Lev Bell: "They didn't want [my contract] to work"

And he plays in an era where there aren't really any comparables re: production + longevity.

 

Winner. He is definitely a throwback to the heyday of RBs, and how they were used at one time.

 

I don't put a lot of stock in what LeVeon says. Coming from a guy who says "If you play this game for money and/or fame then your playin for the wrong reason...I love this game first, then everything else!" and then holds out for more money later and doesn't come to an agreement, it doesn't hold a lot of weight.

 

He actually said that? I don't remember-that's hysterical

 

Yep, he really said it. And the post is actually still up:

https://x.com/LeVeonBell/status/230394953266761729

 

One of the worst decisions I've ever seen a NFL player make. Bell was never the same player after Steelers, with Jets and other teams. Had he stayed in Pittsburgh... he'd likely would have been padding HOF stats through at least 2022. What an epic waste of talent.

 

I highly doubt that. Maybe the year off led to his steep decline, but NFL running backs often have a short shelf life and the Steelers put a lot of wear and tear on him

 

And he still got a big payday from the Jets even if he didn't get the entire value of that contract.

 

i remember hearing reports that he was out of shape in the hold out year. Possibly never regained that work ethic he had in Pittsburgh.

 

It’s been 8 years

He whines longer than some of our board members

 

Bell was a FOOL!

the offer was STRONG.

He was PAST his prime

GOOD RIDDANCE to that hack

 

he whines more than ..... me

and that is REALLY BAD!!!!!

he f'd up.......GOOD RIDDANCE to him.

his last season, he CLEARLY lost a step.

CLEARLY had......he BLEW IT

 

There were pictures that showed he was out of shape. I don't doubt that was true. His style required him to be explosive and he lost that.

 

"I really came to my senses about football after smoking weed with Blount"----said no one, ever.

 

While I think that Tomlin was a good coach, I also think he messed up big time by bringing in Blount.

I understand wanting a veteran around to be an example for the young Bell.
Blount and Bell were obvious enough about smoking weed that they got pulled over when driving. Blount was surly about being a backup RB, raised a stink when he didn't get his way, and returned to the Patriots as soon as he could.
If the Steelers found a better mentor, maybe Bell would have been better in dealing with his contract renewal.

 

i agree that he LOST IT FAST.

He was losing a step in his last year here, as I have stated for years.

we will never know - he was in a GREAT system for him

he was a FOOL

 

I remember someone reporting that the last offer was something like 5 yr, $70MM. $10MM guaranteed at signing (which the media ran with) and something like $10MM/year roster bonuses in years 1-3. It was an objectively large RB contract. I think Gurley signed what was basically a slightly better version of the deal shortly after.

Yeah here's an article:
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...-monstrous-70-million-deal-from-the-steelers/

I do remember the term "rolling bonus structure" being thrown around an awful lot and a ton of people not understanding how roster bonuses work.

Once they started going for WR money they were cooked. Definitely overplayed their hand there.

 

He was a GREAT talent on the field, but he’s wildly arrogant fool.

He’s trying a weak revisionist angle to re-write the history that we all witnessed in a very publicized battle of wills over money. He over valued and over played his hand and bit the hand that built a system around his style of play. He thought his success was his alone and it would translate elsewhere.

He basically lived the phrase FAFO.

He got paid, but I’m sure it isn’t worth if he stuck with the Steelers and more contracts. Probably mostly gone too. He’s not a smart person and thinks nobody else is either. That’s why his trying to spin these new fake narratives. Eff him….

He and AB. ruined us more than Ben’s ego, Tomlin’s crap schemes, piss poor coaching hires, and Shazier’s injury.

 

Franchise tag was 14.5 million that year for him. Someone did the numbers, there's a whole article and thread about it elsewhere on the board. The Jets contract was actually less and he didn't get the "actual" guaranteed money he wanted the Steelers to give him. Jets got out of most of the guaranteed money.

 

Sitting out a year doesn't help a RB either. We've seen a lot of players out for a year or so without injury and it doesn't seem to turn out well. QB's and kickers seem to be the only ones that it doesn't actively hurt.

Load management was definitely an issue with Tomlin. He said the same thing with Willy Parker. (Cousin Jaylen is doing well for the Steelers)

Speaking of which. didn't know this:

"Beginning in 2015, Parker became running backs coach at Heritage High School in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Former NFL player Dewayne Washington is the head coach and Torry Holt serves as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach."

 

Sitting out a year while you're in your prime and signing with the Jets .

 

To be fair, maybe he's trying to catch Mendenhall

 

He wants to feel the love that so many retired Steeler players feel from all the fans. All he had to do was sign his contract and play his ass off for a couple more seasons.

The guy was legitimately great while he was here, but there is always going to be a large percentage of fans that will never forgive him for ruining what could have been a special season if he didn't hold out. He is doing his best to win those people back, but he burned that bridge when he held out. Even though he was trying to make as much money as he could and the team was running the wheels off of him, it was taken as a betrayal.

Bell should have handled things much differently. Firing his agent should have been the first thing that he did. I think if he was getting the correct information, he would have known that the contract the Steelers offered him was in his best interests to accept.

 

He had DeAngelo Williams as a mentor, and you can't get much better than that.
Everyone needs to stop making excuses for Bell.

 

Sorry, I believe RM only speaks when some dumba$$ accuses him of losing the super bowl
Maybe I'm not getting your definition of whining as a retired player or something.
Guess what I'm leaning towards is the fact Rashard gets attacked because in the end he left to pursue writing.
He did a hell of a job do that too. Will never forget him at his best on field and on screen