Quote Originally Posted by lloydroid View Post
I don't think he gets a free pass, but if you don't see the difference of the attitude between the two, then you might be suffering from an inability to perceive.

MW: Whined and whined about wanting a new deal, even though he was under contract. Didn't show up for any of the camps or pre-season. Made comments showing a non-team attitude. When he finally did show, he played obviously with less than full effort and I mean OBVIOUSLY. Dropped endless balls, didn't hustle ever, and didn't bother to touch Dallas CB for the game-losing int. Just didn't bother.

AB: Never breathed a word about demanding a new contract. Showed up for all team camps. Took what is considered to be a pretty fair deal with new contract, seen hustling every time the ball was thrown to him ACCEPT the one play where he inexplicably didn't fall on the ball in the end zone vs. SD. Had some drops, but, from the common sense eye test, were not from lacking focus or effort. Even though not a stellar season, the cause was NOT from lack of effort. HUGE difference between that and MW. GIANT, COLOSSAL difference.
let's talk about perception and reality here:

Firstly, Wallace was NEVER under contract until he signed his tender, at the end of Training Camp. This is a massive misconception. Not only that, he NEVER publicly complained about the money being offered, as some want you to believe. Every report of this 'top 10' money has never had a Mike Wallace quote in it, ever. And if you can find he quote from Wallace where he complained about the Steelers offer, pease post it, because from here, never saw anything like a pouty Wallace comment about his contract at any time.

Did he underperform this year? Yeah, he did. Yet he still outperformed his WR peers, even without having. Training Camp to get to know the play book. Chadman would suggest you go back and look at the first half of the season again, though, before you start claiming there was no effort. The hate for Wallace has blinded many to the fact that he was going across the middle, getting hit, catching balls as well as any other WR on the roster.

Now, Antonio Brown never did make public claims about getting a new contract. Didn't have to- once the FO decided Wallace had rejected them once too often, they tit-for-tatted Wallace's contract offer and gave it to Brown instead. Want to talk about bad team chemistry? How do you think that sat for Wallace? Now, to claim Brown's $42 million deal is 'fair' is kind of laughable- 1 year of production equals $42 million? And how did that pay off? A down year, production wise, and multiple fumbles and dropped catches, or boneheaded running out of bounds at crucial moments of the game.

Wallace had some bad moments, for sure. But Chadman is struggling to think of when those moments cost the Steelers a game, and possibly, ultimately, a season. One only has to look at the 4th quarter against Dallas to see where Brown cost the Steelers a game.

ultimately, the Steelers will have to reap what they've sown with the WR's. If investing heavily in a 1 year performer over the multiple year performer is good business, Chadman is yet to see it. So far, the results on the field do not support the Steelers move.