And we know this for sure ? How?
We dont see practice ...we dont know what the kid does..from what I saw of Harris in the games ..he gave u as good as you would have gotten from a dirty washed up Bush..
Shaking my head at some of you
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And we know this for sure ? How?
We dont see practice ...we dont know what the kid does..from what I saw of Harris in the games ..he gave u as good as you would have gotten from a dirty washed up Bush..
we know this as they didn't have confidence with Harris, thats why they threw Tate in early.
If you don't have confidence in your backup to start ahead of time you explore options
hell bring in three four free agents and atleast explore your options
they didn't and sat on their hands until injury struck
you prepare for the worst and hope for the best
I just don't think in THIS instance that was done........
And I tend to understand what you are saying...but I just don't think anyone would have given us enough with Bell hurt to make a difference no matter when they came in..
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I think Slash's point was that by the end of the season, the team had 8 LBers who started and/or could play, about 8 DBs, about 6 DLs, about 6-7 OL's and about 5 WRs....only the QB and RB position were not manned by decent backups; with a franchise QB, you can understand. But with Blount leaving -- a guy they felt they needed even before Bell's breakout year -- no one was brought in to fill the gap just in case. It is hard not to understand that it was a management decision (or indecision) that was costly in the playoff game.
exactly this........
blitzburghv5
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Nobody available had the talent or skillset Bell displayed..............his abilities that separate him from other backs, you cant learn in a few practices...hes that gifted.....Tate couldve been on this roster from day 1 and it wouldnt have amounted to the skillset Bell has.
I also think Bell development as an all around back surprised them. It just wasnt any reason to take him out. Blount saw that. He knew he wasnt going to get what the Steelers had thought they were going to be able to do. Bell's play dictated he stay on the field. So once again why bring in another back like Tate who was just released for the same reasons Tate was. Now if you are talking any vet i still dont see it making much difference. Bell is special. You dont lose him without a big time adjustment period. Which we didnt have.
For instance I loved Bell coming out. Wanted him over Lacy. But i didnt know he could do all the things he can do. I didnt know he could line up at WR and run WR routes. The play he was hurt on wasnt a dump off it was a RB running across the middle. I thought he was a big back only. His blitz pick up and RAC off of dumps was also a revaltion. He is a bigger Marshall Faulk. Bigger Thurman Thomas. I just think the Steelers were surprised at his development as well. Coming in at 225 and his development changed everything.
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We can say the arrow is pointing up but Ben, Brown, and Bell ALL had to have historically good All-Pro seasons to make this team competitive. We will need repeat performances from all three next year to be competitive again. Although I do think Martavis will firmly be slotted in at #2 and his development should help a lot. Wheaton is a #3 guy anyway so it'll be nice to have him in that role rather than relying on him to play beyond his abilities.
We all agree that if this defense isn't fixed, we're going nowhere. But the real question is: for how long can we expect similar production from this offense? Not saying it's impossible, but what I am saying is that we had monumentally good individual performances this year. We can't take that for granted.
I'm not very optimistic about the team next year given the schedule. Without looking I think we may have had the easiest schedule in the league this year outside our division. Next year may be the toughest.
We all agree that if this defense isn't fixed, we're going nowhere. But the real question is: for how long can we expect similar production from this offense? Not saying it's impossible, but what I am saying is that we had monumentally good individual performances this year. We can't take that for granted.
I'm not very optimistic about the team next year given the schedule. Without looking I think we may have had the easiest schedule in the league this year outside our division. Next year may be the toughest.
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Idioteque
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All backs need to be taken out at times. If you want to confidently expect a prime of more than 3-5 years, anyway. There are exceptions, sure, but even those exceptions tend to show actual wear and decline too early.
Comes down to one question: do you want "25-30 touches a game" Bell for 4 years, or "17-20 touches a game" Bell for 6-8 years?
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In 1976 arguably the best Steeler defensive team ever started 1-4, lost Bradshaw to injury, and finished 9-0 allowing 8 opponents no TD's. They beat Balt. 40-14 and lost Harris and Blier.The next week Oakland beat us 24-7. Don't think losing critical players can hurt? As I remember the response wasn't make the Rooney's sell the franchise, fire Noll, replace Bradshaw, or trade Greene. It was wait till next year. But there were less sophisticated analyst's as fan's then and a lot more "dumb old steel workers" who believed if you got kicked in the mouth to wait a year and kick back. I like to think that way which is why I stay a fan instead of becoming a constant critic.
