who would you keep?

This all hinges on Ben or no Ben...As I stated I don't think Ben will play after next year ...So it's not just trade a stud for hope, it's trade him because he is not a stud without Ben... So if we give him a huge contract and then Ben leaves or gets hurt it will set the Team back for probably a decade...Picking studs at CB and Safety is not really that hard, you can see their play on tape pretty clearly...

 

I think you have to stick with AB. He's going to have another Pro Bowl year. Great numbers, He actually leads the NFL in catches and touchdown receptions thus far. This without a legit #2 WR, and good TE for most of the season, and with out Bell missing 3 games.

Also AB, has stayed healthy as healthy can be for an NFL player. He has missed just a couple games due to injury, and you can't count the playoff game against the Bengals, that was pure concussion on that one.

He also hasn't held out, which he is vastly underpaid for as good as he is. However, the Steelers have advanced his salary the last two seasons, to try to keep him happy.

He hasn't failed a drug test, ever.

However if you look at #26. I'm not sure there is a better halfback in the league, who can run and catch the ball.
He's a guy you want on your team, forever.
He is also younger than Brown.
On a personal level, I think he is a friendly, team player guy, and good to the fans as is Brown in that regard.


Cons are: He is one more failed drug test away for missing an entire season. He also has yet to go a full year without this being a problem in one regard or another. Causing him to miss 7 games the last two seasons.
He has had a major knee surgery, also has missed time to being hurt, each of the last two seasons, however 2014 was in the season finale.


I think what will happen. Is the Steelers will reward Brown with a contract, to what he's worth making him a Steeler for life.
The Steelers when then use the franchise tag on Bell. Which I have no problem with because he's a for sure a Top 5 RB if not the top running back in the NFL.
That way if Bell screws up the Steelers are not locked in long term. The downside is Bell might hold out over being franchised tagged.

It will also give you another year of Ben, Brown and Bell.

I do hear the Salary cap is increasing, so maybe there is an outside chance to lock up both long term.

Time shall tell.

 

In addition, Antonio Brown became the fastest player to reach 600 receptions. Some naysayers state it is due to the style of the game. I say that is unfair to him.



One does not surpass the likes of Jerry Rice due to rule changes. If we are using that metric then Marvin Harrison should have bested Rice's records long ago. Antonio Brown is truly a generational talent with a chip on his shoulder. Those intangibles, combined with his work ethic that is second to none, makes him a far superior choice. In addition, the Ben to Brown combo is arguably the most dangerous in the league. Only the Matt Ryan to Julio Jones duo can stand up to them.



In short? Try to keep both. If not, Antonio is a future HOF whereas Le'Veon Bell is a multidimensional threat that is slowly becoming the norm. for college running backs heading towards the NFL.

 

This needs to be framed.


The Rooney's have been doing this since the teams inception in 1933, boast the NFL's best winning percentage since the AFL-NFL merger, have the most world titles, and are a staple landmark franchise for the shield whether Roger Gooddell likes it or not.


Until I see the Rooney's somehow lose the ability to create playoff or championship level teams, what we think as fans is meaningless. I trust the organization to make the right choice when it comes.


If one gets picked over the other than so be it. Nothing we cannot say or do to change their mind.

 

Fair point and no AB is not all Ben , but him and Ben do have a special bond and Ben takes AB from good to great IMO...So yes the QB would be helped greatly by having AB, but would the Team be better overall ? I still would say no...Another point is that Bell could be moved to WR if need be and play at a very high level,Brown could not play RB at a high level...Plus the money you spend on Bell will be a lot less than the money on Brown....So my take is a stronger overall Team if forced to choose between Brown and Bell..Both are great players that's just my take ....

Again if I thought Ben had 3 or 4 seasons then I would be all in to keep all 3 of them together, but if you remove Ben then I say go with the dual threat RB and draft heavy on Defense ...

 

all very interesting insights guys. i agree i wouldn't want to have to make this decision. to be honest, i'd try to move pouncey and DD if it came down to keeping bell and brown and let our great o-line coach work his magic with two new guys. timmons money would also be used to keep these two together. we do have options to keep them both i believe. timing of the decision should come at the end of this year. it will be interesting if bell gets paid first and for how much. AB will want lots as he should.

 

They would be a fool not to keep both. Khan will find the money and contracts to keep both. Both are the best on the team and arguably the best in the league at their position

 

Steelers would probably keep Brown, but we really need to keep both despite the cost. Bell is just too good not to keep.

 

Honestly, I think who you keep comes down to how soon you are changing to a new QB. If Ben has 3 or 4 more years left, you keep Brown. If he has only a year left, you keep Bell. The new QB needs a running game in order to start to establish himself and you would see a rookie QB probably try to force a whole bunch to Brown rather than taking what he is given by the D.

