Maurice Jones-Drew to visit Steelers today.

[Snatch98]

would love the signing but i just dont see it happening.
im fairly sure he could get more $ elsewhere and ifs he's gonna take a money hit, it seems like he would pick a contender

Are the steelers not a contender? I'm always a little taken back by this and it seems you are the poster child for that comment here. I fully expect the steelers to he a contender this coming season and I think a lot of people agree. They finished last season very strong and of the guys we've lost so far they have all been staples on the complaint bulletin board here. Now that some of them are gone people are acting like its the end of the world. It makes zero sense.

[phillyesq]

His first 3 years in the league he played second fiddle in a timeshare with Fred Taylor, so actually he does not have as much wear and tear as most 28 year old running backs.

Carries by season:
2006: 166
2007: 167
2008: 197
2009: 312
2010: 299
2011: 343 (led the league with over 1600 yards rushing)
2012: 86 (only played a third of the season due to injury)
2013: 234

He also averages in the neighborhood of 40 or 50 catches per season as well.

He would be effective back in that early-career timeshare role with a lead back again (this time with Le'Veon Bell playing the role of Fred Taylor).

I thought he had a lot of wear and tear just based on the number of years he's been in the league. He must have been a 20 year old rookie if he already has 8 years under his belt.

I forgot about the early time share with Steelers killer Fred Taylor.

[squidkid]

Are the steelers not a contender? I'm always a little taken back by this and it seems you are the poster child for that comment here. I fully expect the steelers to he a contender this coming season and I think a lot of people agree. They finished last season very strong and of the guys we've lost so far they have all been staples on the complaint bulletin board here. Now that some of them are gone people are acting like its the end of the world. It makes zero sense.

yes, they are contenders for the division.

[sick beats]

Dont see him signing to be a back up anywhere. But it is interesting.

The only thing interesting is, yet again, the Steelers waste everyone's time with bringing in someone they would only sign for dirt cheap, with it being obvious that some other team would be willing to pay him more than we will. The whole thing is just a waste of time; only reason Jones-Drew even agrees to a meeting is to create more demand from some team that truly will consider him as a POSSIBLE starting back. Jones-Drew will go to the team who gives him a chance to start and offers the most $. This is probably the last contract of his career and he won't bother to waste that on the cheapest pay and no chance to start. MJD was already pissed at his Jax contract two years ago, and blew off camp because he wanted a new deal. He was coming off being the leading rusher in the NFL (he was all Jax had and they ran the wheels off him). After the Jags not blinking to give him new deal, he then was downed by that Liz Frank injury for a year. Last year, he tried to play, but was mostly not himself, was out of shape, got dinged again, on horrible team. It's possible a truly healthy MJD could resemble the back he was in 2011 but Pgh won't pay him like he might be that guy again. The whole visit is just a waste of time, trying to make the fans feel they are doing everything they can to improve, but it's just BS. Just go ahead and become a Raider or Cowboy, already. Both those teams have oft injured starters, so he could end up with more significant playing time. Hey, why not try the Browns? They have zero RB talent and all the cap space in the world.

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers Insider Ed Bouchette: Jones-Drew Is Not A Good Fit

March 19, 2014



PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan)- Post-Gazette Steelers Insider Ed Bouchette joined the Cook and Poni Show on Wednesday morning to discuss the latest on the Steelers including bringing in running back Maurice Jones-Drew for a visit.

“It’s kind of nuts,” Bouchette said. “It’s an overreaction to losing Starks.”

Bouchette said the Steelers were set to visit with Green Bay Packers running back James Starks on Monday but he chose to resign with the Packers for two years. Bouchette said he was a good solid RB and would have been a good fit to back up Le’Veon Bell but somehow that visit never took place.

“I don’t know if they know what they are doing right now with the RB position,” Bouchette said.

Bouchette says they need to sign a back up to Bell because they do not have a single running back that has gained a yard on the roster, but this move to bring in Jones-Drew is one from left field.

“I don’t know what they are doing with him here,” Bouchette said. “He is not a good fit at all. He is not going to be happy being a role player behind Bell.”

Bouchette said he thought the Steelers started out strong in off season moves with keeping Jason Worilds over Lamar Woodley. Also signing free agent Mike Mitchell, and getting Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu to take pay cuts.

But then they let Al Woods slip through their fingers.

Bouchette said he is no Reggie White, but he is better than Cam Thomas who they signed.

Bouchette said that the Steelers bringing in wide receiver Lance Moore is a decoy to try and show Jerricho Cotchery that they will move on if he doesn’t sign with them.

“They want Cotchery back,” Bouchette said. “But he will be the fall back if Cotchery does go elsewhere.”

