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Strackbein Says: Maybe the Pittsburgh Steelers can learn from the Patriots

By Noah Strackbein

FOXBOROUGH, MA - JANUARY 21: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots reacts in the third quarter during the AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - JANUARY 21: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots reacts in the third quarter during the AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /
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If any team in the NFL knows how to win better than the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.

Saying you want advice from New England is a sin in the Steel City. Pittsburgh has many enemies in sports, but few as big as the Patriots. That’s understandable. But when you look at how they win – it’s unorthodox, beyond its time and frankly it’s genius.

What the Patriots do is move on. Brandin Cooks, Nate Solider, Martellus Bennett, all names who once called Foxborough “home.” Everyone says that sports are a business, but no one wants to get rid of players because, “they deserve to be there.” Well, if they deserve to be in Pittsburgh, they deserve to be on another team.

Le’Veon Bell deserves to be on an NFL team, but it shouldn’t be the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This doesn’t mean it’s time for the Steelers to start dropping everyone they don’t like. They’re more of a family oriented team than any in the NFL. That needs to continue for the long-term success of the franchise.

But Le’Veon Bell isn’t a family man. Not that all of it is his fault. The whole $17 million a year contract situation isn’t as true as many believe, and realistically, if Pittsburgh wanted to get a deal done today, they could.

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Something is holding them back, though. That something is likely Derrius Guice out of LSU, and if he’s around with the 28th pick, there’s a real chance Bell isn’t a Steelers by the end of 2018.

This is where New England comes into play. Some people may say that keeping Le’Veon Bell around for 2018, even with Guice, is a smart move. It’s not. Bell will be more frustrated knowing his time with the team is up. This roster is ready for a Super Bowl and removing the biggest distraction from it is smarter than anything else they can do this offseason.

Guice provides a backfield presence that may not be equal to Bell, yet, but certainly isn’t much of a downgrade. Working around the rest of the offense on this team, he can certainly find himself to be a Pro Bowl caliber player in his rookie season without carrying a veteran workload.

It’s just that time. Bell has given Pittsburgh no reason to stay, and all the signs point to them looking for alternative options. Guice’s rookie contract is a lot easier to work with, and with the rest of the holes on this team filled, there’s no reason not to take a chance.

Options at inside linebacker are deep into this draft. Looking for a quarterback now isn’t top priority. Getting rid of a player who’s interested in complaining more than negotiating is.

Next: Are the Steelers too good to be great?

Le’Veon Bell’s time in Pittsburgh is coming to an end. They just need to hurry up and cut the cord. It’s only benefiting the fans, Bell’s wallet and every member of the media who’s sick of talking about the same thing.

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