Bell contract 2018

[jebrick]

Transition tag will cost $8-9M  much cheaper than Bell wants.  I think Bell does not sign the tag unless he has a contract "in-hand"

Also, based on the backroom deal theory, everyone would be in on it.  **wink wink**

[MOSteelers56]

I mean, I certainly wouldn't be opposed to turning Bell into more than just a comp pick. I'm not going to get my hopes up, though.

[warfelg]

1 minute ago, jebrick said:

Transition tag will cost $8-9M  much cheaper than Bell wants.  I think Bell does not sign the tag unless he has a contract "in-hand"

Also, based on the backroom deal theory, everyone would be in on it.  **wink wink**

That's what it really sounds like.  I mean....there's not reason for the franchise to agree to the dropping another tag, seemingly letting him go, and being so OK with the situation without knowing something has been agreed to.

[Ward4HOF]

2 minutes ago, warfelg said:

It's because a lot of non-Steeler fans want to have an agenda that we still need Bell  Obviously ground production is still there so they can't pick on that point anymore, so they are moving to Brown's production as to hit at the absence of Bell is making it harder to pass.  Obviously when you look more at it, that's false too.  As has been pointed out, our real WR2 (not RB catching balls) is up with Juju over Bryant.  Juju is also more consistent.  That means our WR3 is down (by moving Juju out) in production, but the combination of WR2+WR3 is actually up.  TE production is WAY up.  The 'hit' to Brown's personal stats is more than made up in other places.

But it also cracks me up that when Brown has the outbursts, they call him selfish (Yes Bucky Brooks was one of those people); but at the same time they point to that loss of the production and say it's because your missing someone.  So which is it?  Was Brown selfish or was his production down because someone wasn't there?

Yes.  The problem is, 80% of non-Steeler fans are 'Steeler-Haters'...likely more than any other team in the NFL, other than MAYBE...  'merica's Team (said with southern accent, of course, LOL)  But seriously...does anybody here actually HATE the Vikings??  the Saints??  the Dolphins??  the Lions?? the Jaguars?? 

I mean, c'mon...no one talks smack about those teams because, well, no one really cares.  But the Steelers???  Oh my...'cheap shot heaven' for the haters.  Anyone who isn't with the Steelers, are against them...anyone who isn't with the Colts??  ummm...ok

But to your point, Bell was never our WR2.  He gained a lot of yards, sure, but Conner has as well. Like you said, Bryant was replaced with a much more capable #2 in Juju, and if Washington can ever figure things out...watch out...but I fear that if he hasn't shown anything as of yet, he might end up being a bust...sadly.  This isn't an OLB that needs years to develop.  this is pretty telling, right here...

Quote

The rookie receiver played more offensive snaps (46) than JuJu Smith-Schuster (42) but never saw a look from Ben Roethlisberger all game. This was the first time Washington failed to be targeted since Week 1 but it was his fourth game without a reception. 

A WR who doesn;t have the confidence of his QB, or isn't getting open for his QB??  In 46 snaps??  Not good.

The point is, we have a WR1 and a WR2. We have 2 x TE2s, (sadly).  And a RB with decent hands.

We don't need, nor are we missing, Bell...what we need is a 'Heath Miller' and a 'Speed Guy' at WR.  Everything else is TCO'd

[warfelg]

Yea to the Bell being #2 WR....someone on ESPN did the math (I forget who), but they said that the catches rate, yards per catch, TD's, yards after catch, all closely matched that of a mid-grade WR3.  They said that about the only place Bell reached "WR2" numbers was targets and catches.  But on top of that, if you discounted the average targets and receptions of a RB out of ALL those numbers, you come to the added value of a low end WR3/high end WR4 to what he gives over RB production.  So in the end he's not a RB AND WR2.  He's a RB and WR4.  Meaning he gives you minimal over RB production, which isn't enough to be paid as both.

He went on to do the same with David Johnson and Todd Gurley and showed that over RB production, both of them did the work of a WR4 as well, and how their pay levels basically break out to be a RB+average WR4.  The guy said Bell was being offered more than that, and turned it down.  So really in the end the misguided based on production is Bell's side, because they aren't factoring in typical RB pass catching production.

[VigilantZombie]

If anything James Conner has hurt Bells value imo. He was a back up that stepped in for what was supposed to be the best RB in the league and looked better than Bell imo.

