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The ***OFFICIAL*** 2018 Pittsburgh Steelers Thread (5 Viewers)

Dunno let's look at it...

  1. Drafted in 2004. Signed a 6 year deal.
  2. In 2008 signed a 6 year extension. So 2008, 2009 and 2010 remaining. Takes him through 2015 as one year was removed from original. .
  3. In 2015 signed a 4 extension. Only had 2015 remaining. The original 2015 year was changed. Added '16 and '17 and still has 2018 and 2019 remaining.
Looks like 3 years out and 1 year out.  Now they did have several restructures along the way.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/ben-roethlisberger-3595/

 
steelers1080 said:
Nope. They're clearing space so they can rescind the franchise tag, then sign Bell to a major extension. Loop hole!

jk
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Lol.   Bouchette said that he was surprised on the restructure and is figuring the Steelers are doing it to make a trade (unlikely), sign Ben to an extension (though that would usually happen with 1 year remaining) or just carry it over to next year (most likely).

 
If Le'veon holds out until Week 10, do we get $7.2 mil back in cap space?  If so, and Conner is doing well, then I wouldn't mind him being out until week 10 as much. It's a ####/selfish move, but it pretty much guarantees he'd be healthy (not quite, but moreso than playing), and we'd save money, and we'll probably still be in good position for the playoffs. 

Plus, we would still give him a crapload of touches in the final 8 games, not including playoffs. 

 
I still think it sucks though, we're way better with him. 

What happens if Leveon does something stupid or gets hurt? Can he sign the tag before the Steelers can pull it, or does he still have to pass a physical and whatnot?

 
Sidenote, if Bell holds out through both Ravens games, and we lose either of them, I'm going to harbor a deep resentment, probably for many years. 

 
steelers1080 said:
I still think it sucks though, we're way better with him. 

What happens if Leveon does something stupid or gets hurt? Can he sign the tag before the Steelers can pull it, or does he still have to pass a physical and whatnot?
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Pretty sure he has to pass a physical.

 
Ugh, now the players are starting to call him out. Now, even if he shows up, he's going to feel like a pariah and be like "Why me?!"

 
Steelers4Life said:
What RBs are out there to sign who could be at least a viable backup RB to Conner?  Is there anyone left right now?
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They signed Trey Edmunds to the PS. He’s Terrell’s brother. Lots of guys on other practice squads I like including Bo Scarbrough, Ryan Nall, Boston Scott just got waived, Justin Jackson (may be too small), Ameer Abdullah could be available via trade... I’m sure there are others kind of pulling from the top of my head. 

 
steelers1080 said:
Ugh, now the players are starting to call him out. Now, even if he shows up, he's going to feel like a pariah and be like "Why me?!"
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They are in trouble. Conner might be OK, but the offense won’t be as potent without Bell & with his teammates throwing him under the bus, I can’t imagine he’ll be in more of a hurry to report now.  Their D isn’t close to being good enough to cover for an offense that isn’t as good as last years.

 
Bayhawks said:
They are in trouble. Conner might be OK, but the offense won’t be as potent without Bell & with his teammates throwing him under the bus, I can’t imagine he’ll be in more of a hurry to report now.  Their D isn’t close to being good enough to cover for an offense that isn’t as good as last years.
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Yeah, this is not good. Bell was saying he'd show up week 1 earlier in the offseason, I'm pretty sure we have his agent to thank for this change of mind. 

 
Bayhawks said:
They are in trouble. Conner might be OK, but the offense won’t be as potent without Bell & with his teammates throwing him under the bus, I can’t imagine he’ll be in more of a hurry to report now.  Their D isn’t close to being good enough to cover for an offense that isn’t as good as last years.
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Wrong

 
What’s different about the 2018 offense? No Heath Miller and Martavis Bryant?. +1 for JuJu and -1 for Vance instead of Heath. Wash.

 
Bojang0301 said:
Pretty sure it’s essentially the exact same team, OL, QB, top WR... if not better. You’re wrong.
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Much better RB filling in for Bell (Conner could be good, but based on last year, DWill 2015 is much better), different OC, O-line is different (not necessarily worse); they’re better at pass blocking, IMO, while the 2015 line were more adept at run blocking.  

But the biggest difference is Conner vs DWill.  While neither is Bell, DWill approximated Bells dual threat much more than Conner did last year.  Time will tell if he’s improved, but right now it’s questionable.

If the Steelers are better off with out Bell, why are they so pissed he isn’t there?

 
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Bayhawks said:
Much better RB filling in for Bell (Conner could be good, but based on last year, DWill 2015 is much better), different OC, O-line is different (not necessarily worse); they’re better at pass blocking, IMO, while the 2015 line were more adept at run blocking.  

But the biggest difference is Conner vs DWill.  While neither is Bell, DWill approximated Bells dual threat much more than Conner did last year.  Time will tell if he’s improved, but right now it’s questionable.

If the Steelers are better off with out Bell, why are they so pissed he isn’t there?
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The o-line is just as good or better and the OC change is a non-issue.  Fitchner has been with the team for years and the whole point was to keep the offense largely the same but give Ben someone he could work with.  That said Conner looks to be a good runner but he has nowhere near the receiving or pass blocking skills that Bell has.  I have confidence that Conner will play well but he won't be the back that Bell is, very few are.  

