at it from his point of view too. He is going to approach 26.5 by playing for the tag. Maybe he is stuck on the 15 million. I can see merit for that. But my point is the guaranteed money. If anyone knows you can be hurt any time its him. Especially playing RB. Especially doing all the things he is asked to do in our offense. **** he was hurt catching a pass. So if you arent getting the per year deal you think you are worth why not take the 26.5 guaranteed and if an agreement cant be met test the open market. Also i have no problem with the steelers at some point trading him and getting value. He wins steelers win. I just cant find fault with anyone trying to get as much as they can from their job. Even if its not with our beloved steelers as long as it doesnt effect your effort on the field IE mike wallace

We can all make assumptions about this, but until all the particulars are known, we're all just throwing darts.
From my perspective, I can't see what benefit Bell sees in staying out of camp. Being a team player would certainly swing the PR in his favor, as opposed to what he's doing now. So he's either dumb as a box of rocks, or there's a factor we aren't aware of.
Right now I'm guessing the former.

 

[jitter77]

The steelers offer was more than fair. He would be making 1.5x the amount of the top RB currently. He has had some pretty serious injuries and with his running style he can not afford to lose a step. Also if he goes to some crap team with a poor oline he will look like a fool. Bell relies on the line to open holes and hold blocks longer. He is not that great at just plowing through and creating on his own. I think this is why we are pretty poor on like 3rd and 1 or 2.

 

[insaniti]

Ok i get that. But you have to look at it from his point of view too. He is going to approach 26.5 by playing for the tag. Maybe he is stuck on the 15 million. I can see merit for that. But my point is the guaranteed money. If anyone knows you can be hurt any time its him. Especially playing RB. Especially doing all the things he is asked to do in our offense. **** he was hurt catching a pass. So if you arent getting the per year deal you think you are worth why not take the 26.5 guaranteed and if an agreement cant be met test the open market. Also i have no problem with the steelers at some point trading him and getting value. He wins steelers win. I just cant find fault with anyone trying to get as much as they can from their job. Even if its not with our beloved steelers as long as it doesnt effect your effort on the field IE mike wallace

But right now he is not guaranteed ANYTHING. He hasn't signed his tender, and his holdout is all for nothing as the deadline to negotiate a long term contract has past. That's not the Steelers deadline, that's the NFL's deadline. They literally cannot negotiate anything until this season is over. There is also no guarantee that he will get tagged again next year. If he's showing this type of attitude this year, if he doesn't put up numbers at least equivilent to what he did last year, or if he gets hurt again, they might just let him walk. Yes he is asked to do a lot for our offense, but he hasn't exactly taken us to the next level yet either (mostly because he's rarely available when we need him most).

I love Bell, but he is not making things any easier on himself right now. He is showing himself to be very selfish and NOT team oriented at all. Him working out on his own with a speed coach is not putting him in football shape, it's not getting him ready to take a hit, it's not getting him acclimated to the offense with his team mates...

 

[bermudasteel]

The rb from Atlanta is only making 8 mil/yr, so IMHO Bell isn't worth 4 mil more than him.

What?!?!? This is going to get interesting real quick...

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[slashsteel]

I was thinking since he didn't sign his tag he can't be drug tested right?

hmmmmm

 

[stillwright]

The thing is....if he would have signed his tag...I highly doubt Tomlin would be giving him a heavy workload anyways...coming off offseason surgery and all. He could be here with his teammates taking it nice and easy....

 

[madinsomniac]

I mean rb just isn't worth qb money... its still a throwback position in this nfl... 12 mil is too generous... yes he is the best in the league, but its a passing league and his pass catching ability is still not something a wr couldn't replace... his drug issues are too big a risk for some stupid contract... franchise him for two years...

 

[antdrewjosh]

But right now he is not guaranteed ANYTHING. He hasn't signed his tender, and his holdout is all for nothing as the deadline to negotiate a long term contract has past. That's not the Steelers deadline, that's the NFL's deadline. They literally cannot negotiate anything until this season is over. There is also no guarantee that he will get tagged again next year. If he's showing this type of attitude this year, if he doesn't put up numbers at least equivilent to what he did last year, or if he gets hurt again, they might just let him walk. Yes he is asked to do a lot for our offense, but he hasn't exactly taken us to the next level yet either (mostly because he's rarely available when we need him most).

I love Bell, but he is not making things any easier on himself right now. He is showing himself to be very selfish and NOT team oriented at all. Him working out on his own with a speed coach is not putting him in football shape, it's not getting him ready to take a hit, it's not getting him acclimated to the offense with his team mates...

