Steelers and Le'veon Bell, traitor & memory lane

[jimnyc]

In case you haven't followed it - Le'veon Bell is basically done as a Steeler. He could have been the best RB the Steelers ever saw. Instead, he never showed up to training camp - wanting more money and a better deal.

Then he skipped regular season games. Then he took it all the way past week 10 - now making him ineligible to play for anyone this year, and will become a free agent next year, likely to sign a lengthy deal with someone else.

I love, or should I say loved the guy. He's awesome, why wouldn't you want him on your team. BUT BUT he always spoke of not caring about money, and the love of the game and wanting to retire as a Steeler. I guess times changed and now he's greedy. I say EFF 'em and adios and don't let the door hit ya!

But here's a trip down memory lane of the things he has stated over the years, until like March or so of this year when he did an about face for no reason.

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In his own words: A trip down memory lane with Le’Veon Bell on social media

Le’Veon Bell might be all about the money now, but there was once a time when the running back was all about football, integrity and the sanctity of the game. Hard to believe right?

If the latest rumors surrounding Le’Veon Bell are to be believed, he will not be returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers this season and will be playing elsewhere in 2019. While little has been heard from Bell since he told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN that “sitting out the entire season was never an option” back in October, he has continued to use social media to tell his side of the story.

With his upside tweets and cryptic posts, Bell’s message has not always been clear as of late, but that was not always the case. Before he joined the professional ranks, and even for some years after that, Bell had a rather different attitude about life in the NFL. There was a time when No.26 was all about football and had no interest in money and fame. A purist who cared about nothing but his legacy and the sanctity of the game. Someone who valued integrity and honesty above all else. These are not hyperboles on my part, rather words from Bell’s own mouth.

When Bell was still in college, he had a completely different opinion about money and hated dishonesty in all of its forms.







That attitude didn't change right away either, even when Bell started to gain some early success in the league.










Staying in Pittsburgh was always his priority.










And he loved his coach.



But ultimately that all changed



https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...media-nfl-news

[Black Diamond]

How much time has he missed. Do you really think he will be as good as he was

[jimnyc]

How much time has he missed. Do you really think he will be as good as he was

He will have sat out an entire year AND left $15 million on the table that he would have been paid this year, he would have been the highest paid RB in the NFL. But he wants guaranteed long term money.

I think he will likely be as good, but maybe a little stale at first. But he has aged, the body just does that, I don't care who you are.

But also, this whole thing shows me that he is mostly about money, not loyalty, and he talks a load of shit. The way he handled this entire thing, and refused to even return text messages to the coach and other players... I dunno, it's a shame that he went south of what I thought of him, and hoped for him.

The Steelers offered him a 5 year $70 mil contract and he turned them down, as it only "guaranteed" like 19 million or so - but he wants like almost the entire contract guaranteed up front. Kinda rare.

[Black Diamond]

I am the intermediary here. Here's what my friend said.

They franchise tagged him. Like they did this year and he told them not to.

Loyalty? They ran more offense through him than any team has ever ran through a player. In a position that has an average 5 yr career. The man wants to be paid. What’s wrong with that? You pay Antonio Brown more than that and he doesn’t have half the touches.

[jimnyc]

I am the intermediary here. Here's what my friend said.

They franchise tagged him. Like they did this year and he told them not to.

Loyalty? They ran more offense through him than any team has ever ran through a player. In a position that has an average 5 yr career. The man wants to be paid. What’s wrong with that? You pay Antonio Brown more than that and he doesn’t have half the touches.

Yes, they tagged him 2 years in a row since they couldn't agree on a long term deal. If they did the same 3 years in a row, he would get a franchise tag, but it would be the average of the top 5 highest paid QB's then, instead of RB's, likely paying him like $30 mil for just one year - and they ain't paying that.

And yup, between his running stats and receiving stats, he had a HUGE workload, and SHOULD be paid as such. The Steelers offered him the 70 for 5 years, which would be $14 mil per year making him the highest paid in the NFL. But he wants, and will likely get on the market, more like 16 or 17 mil per year, and will want a LOT of it guaranteed. Someone WILL pay him that as well. Like the Jets! I hope he enjoys giving up a perennial playoff team and ends up on some shit team. And in the long run - will it really make that much of a difference in his life? When he retires, for example, instead of having like $95 million in the bank, he'll have like $105-110 in my opinion. IMO - remain loyal, don't uproot the life and move all over - and stay with the Steelers!!

[Elessar]

I just don't understand a lot of this crap these days.

Speak first about 'loyalty', 'respect', and 'not for the money' - but then
turn all of that on its collective ear. Then go around and do just the opposite.

[Black Diamond]

I just don't understand a lot of this crap these days.

Speak first about 'loyalty', 'respect', and 'not for the money' - but then
turn all of that on its collective ear. Then go around and do just the opposite.

Yes it's the lying and flip flopping I hate, among other things. At least Johnny manziel was up front and honest.