[warfelg]

 

 

 

[3rivers]

1 hour ago, warfelg said:

 

 

 

maybe there are no plans for the transition tag next year after all?

[3rivers]

1 hour ago, wwhickok said:

If anything James Conner has hurt Bells value imo. He was a back up that stepped in for what was supposed to be the best RB in the league and looked better than Bell imo.

I agree, but also am giving Connor all the credit he deserves, especially with blitz pick up / blocking and  receiving. In preseason it looked good, but then in the regular season he really showed that he much have some good hands and route skills because the passes thrown his way are usually caught and in stride. The OL  got serious and had a chip on their shoulder, and with Connors style they really compliment each other.   I was hoping we would let bell walk and draft Penny  in case Connor didn't hold up but he has been top tier RB and stays healthy to date (concussion shouldn't be bad enough to keep him out).

I agree Connor has looked better other than in open field  making would be tacklers miss. I still think the 2015 and 2016 bell was better but that was proven to be history last year never mind this year.  I am expecting Connor and the OL to close the season strong and make a statement.  The OL got fed up with all this talk of bell , and it showed.  Now it's about winning and moving forward with what's going to help the team win. AB has more TD's and the RZ offence is actually elite, not just hype.  I expect the team to get better going into this stretch  since they will be more focused with the bell saga over. 

[3rivers]

3 hours ago, jebrick said:

Transition tag will cost $8-9M  much cheaper than Bell wants.  I think Bell does not sign the tag unless he has a contract "in-hand"

Also, based on the backroom deal theory, everyone would be in on it.  **wink wink**

would he have until week 10 to decide if he is going to sign that transition tag? Another season of distraction is what we all want, more than drafting for team needs or legit UFA's in areas of need.

[jebrick]

If the Steelers tag him he will sign a new contract before April.

[warfelg]

4 minutes ago, jebrick said:

If the Steelers tag him he will sign a new contract before April.

Yup.  Transition tag does nothing more than let the Steelers match if they chose.

[VigilantZombie]

21 minutes ago, warfelg said:

Yup.  Transition tag does nothing more than let the Steelers match if they chose.

It is really unfortunate that having sat out an entire year it still counts as an accrued here I think it's a horrible Advantage for players. Because if it didn't and I were the Steelers organization I would have franchise tag franchise-tagged him again. Just to see if he was ballsy enough to sit out for 2 years to try to prove a point.

[CKSteeler]

It's amazing to me how much opinion of players is based on group think. Bell was never a WR on the field. He's a guy who you liked on LB's (and even then, he lost a lot of those match-ups). He wasn't running some full route tree. He was less effective doing what he was doing than Conner. But people parrot it because that's what's always been said. And the Steelers frankly fed into that crap by talking him up so much.

I think the strangest thing about all of this is how Bell has basically cut ties with everyone on the team. Like, it's a few hours before the deadline, but you can't respond to a text from some guy you played with for years wishing you well no matter what you do? Wanting to get paid - whatever to me. This was more like Favre flirting with retirement every off-season, only it took place all year long. Will he or won't he? I fail to see how this helped him any after the first few weeks of the season.

[warfelg]

1 hour ago, wwhickok said:

It is really unfortunate that having sat out an entire year it still counts as an accrued here I think it's a horrible Advantage for players. Because if it didn't and I were the Steelers organization I would have franchise tag franchise-tagged him again. Just to see if he was ballsy enough to sit out for 2 years to try to prove a point.

So, if this went to a lawsuit you are now at what it would be about. He didn’t accrue a year by CBA standards. He didn’t play 6 games. But the NFLPA would say it’s technically the 3rd tag applied by the team, not a reuse of the second. So the court battle would be, does the player need to sign and play on the tag for it to count as being applied. 

The NFL and the Steelers know this would be a long process, have 0 desire to go through that, which is why there could be a back door deal. 

NFL wins by not having a star player sit out even more. Bell wins by getting to be a “free agent”. Steelers win by getting some value for a player trying to circumvent the rules. 

A few insiders are saying how this might not even pay off and there’s teams telling them even if they needed a RB that they are turned off by what has transpired. (I’m guessing the Giants, Vikings, Rams, Chargers, Panthers) and there might be a “non-collusion collusion” in that they don’t talk about it but owners refuse to give him what he wants out of fear more players will pull this.