Mike Wallace is doing the right thing

By skipping the preseason after seeing what happened to DeCastro and other players around the league get injured playing these meaningless games, and the players barely get paid for these games. I have no problem with it as long as he shows up in time for the season opener especially on a 1 year deal before becoming a UFA next season.

 

He need to be there to get his reps in.Its one thing to be in shape but he has to be in football

 

So easy for fans to pass judgement when it's not their careers or financial futures on the line. Wallace still risks losing millions of dollars by playing for a year deal.

 

yeah as a fan I want my money worth.By babying these players and protecting these players from injury are causing these players to get injured easier.I believe we have more players to go out with acl/mcl then concussions.This is a violent sport that apparently you never played.

 

Isnt he supposed to make his debut and sign this weekend? Cuts need to be made, decisions hang in the balance, he needs to be there now!!!

And the Colts got Davis from the Fins so Wallace was not part of the big trade rumblings belched from Irsays face.

 

Ummmmm, don't the players get paid the same whether they're there or not? A million a year is a million a year. (I don't know what Wallace's actual salary is)

 

Its about getting into game shape, and learning the new play book on the field. Practicing without equipment is a bit different than actual game speed, and where players are coming at you 100%. I'm getting sick of this punk so i couldn't care less I hope he does get drilled his first time out lol

 

Disagree. His teammates have been in camp busting their butts so he should have been there too, especially with a new offense being installed.

 

Sorry to inform you but you will never get your moneys worth by being a fan. There is no return on the investment of money, time, energy, emotional expense ect. In case you haven't realized, football is FREE to watch on tv.

Not sure how babying players causes them to get injured easier. Players are going to get injured doing football related activities and while playing the game. Players are more prone to serious injury today because the players are bigger, stronger, and faster then they've ever been.

I believe that there are more concussions that happen in a season then there are ACL/MCL injuries. Many of the concussions that happen are not reported. There are probably a lot of concussions that happen in the trenches that are unreported. Players want to hide concussion because ultimately concussions could affect their ability to earn money.

I played football at one point of my life. I never played football at the highest level. In any event, not sure what playing football has to do with anything?

 

On the one hand, it seems unfair that his soon-to-be teammates (Steelers that are under contract) are banging heads and risking injury. I wish he'd showed up on time and negotiated early on.

On the other hand, suppose Wallace showed up to practice and play in the preseason (which he doesn't need to do, but would be "nice" and speed up his progression with the new offense), and then tears his ACL against the Bills. Now, out of good faith to his teammates and fans, he's cost himself an unimaginable amount of money. 10, 20, 30, 40 million dollars, depending on how well he recovers and how much the FA market next year believes in his new knee. Would you risk the biggest and possibly last pay day of your entire life (complete with retirement at the age of 30, having your family be set for life, getting to spend your life doing pretty much whatever you want to do, and on and on) so that you could squeeze in an extra couple of weeks of Haley time and Ben chemistry? I don't even go above 15 dollars at roulette.

 

I don't think Mike is doing the right thing, we have a new offense and he needs game experience. I hope he's in shape and ready to go. Furthermore I hope we sign him long term as long as he get paid what he's worth; Not what he thinks he's worth (A big difference until he proves it on the field). That said we are a better team with him so Mike get your butt back NOW!

 

and on the other hand, he can still have a monster season enroute to #7

 

Yeah how did that work out for David Johnson busted his butt in camp and as soon as he got hurt the team cut him.

 

He should have been cut long before.

 

That is irrelevant if he didnt get hurt he would still be on the team

 

Not for long. He didn't stand a chance against Will Johnson. At best he might have made it as a tight end due to Saunders missing the first few games, but would get the boot upon Weslye's return. And he'd only even get that far if he beat out Pope (Haley's boy) and Paulson (draft pick). I think his number was up.

 

When I think of the upcoming regular season I am not considering Wallace in the picture. I'll believe it when I see it.

 

I'm with you Scott and I actually posted this last night. It made me really mad to see DeCastro laying on the turf and knowing that Wallace was back at his "crib" or where ever the crap people who think they are too cool for school hang out. It would serve Wallace right to come in and get his dome rocked real good by Troy coming across the middle in practice or something. I'm so sick of these entitled players and as a true Steelers fan we should all be sick of it. That is the most anti Steeler mentality to think you "deserve" something. Earn it dude. Just like AB did and now I have MAD respect for him!