However my biggest concern with Conner is his durability.  He had problems staying healthy at Pitt,  had issues last preseason, and wasn't able to finish 2017 with limited carries.   There is no way the Steelers can pound Conner like they did with Bell and they are one injury away from a backfield of Stevan Ridley and Jaylen Samuels and whatever scrub they pick up on the WW.

Not good.

 
Bayhawks said:
Much better RB filling in for Bell (Conner could be good, but based on last year, DWill 2015 is much better), different OC, O-line is different (not necessarily worse); they’re better at pass blocking, IMO, while the 2015 line were more adept at run blocking.  

But the biggest difference is Conner vs DWill.  While neither is Bell, DWill approximated Bells dual threat much more than Conner did last year.  Time will tell if he’s improved, but right now it’s questionable.

If the Steelers are better off with out Bell, why are they so pissed he isn’t there?
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They're not better without Bell, period. Haley probably leaned on him as a crutch, so our offense put up similar stats with and without him because the ball was getting spread around more. Coming out of school Conner had a ton of upside, prior to his cancer he was really great and he was in the process of recovery and bouncing back when he got drafted. Then he got hurt most of his rookie year. If he can regain his original athleticism, he has RB1 upside easily. Also, his pass catching ability is underrated. He's not going to be close to Leveon, and probably worse than Williams, but he could catch 50 passes no problem. 

As Steelers fans we want Le'veon to be back with the team because he is an amazing player, that's why so many are upset that he's not there. It's 100% his right not to be there, but it's also fans' right to be disgruntled. 

More important question, do we get cap space back for each week he skips?

Also, if the Steelers wanted to be #####, and lev tries to come back the last possible second, could they find something to suspend him for 1 game "conduct unbecoming" or something, so he doesn't accrue his year towards FA?

 
Yawn... RB’s are overrated. Most coaches can’t even identify the best one on their own team. Bell was a league average runner last year. The only thing that made him special was his receiving ability. If Vance McDonald and James Washington are healthy I have zero concerns about this offense losing a beat. 

 
James Conner graded higher for PFF in 2014 than Zeke, Gurley, Hunt or Gordon and Fournette, CMC, Kamara and Cook the following year. Also was the third highest rated season since that year. 

Had 88 missed tackles that season which was second only to Dalvin Cook since 2014.

 
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“In fact, it is Conner’s development as a receiver that really makes him a more viable replacement for Bell. His preseason receiving grade of 82.6 ranked in the top 10 of all running backs, as he caught all seven of his targets for 61 yards.” -PFF

 
Bojang0301 said:
“In fact, it is Conner’s development as a receiver that really makes him a more viable replacement for Bell. His preseason receiving grade of 82.6 ranked in the top 10 of all running backs, as he caught all seven of his targets for 61 yards.” -PFF
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I think Conner will be good but I am not convinced he can take the pounding to be a feature back.

 
Godsbrother said:
I think Conner will be good but I am not convinced he can take the pounding to be a feature back.
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Every running back in the NFL has injury concerns. Bell has injury concerns. Coaches would be more apt to being successful to stop treating them like they are made of glass.

 
Godsbrother said:
True but Conner's history of injuries is not good.
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Can’t predict the future. It’s clear he has transformed his body. He looks closer to 220 than to 240 anymore. The Steelers have had ample time for this moment even if they are hawing and shucking Bell’s no show. They could have signed Hyde or CJ Anderson, they must feel comfortable with what they have.

 
Bojang0301 said:
“In fact, it is Conner’s development as a receiver that really makes him a more viable replacement for Bell. His preseason receiving grade of 82.6 ranked in the top 10 of all running backs, as he caught all seven of his targets for 61 yards.” -PFF
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Actually, I thought Conner was pretty good as a receiver at Pitt.  They just didn't throw to him often, but when they did he didn't drop many.

 
Bojang0301 said:
Can’t predict the future. It’s clear he has transformed his body. He looks closer to 220 than to 240 anymore. The Steelers have had ample time for this moment even if they are hawing and shucking Bell’s no show. They could have signed Hyde or CJ Anderson, they must feel comfortable with what they have.
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The Steelers were under the impression (mistakenly it looks like) that Bell was going to show Week 1.   I think if the Steelers thought Bell would be a no show they might have drafted a RB higher or signed a better FA RB.

 
Godsbrother said:
The Steelers were under the impression (mistakenly it looks like) that Bell was going to show Week 1.   I think if the Steelers thought Bell would be a no show they might have drafted a RB higher or signed a better FA RB.
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Time to take the diapers off then.

 
Godsbrother said:
The Steelers were under the impression (mistakenly it looks like) that Bell was going to show Week 1.   I think if the Steelers thought Bell would be a no show they might have drafted a RB higher or signed a better FA RB.
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Kind of wish we'd moved up 1 pick to get Guice in the draft. I know he tore his ACL, who knows what might have happened if he was a Steeler instead. 

