The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - Week 7 - Bengals

Exactly.

He was not allowed to be in contact with the team during his suspension, so he got no support from them. He was not being paid during that time either, meaning he was likely being supported, at least partially, by his agent.

That leads me to believe that its his agent as much as Bryant himself that's getting frustrated. The agent was surely expecting a big payday this coming offseason when Bryant was due for an extension. That's looking less and less likely with poor numbers and a cheap contract that runs through the end of the 2018 season. Surely the agent is getting impatient.

 

IF they were to trade him and I know they are not you send him to San Fran you know a winless team. They could also go cleveland and beat his punk ass up every time they play. As for no value Im betting the Giants might give a little more than a 6th or 7th.

UGLY: 11 for 26 in the Red Zone for the season after going 1-6 vs the Bengals yesterday. Yeah some fans want to say who cares we won but its doubtful hat field goals get it done in the post season.

 

#Fire_Bryant (lol)

 

I used a 7th round pick to get him on my fantasy team and thought I had a steal expecting big numbers, losing my patience. Please advise.

 

I have already cut him in most of the leagues I had him in

 

What's not in the rules is the support from friends, teammates, and family. I guess as someone who has gone through something similar, I think he's being incredibly selfish.

 

2 tweets from Trai Essex on the Bryant issues:

Give the man what he wants. Get a draft pick and get Eli back out there. If there one thing the Steelers do well, it’s draft WR talent


I wonder what the Steelers can get for a guy who has 1 strike left and throws tantrums 7 games in after a year long suspension.

 

As has already been stated Bryant has no trade value.

Calling in sick today guaranteed the NFL is going to be sending a drug tester to visit Bryant. He's obviously struggling with his emotions right now. I just hope he doesn't turn to weed or some other substance to cope.

He's got issues and I hope the right people are around him to give him the support he needs.

His production will return if he can keep himself eligible and get his head right.

 

Good post JC....... I just don’t know what to think of the guy. Is he the victim. Is he a self entitled punk? What is it?

 

Exactly.

You have to respect his ability to clean himself up, but what has gotten into him? I mean, we are 7 games into the season. I understand he's frustrated, but he needs to have more patience. It doesn't sound like he's getting good advice from those around him. His agent and his girlfriend seem to not have his best interests at heart. The smart move for a guy in Bryant's position was to keep his nose clean and his name out of the news this year. Performance was secondary in my opinion.

 

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2017/10/bouchette-martavis-bryant-missed-team-meetings-called-sick/

UPDATE: Bryant’s agent says Bryant went to the doctor today.

UPDATE 2:

The Steelers are not expected to discipline Bryant and certainly have no plans to trade him before the NFL’s Oct. 31 deadline to do so, a source said, according to Bouchette.

 

GOOD

The defense had its best game of the season yesterday. Notably, a few of our players had possible career-best games as members of the Steelers.

- Sean Davis was this game's defensive MVP. He forced a Joe Mixon fumble and deflected an Andy Dalton pass that fell into the waiting arms of William Gay. In addition, I don't remember any missed tackles on his part, and it was largely thanks to him that the middle of the field was closed for business aside from one 22-yard pass play. Essentially, he gave Andy Dalton headaches all by himself.

- Joe Haden has his best game as a Steeler, and it wasn't just because of his interception. AJ Green had 3 catches for 41 yards because Haden was able to blanket him all day. For Green, that essentially means he was rendered a non-factor.

- T.J. Watt was a force in all respects. If this wasn't his best game yet it was his best since Week 1 or 2. At the very least, he played like a veteran in ways he hadn't before. He, like the entire defense, turned it up beautifully in the second half.

Ryan Shazier rebounded nicely after a subpar game in Kansas City. He was able to close like no other linebacker in the NFL can and make key stops on 3rd down.

Le'Veon Bell was held to less than 4 yards per carry, but don't blame David DeCastro. He consistently plays at an All-Pro level every single week, making him arguably the best player on the team. In pass protection, has was immovable, allowing no pressures, which is unfathomable when you're lining up against Geno Atkins on numerous plays.

Ben had his best game of the season yesterday. Let's hope this is the beginning of him turning things around.

The biggest punks on the Bungles, Dre Kirkpatrick and Vontaze Burfict, weren't able to affect the game much if at all.

BAD

William Jackson was the best cornerback on the field yesterday. For those who need a refresher, Jackson was the Bungles' first-round pick in 2016. They picked him 24th overall, immediately before we selected Artie Burns 25th overall. Jackson frequently visited with Steelers' brass before the draft, and I remember many of us (including me) thought he'd be the pick. This was the first time we got to effectively compare Jackson and Burns in a game. Jackson covered Brown on occasion and didn't allow a catch on four targets. So far, he's doing great - he may just be the Bungles' best cornerback.

Chris Boswell nailed all five of his field goal attempts. That's bad - he shouldn't have attempted five field goals.

Vince Williams is proving to be an effective blitzer, but he still sucks at gap integrity. Yet another long run given up.

