“I want to do it”

The last 3 Super Bowl matchups disagree. Leading rushers playoffs:

2017 New England Dion Lewis 45.0 ypg, Philly Jay Ajayi 61.3 ypg
2016 New England Lagarrette Blount 36.3 ypg, Atlanta Devonta Freeman 54.0 ypg
2015 Denver C.J. Anderson 78.0 ypg, Carolina Jonathan Stewart 72.7 ypg

You have to go all the way back to Seattle in '14 (and they lost) to find a running back over 100 ypg and he was making 7.5M per year. The instant they paid him (12M per in '15) the team fell apart.

 

Then rookies should hold out and get paid EARLY in their careers. Otherwise, it’s “use ‘em a while then over the shoulder”. The position takes the most punishment and reaps the smallest rewards compared to the work they do. Apparently, it’s a league-wide thing. So I’m all for the players having a chance to fuck the ownership back. The league is a multi-billion dollar industry and can handle a little pounding every now and then too. They certainly dish it out.

Regarding the past few Super Bowls... what are the final scores of the games and how far has the league gone to further protect QBs? Why? To help the RBs be more effective? Bullshit. Points on the scoreboard puts butts in the seats and eyes on the Telly. You’re more likely to see a 40+ yard TD pass-reception than a 40-TD gainer. FACT. The NFL would shit bricks if there was ever a 14-7 SB score again. Panic button!

Try to justify it however you like but the RBs in the league are getting screwed. I’ll bet you 100-1 that in a 30-second timeframe, you can rattle off more RBs that have played in the league than offensive lineman. There are 5 OLs on the field at any given time versus 1 or 2 RBs on the field at the same time. The argument is bullshit and you know it.

 

The offensive and defensive lines take more punishment during their careers than any other positions. The idea that you would think it's running backs just shows you know very little about football.

This has nothing to do with what Beach said but I don't think you care about anything other than trying to score some kind of points in a debate that you are just lost on.

You were wrong and Maine and Beach showed you how but you want to move the goal posts around or something.

You have an opinion that backs are underpaid. Cool. That's your opinion. But no one has to agree with you especially when they have given really good reasons for why your opinion is clearly wrong.

 

So... if a LB takes a career-ending hit, it’s more tragic than a RB suffering the same event, since the LB gets paid more and is OBVIOUSLY more important to the world/fans/etc. The risks are the same, especially when talking about RBs and LBs. RBs should stand up in solidarity and have the league risk watering down the talent for not paying up. Not moving goal posts here... it’s called getting deeper into the issue. Uncle?

 

@terribleTODD ... wanna take the 30-second RB v OL challenge? Didn’t think so.

I already said I was wrong on the $45M. I said I would own up to it if I was. Paid in FULL. Keep rolling that highlight reel.

Annnnnnnnnd here comes that fucking arrogance that people around these boards get fed up with from time to time. Enjoy!

 

It's a ridiculous take on the hows and whys for different positions getting paid more. Some people admit when they might be wrong and others just scream and look silly.

You're very loud and silly looking at the moment.

 

You're just loud and silly.

Enjoy talking to the mirror because that's the only person buying what you're selling.

 

Maybe we need to go back to the days before FA.

 

My question is... If RBs are not, and never should be...why the hell are WRs?? There are actually more elite WRs available in the market than elite RBs.

 

Didn't this whole saga start because LB wanted to be paid as an elite RB plus as an elite WR?

 

If you think so little of the NFL why do you watch? Football opens doors for all players including RBs. You'll have a hard time convincing me RBs or any other position group has it rough.

 

I don't think we are talking about feeling sorry for professional athletes beach. It's about equal pay for equal work. There could be an argument made that RBs are not being paid for equal work..ACCORDING TO the current NFL standards.

 

I think longevity and number of prime years would be the biggest reasons that the market set itself that way.

Can anyone confirm or refute this? I'm at work so I can't really look it up right now but I liked your question too much not to try and answer it.

 

Yes, Lym that is exactly how this all got started. Last year LB ,made the claim of his vast participation in both categories. No one in their right mind would., or could disagree. At that time McCoy (pretty sure) was the highest paid at $8M and I took the time to put together #2 WR average numbers which turned out to be approx $4M. I thought, great we're all in line and the FO's offer of $12M per was a great match.

He declined and it was at that point I began thinking this is all just a ruse. This year he pushed the annual # to $15-17M where he has to know the FO is not going to give what they do not have for an all in on one player when there are so many others to consider as well. He'll get the max out tags for both years and walk away with $26M in two years and then go on to a 3-5 year lucrative contract after that.

He dresses himself up as he saviour of the RB world when he had what he wanted in terms of definition of his skills relating to annual payment. He says stupid stuff like "and ppl think I'm trippin" over Gurley's contract when he isn't even smart enough to understand his offer was better. Everybody inclined to; Please don't bring up the guaranteed money aspect... ask every player who got signed by the Steelers to a second contract how that went for them ... ask Ryan Shazier ...

Perhaps, halo, adjustments do need to be made. I'm not willing to make that leap over one contact for one player to the detriment of the rest of the team, and neither will the Steeler FO. I do agree with you there is disparity between positions, but there was when he came in to the league and will be after he's gone.

$35M a year at $200K annual spending allows for 150 years of expenditure. Try to outlive that contract, with life. Spend less, live longer and you and your family will be taken care of for a generation... I know it's not my place to tell him how to live his life, but at $200K, that's over twice what I live on an me and the better half are doing fine. We actually can afford to buy a couple of NFL tickets in support of those who play. How much do you actually need? how much is enough ? and if you have to ask those questions then surely the answer is, there's never enough, and at some point you'll need to deal with disappointment.

 

I guess it comes down to how talented you think the player is. I don't see Leveon as a generational talent. I think he has good hands and really good vision but he's not exactly explosive or super fast. His ability to be patient is great but that would work on maybe 6-8 NFL teams. On the other 20+ teams he would get swallowed up behind the line with that hesitation move. And it doesn't stop at his offensive line. He plays with the best WR in football drawing double coverage and the Steelers have always had a damn good #2 WR to take other coverage away, often running deep and opening up things for Bell. And while his yard from scrimmage numbers have been impressive they aren't staggering considering how many opportunities he gets. Bell's 426 combined rushes / targets were almost 20% more than Todd Gurley's opportunities and Gurley put up 2100 yards and 19 TDs. Bell had 1950 / 11.

 

p.s. Since I hate when people compare Tomlin to Belichick - I mean duhhhh right...?

I'll make a better comparison. Obviously Todd Gurley is really freaking good. How about Alvin Kamara (221 combined, 1550 yds, 13 TDs). Or his teammate Mark Ingram (301 combined, 1550 yds, 12 TDs). Kareem Hunt (363 combined, 1800 yds, 11 TDs). Two of those guys were rookies.

 

regardless of pay being on a competitive, positional structural basis, those are some serious comparisons for a guy who just turned down $14m per over5.

I wonder if the Steeler FO had those comparisons ?