Now that we're where we're at, I think Conner will be pretty good as long as he stays healthy. Brown and Juju are going to have to pick up the slack. 

 
steelers1080 said:
Kind of wish we'd moved up 1 pick to get Guice in the draft. I know he tore his ACL, who knows what might have happened if he was a Steeler instead. 

Now that we're where we're at, I think Conner will be pretty good as long as he stays healthy. Brown and Juju are going to have to pick up the slack. 
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James Washington is going to be a star. They could have moved up for Guice or down for Royce Freeman. If they messed up, they messed up in FA. Bell has been creating a lot of noise for two seasons now. Would have been easy to not give him the franchise tag, taken the compensation next season and signed Hyde, drafting Freeman or Guice. It is what it is at this point. NFL teams would be far better off to not latch onto backs like Bell. Just look at the scenario I created with a Hyde, Conner, Freeman/Guice backfield.

 
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Godsbrother said:
The Steelers were under the impression (mistakenly it looks like) that Bell was going to show Week 1.   I think if the Steelers thought Bell would be a no show they might have drafted a RB higher or signed a better FA RB.
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Agreed.  They also had/have to make sure they have the salary cap room to accommodate Bell if/when he signs the tag.  Without him there, they are essentially operating with a cap that is $14.5M less than other teams.  If they had/do spent/spend that many & he signs, they have to immediately get under the cap, which would be very hard.

The more I think about it, the dimmer view I take of what Bell is doing.  He's not doing anything "wrong" per se (he's acting within the parameters set up by the CBA), but he is putting Pittsburgh in a bad situation. 

The reality is that the system greatly benefits the teams/owners, and hurts the players.  The players have very little leverage.  Bell is using the tiny bit of leverage he has in his current situation (make it harder for Pittsburgh to be successful) in order to gain in the long-term (in theory, stay healthy to get a more lucrative contract next year, AND in the REALLY BIG picture, perhaps shine a light on the inherent flaws of the NFL's system).

 
Steelers are completely at fault here. They had TWO FULL YEARS to work out a deal with Bell - his last contract year and the first franchise tag year.  If you can't pay the man what he wants - trade him or let him walk.  

They 100% need to remove the "double-franchising" bullsh*t.  I cannot believe the players agreed to that in the CBA.

 
Phenomena said:
Steelers are completely at fault here. They had TWO FULL YEARS to work out a deal with Bell - his last contract year and the first franchise tag year.  If you can't pay the man what he wants - trade him or let him walk.  

They 100% need to remove the "double-franchising" bullsh*t.  I cannot believe the players agreed to that in the CBA.
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It takes two sides to work out a deal.  Bell was talking about $17 million per season which was/is pretty much way out of line with what other RBs were making.  And a long term deal with Bell does not come without risk considering he has already been suspended for pot twice.  According to Bell and his agent the two sides were "close" but in the end could not come to an agreement.

I agree the franchise process is BS and not fair to the player and should be negotiated out of the the next CBA.   Don't cry too many tears for Bell though.  He was the highest paid RB by far last season and could be again this season if he signs his tender.  $26.5 million for 2 seasons is not exactly chump change.

 
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The only issue I have with this whole ordeal is that he hasn't told his teammates what's up. He said earlier in the offseason that he'd be there week 1, his teammates believed him, now they look silly and are frustrated with him. Sitting out til game 11, not great but I understand 100%. Even if he's planning to sit out playoff games, ok, not good, but his right I suppose. But just tell the team what you're going to do so they can plan for it, don't punish the team because they only offered you 50% more than any other running back (Gurley signed after). They can't offer you a higher deal now. If it's 100% about him wanting to stay healthy and he's going to sit many weeks, just tell them and don't be all coy about it just so you can get more time in the spotlight. 

 
steelers1080 said:
The only issue I have with this whole ordeal is that he hasn't told his teammates what's up. He said earlier in the offseason that he'd be there week 1, his teammates believed him, now they look silly and are frustrated with him. Sitting out til game 11, not great but I understand 100%. Even if he's planning to sit out playoff games, ok, not good, but his right I suppose. But just tell the team what you're going to do so they can plan for it, don't punish the team because they only offered you 50% more than any other running back (Gurley signed after). They can't offer you a higher deal now. If it's 100% about him wanting to stay healthy and he's going to sit many weeks, just tell them and don't be all coy about it just so you can get more time in the spotlight. 
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Yeah I am not seeing how keeping your intentions secret has any impact other than giving the middle finger to the team so I guess that is the answer.  

 
Does anyone here believe the Steelers can really put him on the field at this point, regardless of when he shows up? I just don't see how they can. He made his intentions pretty clear.

 
Godsbrother said:
Yeah I am not seeing how keeping your intentions secret has any impact other than giving the middle finger to the team so I guess that is the answer.  
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He wanted to get cut, that's my guess. Cut and a new contract. But, they've stated that they won't release him and the Steelers very rarely back down. Maybe he'll show up now that he knows he won't be released, but this situation is so dumb that right now I'm just assuming he'll stay away until he has to come back for the last 6 games.

If I was the GM I would scour other team's practice squads for talent and also assume that Leveon won't play in the playoffs. 

 
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