UGLY

Martavis Bryant is a selfish punk, and I'll be happy when he's gone.

 

My hashtags are for fun - realistically I know we aren't getting anything for him right now. I'd be most happy, and I've said this frequently, if we included him in a package this offseason for the right to select our QB of the future. Trade short-term talent for long-term betterment.

Let's be honest here - he's the most expendable talented player we have. With him gone, JuJu would likely slide right into his role, and the position wouldn't be weaker. This would especially be true if Vance McDonald continues to grow in his role and becomes an impact player in his own right.

Maybe I'm being rosy with my outlook on a Bryant-less offense. As long as it's Ben taking snaps, Bryant can pitch a fit all he wants. Also, I'm pretty sure Ben likes having him on the team, even if he doesn't throw to him all that much these days. However, a new QB would need to be in a team-focused unit. There are too many selfish players on the team, and that can pull and influence a young QB, no matter how good he is, into making mistakes to please his teammates. This offense is most successful when Bell gets a heavy workload, and when Ben drops back, he's looking Brown's way first more often than not. Maybe JuJu has actually been working hard and thereby stealing looks from Bryant. If he wants to be noticed, Bryant needs to work his ass off too and stop acting entitled. He's the one player on the offense right now who shouldn't be as selfish as he's being, and it's fucking with the entire unit's chemistry.

 

Ding, ding. The guy carries no trade value despite being a freakish talent. I don't care if he only runs go routes 35 times a game. As long as he's being high-lowed in coverage or peeling off a safety towards him deep the majority of the time, that's good enough for me. Let him open up the middle of the field or underneath routes. Bryant should feel lucky he has a (now) 3rd and final chance to build a career. Apparently he doesn't realize that he's going to be with Pitt both in 2017 and 2018. They know his value to them, he won't be traded or cut, despite what some are saying in finding some value for him this Spring. No..........unless some teams wants to part with a 3rd round or better pick (not happening).........no.........I don't care if he's a cancer or pain. Deactivate him and carry him as a 5th or 6th wideout on the rostter in 2018 and if he's a pain or not working card, again - simply deactivate him or don't give him a helmet on Sundays. You don't let him go to another team on principle, not while he's making $800k per year. I hope ownership makes an example out of him if it comes to that. You are a man, but also a commodity kid. Deal with it. You aren't "getting paid" until the Spring of 2019, and regardless of your stats with Pitt this season and next, you aren't going to get $10 million from ANY organization because you're proving to be immature and you're one strike away from a lifetime ban. So stop worrying how many balls you get.......it isn't going to affect your value much in the eyes of other teams anyways. Shut up............play............check your ego..........work on locating the damn long ball............and consider yourself lucky you're even able to play football at this point for a great organization.

 

Mano, I'm quoting your post but including everyone in the Bryant conversation. None of you have even allowed for the possibility that perhaps he is actually sick. Two weeks ago, and the week before that, both he and James Harrison were listed on the injury report for illness. Maybe he has lingering issues that he needs to see a doctor for? Or maybe he is visiting a counselor regarding his substance abuse program or his emotional state? I understand that coming on the heels of unverified reports it is easy to assume he's playing hookie, but to not even allow for the possibility of an actual illness is unfair to him. IMO.

 

Love it. You should copyright it and sell t-shirts.

 

Thx! First dropped that in Week 3 or so but it didn't catch on... until now. The funny thing is, it may be easier to type JuJu since the keys are so close and on one hand.

 

Bryant is a child. Treat him like a child but don't discard him. He can still make plays like very few others. And while we could withstand his absence right now what would happen if we lost a couple of receivers to injury? I don't want to watch Cobi Hamilton line up at WR again. Really don't want to see too much of Heyward-Bey either. The Steelers are good at handling this kind of stuff.

 

LTS, you are right, it is a possibility. However, the reports are that his initial illness came directly after his agent first asked for the trade. This illness now comes directly after his little Instagram rant about wanting to be traded. Awfully convenient timing.

I expect him to play, and I expect him to work hard and try to play well. Its his ONLY option. The writing is on the wall that he likely won't be a Steeler in 2018 and certainly won't be one in 2019, but if he wants a good contract from somebody at any point between now and then, he's got to start producing on the field. At the end of the day, that's his frustration. He expected to be a much bigger part of the offense so far and, honestly, I think we all expected that. I blame Ben more than anybody for him not being involved more. He's been open, they've had opportunities for big plays, and Ben has missed him. He needs to be an adult about it, but I don't blame him for being frustrated.

 

An important fact I forgot to mention. Last year the position was ravaged by suspension/injury throughout the year. And while I'm all for "sticking it to the player" for situations this egregious, that is very important to keep in mind. Hunter may have had a rapport with Ben in camp, but that hasn't carried over onto Sundays, even when given a chance. There's a reason he was signed for slightly more than the league minimum. And I think that's part of why they drafter J2-S2 was to ensure stability at the position for knuckleheads and those at risk of injury, suspension, or others that just don't have it.