He isnt holding out though. Who wants to go to camp and risk injury if you dont have to. Yes he would he held out of alot of things but there is still risk. And no he hasnt led us to the super bowl but neither has Brown for all his stats. We dont get out of that 4-5 hole and into the AFC championship game with out Bell last year. He should be reporting soon. Alot of guys hate camp.

 

[antdrewjosh]

I was thinking since he didn't sign his tag he can't be drug tested right?

hmmmmm

I dont think thats the case. He still gets tested. I THINK lol

 

[antdrewjosh]

What?!?!? This is going to get interesting real quick...

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Smh exactly Bermuda. How soon they forget. Freeman is not close to Bell. And like i said if you dont want to give his WR money any traction stop designing plays where he lines up there. Simple. But we wont cause it helps up win ball games whether he is catching the ball himself or causing havoc on defenses by lining up there

 

[ark steel]

Per Bouchette, Bell's agent had a five-year deal in place that would have netted the All-Pro running back more than $12 million annually including $30 million over the first two season.

This is NOT the same as $30m guaranteed, btw. I'd expect, if he does get hurt this year, he could be cut and not get the rest next year. He wanted that $30m guaranteed.

Right now, he already has close to that with the second year not guaranteed. Why would he sign a contract that said the same thing?

 

[antdrewjosh]

This is NOT the same as $30m guaranteed, btw. I'd expect, if he does get hurt this year, he could be cut and not get the rest next year. He wanted that $30m guaranteed.

Right now, he already has close to that with the second year not guaranteed. Why would he sign a contract that said the same thing?

This my question and my point. Bell plays a position where he can be hurt on any play. Tackled by multiple guys. He has the most risk of any player. Ben makes the most and you can barely even breathe on QBs. I know Ben doesnt get as much protection as Brady but my point is he gets way more then Bell. Brown does too.. so he takes the most risk gets paid less when he is arguably just as valuable.

 

[stillwright]

This my question and my point. Bell plays a position where he can be hurt on any play. Tackled by multiple guys. He has the most risk of any player. Ben makes the most and you can barely even breathe on QBs. I know Ben doesnt get as much protection as Brady but my point is he gets way more then Bell. Brown does too.. so he takes the most risk gets paid less when he is arguably just as valuable.

And was offered a contract 1.5 times higher than the next guy at his position. Is Bell 1.5 times better than that next guy?

 

[bermudasteel]

And was offered a contract 1.5 times higher than the next guy at his position. Is Bell 1.5 times better than that next guy?

You can't be serious...

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[Steelr4evr]

If he signs his 12 million dollar tender it doesn't matter if he gets hurts. In fact I'd say there's a 100% chance he gets hurt in some fashion during the season. This is just a distraction over absolutely nothing. So camps over. When is he going to get reps in the offense? Is he just going to show up a day before game 1.

 

[Stryker]

You can check my math here, but isn't $30M in the first 2 years his targeted $15M/season number?

 

[antdrewjosh]

And was offered a contract 1.5 times higher than the next guy at his position. Is Bell 1.5 times better than that next guy?

I say yes and is not close. Only person close to him is Elliott.

 

[antdrewjosh]

If he signs his 12 million dollar tender it doesn't matter if he gets hurts. In fact I'd say there's a 100% chance he gets hurt in some fashion during the season. This is just a distraction over absolutely nothing. So camps over. When is he going to get reps in the offense? Is he just going to show up a day before game 1.

We still have two weeks of practice on the south side to go

 

[SteelerSask2]

This my question and my point. Bell plays a position where he can be hurt on any play. Tackled by multiple guys. He has the most risk of any player. Ben makes the most and you can barely even breathe on QBs. I know Ben doesnt get as much protection as Brady but my point is he gets way more then Bell. Brown does too.. so he takes the most risk gets paid less when he is arguably just as valuable.

They arent paid by risk. They are paid by how hard they are to replace by an organization. Running backs used to be a premium top ten pick and made huge money right out of college. Then teams started to realize it was the easiest position to plug and play. I would argue that running backs should get an exemption on the length of their rookie contract down to two years because of their short longevity of play. They need to get their money early. After four years who wants to pay what Bell wants. His best days could easily be behind him.

 

[antdrewjosh]

They arent paid by risk. They are paid by how hard they are to replace by an organization. Running backs used to be a premium top ten pick and made huge money right out of college. Then teams started to realize it was the easiest position to plug and play. I would argue that running backs should get an exemption on the length of their rookie contract down to two years because of their short longevity of play. They need to get their money early. After four years who wants to pay what Bell wants. His best days could easily be behind him.