[jimnyc]

So he is one year older & also tossed out $15 million this year. So he needs to get one great deal in order to make up for this decision.

Everyone is saying that he wants a 3 year deal for his age & also to have every last dime of the money in the contract to be 'guaranteed'. So for example, he thinks he deserves around $18 million per year. So that would be a 3 year deal for $54 million dollars and all of it guaranteed no matter what.

The Steelers offered him a 5 year deal for $70 million dollars, but it only had like $19 million guaranteed. But I assure you, as a Steelers fan, so long as he does reasonably well, he ain't going nowhere! So I really don't think his decision will end up panning out in the end, IMO.

Here's some various takes on the issue if anyone besides myself is interested in the NFL and contracts! Also, and the fact that it would appear the Jets would be his most likely destination at this point.

And I don't care what he or anyone else says. He's a year older now, having played or not. Maybe not as much wear and tear, but aging is inevitable, and the younger guys keep pumping out from college.

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Le'Veon Bell's next contract could justify RB's risk management — but likely won't

Le'Veon Bell’s inevitable decision became official Tuesday when the 26-year-old running back chose not to report to the Steelers and sign his franchise tender before the deadline. He will sit out the entire 2018 season in hopes of hitting free agency in 2019.

In deciding not to play this season, Bell ultimately is mitigating three risks: the chance of injury, the chance of ineffectiveness and the chance of overuse.

Here we examine those three risks to determine whether Bell made the right decision from a financial standpoint.

Risk of injury

Running backs are close to the top of the NFL in injury rates. Last year, about 25 percent of running backs landed on either injured reserve or the physically unable to perform list. Eighteen percent are on reserve after 10 weeks this year.

Of course, there are varying degrees of injury. Many do not require a long recovery time and do not hamper a contract negotiation. For example, David Johnson missed almost all of last season yet signed a contract extension in September worth $13 million per year. Roughly half of RB injuries turn out this way.

The other half are the injuries that require sustained recovery time. We can split those injuries as a 5 percent chance for catastrophic and an 8 percent chance for impactful. (And it should be noted that Bell already has an injury history.)

Risk of ineffectiveness

NFL players often fall off a cliff without anybody seeing it coming; a star one day is just a guy the next. Last year, Bell saw his yards per carry average drop from 4.9 to 4.0 and his receiving yards per completion from from 8.2 to 7.7. While these metrics are not necessarily great indicators of talent, they both were the second worst of Bell’s five-year career and below his career averages.

Right now, though, the lasting memory for NFL teams is that Bell is a 1,200-yard back who can catch 80 passes a year and move the football. That’s locked in.

Johnson’s numbers this year have dropped significantly. Had he not accepted his extension at the beginning of the season, odds are he would not have gotten close to that money if his numbers don't improve. There are other factors in Johnson’s situation that would not apply to Bell, but such a decline can be more concerning than an injury.

Looking back at "star" 1,000-yard rushers between the ages of 26 and 27, it's about a 50-50 proposition that they will hit 1,000 yards in both years. So for the sake of argument, the fear of Bell being less effective is about 50 percent, with 35 percent of the decline having a small impact and the other 15 percent having a major one.

Risk of overuse

The Steelers utilize a one-back system, and Bell has been that player for most of his career. With that said, there has been little correlation between high usage and contract values.

Some will point to DeMarco Murray as a comparison for Bell, but Murray's free agency was negatively impacted by the feeling that he was interchangeable with any other Dallas player. Murray also was 27.

Age seems to be more of a factor, and taking a year off from the NFL to rest his body does not change the fact that Bell is still a year older.

Rest - http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/n...i1p9agimsg4xtq

[jimnyc]

Report: Le’Veon Bell to Jets ‘a foregone conclusion’

Le'Veon Bell won't be playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers at all this season. Since this will likely be the end of his time in the Steel City, the focus has turned to where he'll wind up next.

Undoubtedly, the one team that stands above the rest is the New York Jets. With a combination of cap space and need, Bell would make an immediate impact for Gang Green, assuming he does indeed hit free agency this offseason.

Some have deemed Bell to the Jets more than just likely. Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman cited someone within the Steelers organization calling it "a foregone conclusion."

The Jets are projected to have upwards of $106 million in cap space next offseason, so they'll have plenty of money to make a run at Bell. As a whole, the salary cap is expected to jump another $13 million, making the total cap set at about $190 million.

The main contributor to Bell's absence this season was the fact that Pittsburgh was unwilling to sign him to a long-term deal. At 26 years old, the Steelers were uncomfortable with that scenario, thus franchise tagging the two-time First Team All-Pro.

Now, Bell will likely get to dictate the terms of his next contract. He would be the perfect weapon to pair with Sam Darnold, though he'd be a pricey one, too.

The Jets are currently 3-7 as they head into their Week 11 bye, so attention has already turned toward the future. There's almost no question that a player of Bell's caliber would be an instant upgrade to such a young roster. The real question is how much is New York willing to pay?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl...a9I&srcref=rss