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The 1976 team was young in its prime coming off 2 Super Bowl wins with a great coach, the 2014 team is none of these things.
Now you're floundering...
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This is a fact. They have to do something to lighten the load if they want to extend his shelf life. I think they anticipated him getting 15-18 touches a game so they brought Blount in to help with a couple drives here and there. Once they got into the season Bell was just having a ridiculous run so the touches for Blount never materialized. I can see him being pissed for not getting what they promised him, but you can't walk out and be left on the roster.
I don't know what they were looking at with the guys they chose to keep around, but they weren't ready to contribute enough. Sadly they either misjudged the guys in the fold or they dropped the ball on bringing someone in for an earlier look. Ultimately he got hurt and the offense went in the ******* with it. I hope that they can find a veteran back who doesn't mind the light load from the start next season. If Bell is himself it's all that will be available. Ideally we can get a UFA that's younger and get lucky enough to find a diamond in the rough like Willie Parker was.
Interestingly during the same game, LeVeon Bell and A.J. Green were both injured and unable to play the following weeks W/C games.
Both big play makers both teams lost and by nearly the same point disparity.
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This isn't 1976. That team would all be suspended under todays rules..haha. The team just doesn't have a full defensive backfield yet. They're not hurt,they just don't exist yet.
I'm assuming you're basing your his teammates wanted him gone thoughts on Ron Cook's opinion. While there is some truth to the old "locker room will be a better place without him" theory, I would have much rather had Blount on the field for the playoffs. Players win games on football fields (or in stadiums, if you will), not in locker rooms. Tomlin could have disciplined Blount with a suspension for a game or two, and taught him a lesson about who the boss is and putting team first. It would have carried the same effect with the rest of his players as releasing him, and they could've kept an invaluable backup to Bell, which was the whole reason Blount was signed in the first place.
Talk about shaking one's head, did you see this:
http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...elers-leveon-bell-pro-bowl-injury-status-2015
Bell is going to play in the meaningless pro bowl. If I were Tomlin, I'd tell him in no uncertain words that you'll be sitting your *** out. Rest that knee. Why risk an injury on a meaningless game like this. Unbelievable.
http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...elers-leveon-bell-pro-bowl-injury-status-2015
Bell is going to play in the meaningless pro bowl. If I were Tomlin, I'd tell him in no uncertain words that you'll be sitting your *** out. Rest that knee. Why risk an injury on a meaningless game like this. Unbelievable.
Something that I think that was lost in Blount's dismissal from the team is the question: Why wasn't he given even a single carry against the Titans?
Bell had ten (!) carries on the first two drives in the first quarter alone (both of which ended with field goals, btw). Why not spell your lead back on a second quarter series? The load was split 11/5 the week prior against the Jets...was a 33/0 ratio really justified against Tennessee?
I'm not saying Blount was right to walk off the field early, but I can understand his WTF attitude, and I don't believe it was ever adequately explained why things got to that point to begin with.
blitzburghv5
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Theres quite a bit of information that wont be turned over to the press or the public with regards to locker room and player/coach interactions. Tomlin and management thought that suspension was not an option here....if that be the case then there was likely bigger issues than we assume.
I think whats being lost in all of this woulda-coulda is the divisional championship we claimed............folks are quick to write this season off as a failure and still gripe and complain when we accomplished ONE of our goals. Im not loosing sight of that..........baby steps, and victories counted where you get em............
Actually i was going off Pouncey's and Foster reactions and comments. We also cant dismiss his prior incident.
I'm not really pissed off at Tomlin or even the team, granted they can't seem to draft defensive players to save their ***. 11-5 and a division championship is an improvement from last year. It's just be frustrating that they're so maddeningly inconsistent from week to week. You just never knew which team was going to show up.
Isnt that a mark of a young team? I think i just read we had 27 players getting their first playoff experience this year.
That will happen when you miss the playoffs for two years.