Now that being said, I think we extend AB this offseason. Bell is given a franchise. We need another offseason to see if he is staying off the weed.

 

FTFY

 

I would keep Brown cause if you think about it Deangilo Williams ran the ball better this year than Bell has when he was in. We can go get a decent running back for not much these days. Although Bell can go in the slot as a receiver. Both are going to command a lot of money.

I think we got to keep Brown over Bell. If we keep beefing up our O line a decent back can look good just look at what's going on in Dallas with Dak and Elliot. I'd like to see how they'd do behind an inferior O line.

 

Definitely Brown. With Bell's off the field issues, I would dump him and not even blink. He is 1 step away from a 10 game suspension which will probably happen next year.

 

Brown for me. Drug use no. 1 reason against Bell. I think Bell would be easier to replace. Brown and his work ethic are a rare breed.

 

You won't get a 1st and 2nd round picks for Brown, he's approaching 30 years old and will command a big contract.

 

Keep Brown on a longterm deal, and franchise Bell then find a RB in the draft.

 

I would keep AB hands down and that is not a knock on Bell. I feel after this season we are going to find out what life after Bell is about as Bell has said he wants to get paid and I can't see us giving him the monster deal he wants. I am scared to give him the big money with his off the field problems and all the injuries he has gotten the past few years. I started a thread in the draft section about guys in this draft that could replace Bell and I was real interested in McCaffrey and another person pointed to Cook from Fla St who both look like nice fits to our offense.

The NFL has become a passing league and yes Bell is a super good receiver but so is AB. As far as how many years Ben has left I am hopeful we can find a replacement for him 3-4 years down the road. Look as some QB's the last few years, Wentz & Geoff, Mariota & Winston, Bortles, Bridgewater & Carr so there are guys that can play we just have to find the guy for us. #-4 years down the road we have no idea what we will have in Bell a RB's career in the NFL does not last a whole long time compared to the career of a WR. In 3-4 years both AB and Bell could both be at the end of their careers, I hope not but as long as we have Ben I would prefer AB.

For the record I hope we end up keeping Bell I am not saying I don't want the Steelers to not re sign him but I also don't want the Steelers to break the bank on him and financially handcuff this team.

 

I would be absolutely crushed if we don't keep both. AB, however, deserves to get paid. He's been a 'diva' of late but the man has kept his nose clean and he works his a** off. RB is also an easier position to replace than WR. Like others have posted, pay AB and franchise Bell to give him another year to see if he can actually complete a full 16 game season without injury or suspension. No hanging out with Martavis.

It is so disheartening to see our stud players sign elsewhere. When Rod Woodson left, I cried me a river. One of my all-time faves.

 

they showed a stat last game. between bell and brown they received 58% of the touches in our offense. far higher than any other team. bell is our second leading receiver too, not to mention our leading ball carrier. you just don't find these type of players that easily. brown alone can't make up that type of production. this also takes a huge amount of comfort away from ben. just some food for thought on this conversation.

 

If it was a situation where only one could be retained I would also pick AB for the simple fact that he's not a completely moronic idiot off the field. What good is the best rb in the league and even one of the best all around players period if he's suspended for making stupid decisions?

 

I agree Bell will be very hard to replace but let's say we keep Bell and let AB go. Now we have no #1 WR, yeah we have a nice group of WR's but no number 1. Bell would no longer see LB coverage and I am sure his stats would change. Also if we give Bell big money what happens if and when he gets hurt and/or suspended which may I point out has happened 3 out of his 4 years here. Either way we are not in a good shape and either way we are missing production by one of if not the best player in the league at their position. However if it were my money and I had to choses between one I take the guy that so far has shown he is the safest bet.

 

Brown because he has done nothing off the field to cause concern for locking him up long term. My biggest concern has nothing to do with the on-field production for either player but the off the field stuff. You could potentially sign Bell to a long term deal and then face having him suspended due to more drug issues.

Personally I hope they find a way to keep both but if not possible then I go with Brown because he is the best WR in the game and may end up pushing for Jerry Rice numbers by the time his career ends.

 

If you think Bell wont have a whole lot of teams trying to sign him in free agency you dont have a clue as to how valuable he is; if you think his pot suspensions are going to keep them from giving him a contract, think again, teams put talent over some suspension in his past since suspensions are common in this league and every team has them, you think bell is going to tell a team he plans to smoke pot after he signs their big contract, miami signed ricky williams to a big contract knowing he was a pot head and they didnt care one bit???????????

 

You are absolutely right however we are not other teams, we don't sign players with major history problems. If Bell was on another team and was becoming a FA and we had a major need at the RB position would you think the Steelers would go after him in FA? I don't and the past history of the Steelers says we wouldn't. His suspensions may not stop other teams but they will stop the Steelers, I think we traded a super bowl mvp away for the very same reason, no?