Bouchette also told the guys that there is real discussion and mutual interest between the Steelers and former linebacker James Harrison.

Listen to the full interview here:

[URL]http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/03/19/steelers-insider-ed-bouchette-jones-drew-is-not-a-good-fit/[/URL]

[K Train]

I was always a big al woods fan from when he was a rotational guy at LSU, but he was a DE here he was constantly out leveraged at NT by shorter interior linemen and was more of an athlete at DE where he could move guys and shed off tackles with a higher pad level.

Thats not Cam THomas' game. Hes a block occupier, he plays low and is really difficult to move. I see how essentially we "replaced" woods with thomas, but they arent playing the same position.

Jones drew is an awesome fit, its really if he is willing to play in a backup role even though he might still get a fair share of touches....its a dual back league, im sure they dont want to wear bell down but also have someone who is competent spell him and back him up.

I love harrison, i would welcome him back in a heartbeat

[hawaiiansteel]

Dollars can't be the issue between Steelers and Maurice Jones-Drew

By Neal Coolong on Mar 19 2014

If money was the problem, why did MJD bother meeting with the Steelers? If the Steelers want to get Le'Veon Bell the ball more than 20 times a game, why wouldn't they want a capable back-up? It's a deal that, on paper, should happen.

Don't put it past an agent to plant news there's interest between his client and a team - one like the Steelers usually fits the bill. "Hey, if the Steelers are interested, he must still be good!"

This isn't done for the fans, either. Obviously there's a reason behind an agent's motivation to get the media talking about a player.

We knew about Lance Moore's pending visit well before he actually arrived in Pittsburgh. We read reports identifying other free agents allegedly coming for a visit, including at least one who was mentioned, scheduled for a visit and signed by another team.

We knew nothing about Maurice Jones-Drew coming to down until Adam Schefter reported he was already in Pittsburgh. We were linebackers losing sight of the diminutive MJD behind the behemoth offensive linemen.

Will he explode into the South Side the way he's exploded into the second level like he has so many times over the last eight seasons?

[URL]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com...-agency-rumors[/URL]

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Dollars can't be the issue between Steelers and Maurice Jones-Drew

By Neal Coolong on Mar 19 2014

If money was the problem, why did MJD bother meeting with the Steelers? If the Steelers want to get Le'Veon Bell the ball more than 20 times a game, why wouldn't they want a capable back-up? It's a deal that, on paper, should happen.

Don't put it past an agent to plant news there's interest between his client and a team - one like the Steelers usually fits the bill. "Hey, if the Steelers are interested, he must still be good!"

This isn't done for the fans, either. Obviously there's a reason behind an agent's motivation to get the media talking about a player.

We knew about Lance Moore's pending visit well before he actually arrived in Pittsburgh. We read reports identifying other free agents allegedly coming for a visit, including at least one who was mentioned, scheduled for a visit and signed by another team.

We knew nothing about Maurice Jones-Drew coming to down until Adam Schefter reported he was already in Pittsburgh. We were linebackers losing sight of the diminutive MJD behind the behemoth offensive linemen.

Will he explode into the South Side the way he's exploded into the second level like he has so many times over the last eight seasons?

[URL]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com...-agency-rumors[/URL]

I agree with this take more than Bouchette. If he came, surely he knows the financial situation... And he's a big enough name that he doesn't need to shop to get interest. He's sincerly interested. Frankly, I don't think we want Bell to be a 350 touch RB. I'd rather he be a 225-250 touch RB, with a very capable backup, who might be used in some packages instead of Bell. The lower mileage prolongs Bell's career, while keeping the capable, inexpensive RB game-ready should something happen to Bell.

I do expect this to be a short-term deal, though, should it happen. One where MJD signes a one-year deal in an effort to prove he's still worthy of a bigger contract next year from someone... and hoping for 200 touches.

[D Rock]

I'd prefer to have 10 years of 800-1000 yds and 8-12 TDs from Bell with 500 yds and 4 TDs from a backup, rather than 4 years of 1300-1500 yards and 12-16 TDs from just Bell.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

I'd prefer to have 10 years of [URL="tel:800-1000"]800-1000[/URL] yds and 8-12 TDs from Bell with 500 yds and 4 TDs from a backup, rather than 4 years of 1300-1500 yards and 12-16 TDs from just Bell.

EXACTLY... And Ithink Ed does, too, though it almost sounded like he was saying Bell needed to be a workhorse and the backup needed to be "a backup"... If not MJD, it should be a very capable backup... One who might even be enough better than Bell in some facets of the game that u WANT to put him in.