SteelCrazy
07-25-2016, 06:45 AM
The notion that Le’Veon Bell’s likely four-game suspension for missing a drug test won’t affect the Steelers more than minimally is the same wishful thinking that fancies them a legit Super Bowl contender despite having a terrible defense.
Martavis Bryant’s year-long suspension shrinks the field vertically. Bell’s ban shrinks it horizontally. Ben Roethlisberger throwing to Antonio Brown is more predictable than ever. Newly-acquired tight end Ladarius Green must be a go-to guy right away.
DeAngelo Williams did a solid job filling in when Bell was injured/suspended last year, but he doesn’t provide the receiving skills and versatility that Bell does. At 34, Williams is the oldest back in the NFL and could hit a wall at any time.
For four games, the offense will be dumbed down. That’s unavoidable.
Say the Steelers lose a game they shouldn’t during Bell’s four-game absence. That loss could cost them a division title, a first-round bye or home field throughout the playoffs.
The Steelers have a 34-year-old quarterback and a rotten defense. They need to keep both out of harm’s way as often as possible. To win the Super Bowl, the Steelers need the shortest, easiest path possible.
Bell rapped about being paid $15 million. That needs to happen via hip-hop, because Bell has proven himself totally untrustworthy as a football player.
When Bell returns from his ban, he will have missed 17 of his first 52 NFL games. Suspended twice and badly injured once, Bell doesn’t merit a long-term deal.
At the end of this season, the Steelers should franchise tag him. Between now and the end of the 2017 campaign, Coach Mike Tomlin should run Bell until his wheels fall off. Tomlin generally treats backs like that, but Bell deserves no better.
Ditch Bell, get another back, and repeat the process. Running backs have a short shelf life anyway.
The Rooneys must be tired of getting embarrassed by Bell. Bell has zero respect for his teammates, his employer and Steelers fans. Roethlisberger must be livid. His kicks at the can are numbered, and teammates keep sabotaging his chances. Tomlin doesn’t care. He’s one of the guys.
Skipping a test isn’t a mere matter of missing an appointment at a clinic. The NFL sends sample collectors to the players, wherever they are. If a player vacations in China, a sample collector will go to him. Bell actively avoided the collector.
When the NFL collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2020 season, the owners’ negotiating plan should be simple: Don’t test for marijuana. Let the players smoke pot. The rank-and-file would gladly take that in trade for letting Commissioner Roger Goodell maintain his dictatorial powers and keep hearing his own appeals.
Who cares about one-percenters like Tom Brady? The proletariat just wants to get high.
Perhaps Bell should go right to the Supreme Court: “The NFL CBA may be a legal, binding document, but it’s not fair, and I want to get high.”
This is yet another example of an unlikable Steeler. Fantasy owners really hate Bell.
It’s also another example of how the hometown media can’t be trusted.
On June 14, I talked about Bell skipping a test on my radio show. I tweeted about it, too. That's over a month ago.
Several local reporters knew Bell missed a test. Why didn’t they report it? Are they, as one local publication describes itself, “Part of the team”? What else are they withholding? Are they journalists, or shills?
The moral to this story is: Watch hockey. This doesn’t happen with hockey. I love hockey. I can’t wait for hockey.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
http://www.timesonline.com/columnists/sports/mark_madden/madden-bell-s-ban-could-hurt-steeler-s-road-through/article_ae3aff56-51dc-11e6-abec-df791eb57899.html
Martavis Bryant’s year-long suspension shrinks the field vertically. Bell’s ban shrinks it horizontally. Ben Roethlisberger throwing to Antonio Brown is more predictable than ever. Newly-acquired tight end Ladarius Green must be a go-to guy right away.
DeAngelo Williams did a solid job filling in when Bell was injured/suspended last year, but he doesn’t provide the receiving skills and versatility that Bell does. At 34, Williams is the oldest back in the NFL and could hit a wall at any time.
For four games, the offense will be dumbed down. That’s unavoidable.
Say the Steelers lose a game they shouldn’t during Bell’s four-game absence. That loss could cost them a division title, a first-round bye or home field throughout the playoffs.
The Steelers have a 34-year-old quarterback and a rotten defense. They need to keep both out of harm’s way as often as possible. To win the Super Bowl, the Steelers need the shortest, easiest path possible.
Bell rapped about being paid $15 million. That needs to happen via hip-hop, because Bell has proven himself totally untrustworthy as a football player.
When Bell returns from his ban, he will have missed 17 of his first 52 NFL games. Suspended twice and badly injured once, Bell doesn’t merit a long-term deal.
At the end of this season, the Steelers should franchise tag him. Between now and the end of the 2017 campaign, Coach Mike Tomlin should run Bell until his wheels fall off. Tomlin generally treats backs like that, but Bell deserves no better.
Ditch Bell, get another back, and repeat the process. Running backs have a short shelf life anyway.
The Rooneys must be tired of getting embarrassed by Bell. Bell has zero respect for his teammates, his employer and Steelers fans. Roethlisberger must be livid. His kicks at the can are numbered, and teammates keep sabotaging his chances. Tomlin doesn’t care. He’s one of the guys.
Skipping a test isn’t a mere matter of missing an appointment at a clinic. The NFL sends sample collectors to the players, wherever they are. If a player vacations in China, a sample collector will go to him. Bell actively avoided the collector.
When the NFL collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2020 season, the owners’ negotiating plan should be simple: Don’t test for marijuana. Let the players smoke pot. The rank-and-file would gladly take that in trade for letting Commissioner Roger Goodell maintain his dictatorial powers and keep hearing his own appeals.
Who cares about one-percenters like Tom Brady? The proletariat just wants to get high.
Perhaps Bell should go right to the Supreme Court: “The NFL CBA may be a legal, binding document, but it’s not fair, and I want to get high.”
This is yet another example of an unlikable Steeler. Fantasy owners really hate Bell.
It’s also another example of how the hometown media can’t be trusted.
On June 14, I talked about Bell skipping a test on my radio show. I tweeted about it, too. That's over a month ago.
Several local reporters knew Bell missed a test. Why didn’t they report it? Are they, as one local publication describes itself, “Part of the team”? What else are they withholding? Are they journalists, or shills?
The moral to this story is: Watch hockey. This doesn’t happen with hockey. I love hockey. I can’t wait for hockey.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
http://www.timesonline.com/columnists/sports/mark_madden/madden-bell-s-ban-could-hurt-steeler-s-road-through/article_ae3aff56-51dc-11e6-abec-df791eb57899.html