If you think all that he does is easily replaced no problem. He is the best in the league at recognizing where the blitz is coming from and picking it up. He is the best out of the backfield or right behind Johnson. How often do you see him get tackled for a loss? Lets not fool ourselves and say we wont be taking a step back without him. It may take three people to replace him.

 

[insaniti]

He isnt holding out though. Who wants to go to camp and risk injury if you dont have to. Yes he would he held out of alot of things but there is still risk. And no he hasnt led us to the lwoB repuS but neither has Brown for all his stats. We dont get out of that 4-5 hole and into the AFC championship game with out Bell last year. He should be reporting soon. Alot of guys hate camp.

You're right, we haven't reached a SB with Brown going all crazy all over the field. But you know what? We haven't exactly struggled as an offense in the games that Bell has missed either. We also have another piece of the puzzle back in Bryant. And Ben, Brown, Bryant, and Bell have exactly 21 plays together. We've suffered more as an offense from the lack of Bryant or a true #2 WR than we have from the lack of Bell. If we lose Bell, we draft another RB (unless Conner is as good as they hope he is) and we don't really miss all that much...

This is NOT the same as $30m guaranteed, btw. I'd expect, if he does get hurt this year, he could be cut and not get the rest next year. He wanted that $30m guaranteed.

Right now, he already has close to that with the second year not guaranteed. Why would he sign a contract that said the same thing?

You're right, it's not the same thing, but its as close as he's going to get. He isn't a QB. And Brown who is in the argument as the best WR in the NFL only got $19m guaranteed. Bell is barking up the wrong tree.

This my question and my point. Bell plays a position where he can be hurt on any play. Tackled by multiple guys. He has the most risk of any player. Ben makes the most and you can barely even breathe on QBs. I know Ben doesnt get as much protection as Brady but my point is he gets way more then Bell. Brown does too.. so he takes the most risk gets paid less when he is arguably just as valuable.

Ben also touches the ball on every single offensive snap. Ben is the key to the entire offense, we've seen what happens when he goes down. We've even seen what happens when Brown goes down. But Bell has missed the equivelent of an entire season due to injury/suspension, and our offense has managed to still be explosive. I love Bell, he's a great back, best in the league, but he is in a position that CAN be replaced.

I say yes and is not close. Only person close to him is Elliott.

Lets give Elliott more than one year before we annoint him a great back, besides, there's a RB in AZ that makes a stronger case as he doesn't have the MASSIVE OL that Dallas has in front of him.

We still have two weeks of practice on the south side to go

You think two weeks is enough practice and conditioning? Bell is behind the curve, WAY behind the curve...

 

[antdrewjosh]

You're right, we haven't reached a SB with Brown going all crazy all over the field. But you know what? We haven't exactly struggled as an offense in the games that Bell has missed either. We also have another piece of the puzzle back in Bryant. And Ben, Brown, Bryant, and Bell have exactly 21 plays together. We've suffered more as an offense from the lack of Bryant or a true #2 WR than we have from the lack of Bell. If we lose Bell, we draft another RB (unless Conner is as good as they hope he is) and we don't really miss all that much...



You're right, it's not the same thing, but its as close as he's going to get. He isn't a QB. And Brown who is in the argument as the best WR in the NFL only got $19m guaranteed. Bell is barking up the wrong tree.



Ben also touches the ball on every single offensive snap. Ben is the key to the entire offense, we've seen what happens when he goes down. We've even seen what happens when Brown goes down. But Bell has missed the equivelent of an entire season due to injury/suspension, and our offense has managed to still be explosive. I love Bell, he's a great back, best in the league, but he is in a position that CAN be replaced.



Lets give Elliott more than one year before we annoint him a great back, besides, there's a RB in AZ that makes a stronger case as he doesn't have the MASSIVE OL that Dallas has in front of him.



You think two weeks is enough practice and conditioning? Bell is behind the curve, WAY behind the curve...

You dont think Elliot is a great back? Its not all the line.

We dont know how much he would get if he was on the open market. So we cant say he what he wont get.

And i also dont like the "Ben touches the ball every play" as to why he is more valuable. Only because would that make Landry more valuable if he was the QB? And if we using touches wouldnt that make Bell more valuable then Brown?

Lastly Bell seemed fine after missing weeks to start the season before so two weeks may very well be enough.