Pittsburgh Steelers roundtable: Thoughts on Le’Veon Bell’s absence

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 22: Le'Veon Bell
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 22: Le'Veon Bell

The Pittsburgh Steelers were banking on their star running back showing up for Week 1. Now, everyone seems to be upset. Find out what the experts believe is happening and how both parties should handle the situation.

Chris (@chalicke) – I’m not upset, but when someone gives their word on what they’re going to do and doesn’t do it, that’s unprofessional. Hiding behind his agent has obviously irritated his teammates, especially his offensive line, which he needs more than anything. I think he needs to show up and play. Period.

Tyler (@tweimerskirch99) – The NFL system is broken. If any sport should have guaranteed contracts it would be football. In principle, I fully support Bell, but as a former coach and front office personal, I could not agree with the way it’s being handled.

If Bell wants to miss games, I don’t blame him but this should have been communicated to coaches and all of the front office. The way that it’s being handled by Bell and company is very much personal, not business. Steelers should have had time to re-evaluate there off-season with this knowledge.

The counterargument is that the Steelers should have planned for this outcome and I would agree with that as well. Both parties look dumb but case and point is that there is a better way for both sides to handle this. In the end the city if Pittsburgh is the one that takes a hit, Pittsburgh is robbed of a great chance at a Super Bowl.

Ed (@huntem89) – Bell has seemed to be very noncompliant with the franchise tag situation. Most players accept that this is their only way to get paid to play football in the NFL.

Bell fears that the Steelers are going to run him into the ground and that is basically what they did last year giving him 400-plus carries. Although in the time he sits out he ages, he also able to win the war of attrition.

He will go into free agency with a lessor load of carries because of his holdout. Bell knows that an NFL running back’s career is short lived and wants to make as much money as possible. He also wants to extend his career and knows that he can still get paid if he shows up by week 10.   

Mike (@mikemorris1994) – My issue with the Bell situation is that he wants franchise tag money without being franchise tagged, when the team’s situation doesn’t warrant giving him the franchise tag in the first place. The tag is meant for a team to build around the player they are tagging, to basically tether their success and survival to that one player, and the Steelers are not in a situation where they need to do that to Le’Veon Bell. The offensive line is one of the best in the league, the quarterback is staying put for now, and the receivers remain solid.

No doubt he’s a top five RB in the league and believes he deserves to be paid as such, but he has to weigh his options: he can go get paid by the Jets or some other team that is going to make him be the workhorse who the team’s success depends on, or he can take less and play for a playoff team and possible Super Bowl contender. The choice is his, and he’s making the wrong one. Even if Bell is determined to get out of Pittsburgh and into some other team’s pocketbook, he’s only putting himself at a disadvantage by holding out into the regular season, because missing games means he has fewer opportunities to showcase himself to other teams that may be willing to pay him.

David (@ddoeswell) – In my opinion, it begins with the franchise and their history of negotiations with star players. When they didn’t do right by the players (see Franco Harris & Rod Woodson) the team suffered as a result of that process. We are in win now mode in spite of Big Ben’s desire to play beyond this current year. Bell is a transformative running back that deserves his worth.

On the flip side, Bell’s camp in the end has not handled it correctly by using the frame of reference regarding other backs. However, if you consider AP, Frank Gore, etc., backs that have carried heavy loads while lasting into their thirties, they could of bet on his talent to last just as long without jeopardizing his career.

Now, somebody will pay him next year and the loyal fans of our city feel cheated by not having Bell fully this year or see him go into Steeler lore as one of the best RB we have ever had. Disappointed with both sides in a no win situation.

Scott (@scott8871) – When you’ve lost your teammates, you’re finished, and that’s what Bell has done. The fact that his offensive line, the men he depends on the most have now soured on him, Bell shouldn’t bother showing up until Week 10. His agent seems misguided at best.

Yes, they are better with him but if he’s lost locker room support then, forget it. I do blame the Steelers front office for this as well to a point, this just continues their trend of how they deal with their players from Franco Harris to Mike Merriweather to Yancey Thigpen and so on.

I think the ‘Steeler Way’ needs a little refinement from how long they hold on to their head coaches to how they treat their star players. Sooner or later this will catch up with them. I put most of the onus on Bell and his agent, it’s pretty clear they don’t ‘get’ it, but the front office shouldn’t be left off the hook so easily either.

Dan (@Dan_Gilliam) – As a Steelers fan I want to win above all. What I care about is that seventh Lombardi Trophy and this situation puts that in jeopardy. This team needs to be on the same page but we are still forced to talk about non football issues and not the Cleveland Browns.

Le’Veon Bell is a huge part of the offense and he knows that. The contract deal is over so there is nothing else to do but play on your yearly deal, but by not reporting when he said he would makes his case as the “villian” that much more his own doing.

I agree that you need to earn all the money and security for you and your family but there is a time and a place for everything. It is now time for some football so let’s win this thing.

Brandon Kring (@BKringFanSided) – Le’Veon Bell is protecting his body and I get it, I really do. However, to scorn your teammates by keeping them in the dark and popping off on Twitter and Instagram seems to hurt him more than it does the team.

The Steelers do contracts a certain way and he knows this and has known since well before these last two years. When he didn’t get the guarantees he was looking for it should not have come as a surprise to him. He got offers but not what he was looking for.

For this reason alone he should respect that they couldn’t come to an agreement but play with his teammates and help reach the common goal of a super bowl while he is still with them. The offensive line has every right to be upset over how Bell is handling things.

Bell should just say if he is sitting until week 10 or if he will be back in week 4. Whenever it is, he should lay out his plan. His list of antics is growing and the team’s tolerance of it is wearing painfully thin.

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