Le'Veon Bell - 2018

I think they should eye an RB in the draft. If they get the guy they want then rescind the tag and watch him get nowhere near what he wants.

 

They should let his agent talk to other teams about a trade so he knows his market value is no where near what he thinks it is.

 

I could argue for $14.5 for him but at $17 sorry cant make that argument. I do think franchising him for this season was still the right choice though. I know a lot of people we say we should have picked up 2 backs or 3 (if you throw Conner into the mix) but having Bell on the field means you can run any play in your book. Its going to be a shame seeing him in some other teams uni but if the $17 mil reports is true its time to move on.

 

Beloved Jeanquev, I have to respectfully disagree on the “running any play in the book” comment. I think u can do that with a guy like D Lewis too or a guy like Hyde although not sure how well he can catch but even with him u can still run play action passes. Not arguing how good Bell is but to me not worth even the franchise tag money. Please advise

 

I've been saying to rescind the franchise tag and get a FA and draft a RB. But Hyde is a Brown and Lewis is a Titan (i think). Even if they were still available, I could argue that Bell brings more to the table than either of those two guys. I don't like paying $14 million to Bell, but he knows the playbook and the offense is run through him and this team is better this season with Bell than any other back. Not sure if either of the two examples you brought up could pick up a blitz as good as Bell, which is extremely important cause Ben ain't outrunning anybody. If the team is going all in this year, then keep Bell on the tag and go for the Super Bowl. I feel their window is 2 years to get it done. My personal opinions of wanting Bell gone is purely based on his attitude and actions, nothing performance based. You could argue that $14 million could've been used elsewhere to bring in better FA at ILB and SS but I think the guys they signed would have been the targets regardless...The Steelers work against the cap every year and find a way to make it work...

And Hyde is pretty good out of the backfield, he would have been my choice to replace Bell too. Once he signed, I accepted Bell was getting paid $14 million this year. No way in hell does he get $17 million. I also wouldn't mind seeing Ridley back either. Liked what he showed last year. Better option than Conner or Fitz behind Bell IMO.

 

Sorry but I don't think either of those guys is the pass blocker or receiver that Bell is. So yeah you can run the play with the on the field but it doesn't mean you are getting the same out of the position that you can when Bell is on the field.
Here are some exerts from an article written Dec 4th last year suggesting Bell should be in the MVP race.

Think about that 80% of his teams rushing yardage and second place is not even 70%

50% of his teams yards no wonders the guy thinks he is worth double digits.

The article was written in the Washington post so if you want to see it just search Washington post Bell mvp

Sorry but neither Hyde nor Lewis is doing what Bell does anytime soon and I think its safe to say the Steelers front office thinks that too or they would have cut loose of bell and went after Hyde and Lewis.

 

Fair points Jeanquev but Bell’s distractions and tweeting theatrical shenanigans supercede his talents at this point.

I would rather have an above average RB(s) behind a focused team that plays and fights for each over a premadonna RB that’s causing distractions and promoting individualism. Just my opinion.

 

In the end, I'm more concerned about the salary cap. Wouldn't the Steelers best bet be to shore up a shaky defense in a trade off for a RB that might not be Bell but still a viable option that helps the team.

 

In Lyman’s mock, I drafted Rashad Penny in the 2nd round. Basically making LVB expendable. Penny is a solid RB with some Marshall Faulk comparisons (same school too). He has great hands and has Special Teams value as well.

I took the Safety from Stanford, Justin Reid, in the 1st.

 

If you look at running backs with at least 200 carries last year, Bell is tied for 10th in yards per carry.
In Running backs with at least 60 receptions, he is 5th in yards per reception.

 

How many first downs or touchdowns is Bell getting per touch? That is a stat I’m more interested in versus YPC/C. His contract should be based on his production. He catches 70-80 passes/yr on top of his RB duties. He’s a good pass blocker too. YPC is somewhat important but it is too vague. Most runs from any RB are not huge gainers. Look at this shit. I happily (and eagerly) drafted his replacement and I’m still swinging it for him.

 

I dont know about other backs but I do know Bell got stronger as the season went on
Games 1-4 YPA 3.72
Games 5-8 YPA 4.07
Games 9-12 YPA 3.91 (yes I know he dipped from games 5-8)
Games 13-15 plus playoff game 4.49

His y/r went up as well but dipped a bit at the end
Games 1-4 y/r 5.76
Games 5-8 y/r 6.72
Games 9-12 y/r 9.13
Games 13-15 +Playoff 8.06

 

Now we have a dilemma. If the new helmet rules do away with the traditional running game Bell may not be worth five dollars as an NFL RB. We need to hold off on the contract and just let him play on the tag.

 

If I heard correctly, a RB can run head first into the line but not if he is in the open field.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...ners-approve-changes-to-kickoff-use-of-helmet

 

If Bell were a one tick pony maybe but Bell can catch and has been lined up wide before. There is also the matter of pass blocking which would still be needed and its something he does very well.

 

I'm curious to see what David Johnson is going to get on a new contract.

 

Bell says he won’t except less than 14.5 million a season. Why isn’t he signed already? I don’t really think Bell would except that so why are they putting that crap on steeerdepot? I wish we could get the details of where they are in negotiations.

 

I'm guessing because the Steelers dont backload contracts and 2019 has some high cap hits for them already. Ben and Brown are both going to have a cap hit over 22M each. Ben can be cut, I guess, to save 17M, but you're practically stuck with Brown's hit unless they kick money down the road.

Hayden, Tuitt, Heyward, and Decastro also have cap hits over 10M each. In fact, the 6 players mentioned so far are already combining for a cap hit of 107M. I honestly doubt they'd cut Ben unless your rookie QB (who's name I forget) comes in looking great. The rest seem somewhat safe except maybe Haden. Either way, I'm sure they want to avoid another high contract for now.

 

The thing I worry about is Bell is a proven commodity in the league. The only thing that will hurt his value is having a severe injury or testing positive for substance abuse again. Will Bell be running scared this season? He pretty much knew he was getting tagged for this season no matter what so he played hard. Will the Steelers get that same effort given that if he is on the tag after July 15th he will know he won't not be back in Pittsburgh 2019? If he gets a long term deal, those worries go away. But one writer from the PG gave that a 10% chance of happening, and I feel that's being generous. Hope Conner is as good as people here believe, cause he should get used quite a bit this season if Bell's play drops off. I like what I've read from Samuels, but I don't consider him a lock to make the team. He's a guy I want to see in the preseason, his versatility could help replace some of Bell's offense next year.

 

Running backs just aren't valued over 10 mil a season anymore. Laveon knows this, but yet he is dropping the pressure on the Steelers anyway. Yes I know how good he is, but I also remember how good Ray Rice was for my Ravens and then what happened after he signed his big money deal. The Ravens ate a lot of cap space with his release ofc. I also know that running backs start falling off production wise after 5 - 6 seasons which Bell is nearing as well.. You guys can find another RB to rush the rock and I believe it wouldn't hurt the offense all that much. Agreed with #1 with all the salary implications as it is already.