 

I guess all of the players who busted their butts, didn't get hurt and didn't get cut are irrelevant?

 

Unfortunately, there is a BIG business side to football for players and owners. Not sure why some fans don't seem to understand that football is ultimately a business?

Fans help to create entitled players. Why support sports if you are sick of entitled players?

 

I'm not sure he's after your respect. He's trying to stay happy and safe until he gets a long-term deal. It's possible he's going to play every game for us this season, but knows that he can get more elsewhere and will not sign with us long-term. If that's the case, he'll play as hard as he can. But why come in for preseason? Just to be one of the guys? Just to not be too cool for school? What you're saying sounds nice and fair and all, but what would you say if he tore his ACL and lost tens of millions of dollars because of it? "Whoa man, that sucks. But thanks for showing up. You did the right thing." And I'm not sure he'd feel better. I'm sure you'd also rather he stay with us and sacrifice the money he could get somewhere else. Loyalty is aweome and I love it, but would you stay with the job you love if you could get an extra million or two every year at a neighboring company?

It's just sooo easy for us to say he should put his own personal needs aside in favor of ours or the team's, even in the preseason. I'll hate him when he doesn't give it his all on the field. Right now he's making a calculated decision for his health and bank account.

 

Here's what I'm saying. If the guys around you are going to risk it all whether it "counts" or not then you should be willing to do the same. I'm not saying that Wallace or any other player should be out there in preseason killing themselves but I am saying that Wallace, and a lot of athletes in general, come across like Allen Iverson with his stupid diva personality saying "PRACTICE???" "MAN WE JUST TALKIN' BOUT PRACTICE!!!" Yes, Iverson was great but the perception was that he was a lazy little primadonna. I know we'll never know this for sure but I would love to know if AB would've done the same thing. Why do we love Hines? Because he was willing to go all the way and risk it all. I just think Wallace runs the risk of being like Randy Moss and saying "I play hard when I want to." I'm sorry that we disagree and have a different philosophy but that's just my opinion. I understand that he wants to make money but let me ask you if you would feel so much compassion for him if he stayed home during the regular season?

 

I don't think Wallace ever did or said anything to suggest he's a diva. It's a contract/business situation with millions of dollars at stake.

Hines held out over money.

I've never seen any footage to suggest that Wallace took off plays like Moss. I've never heard Wallace's work ethic come into question. I've never heard Wallace state he will play hard when he wants to play hard. Not sure how you compared Wallace to Randy Moss?

If Wallace holds out till week 10 I'd understand that it's a business decision.

 

I don't feel compassion for him, but I would if he got seriously hurt while in negotiations for a long-term contract. Every one of "the guys around him" are in a different situation from Mike. They are under contract. They have to be there, but they also have some level of security. They either have what they want, or are in the process of building a resume to get what they want. Mike is at the crossroads. He's is not sitting out because he's lazy or a bad teammate like Iverson, and he's not sitting out because he's just a huge ****head like Revis, who apparently likes to hold out every year, even if he just signed a long-term deal the year before. When I say it's a calculated decision, I mean it. He has to sign the tender to negotiate. If he signs the tender, he has to play. If he gets a long deal with the Steelers, then it's all over with. If he doesn't (either because it hasn't happened yet or because he's decided he'll leave after this season for more money), and then he gets hurt, he's totally screwed, and that's where he loses potentially tens of millions of dollars. Now, if he decides to wait a year and sign somewhere else, and risk the injury of the regular season because he knows he has to play this year in order to get the big money next year, and he gets hurt week 4, that's one thing. A risk he decided to take for the extra moolah from Oakland/Cincy/Dallas/etc. But showing up in camp and playing in the preseason adds months of extra exposure and risk of injury. Months where he's rolling the dice with $10+ million. And why would he do that? To try and smooth out any glitches with the offense, maintain chemistry with Ben, not be viewed as a prima donna... and that's it. The last one is just ridiculous (I wouldn't throw away even one dollar for the sake of what the fans thought about me), and the other two are more meaningful, but still things that he probably thinks he can take care of in a week. He has the playbook, I'm sure he's been watching the games and has been in contact with teammates, and he's been playing with Ben for 3 years. Plus, how much could the offense really change? Routes are routes, he's seen them before. The players will tell you the biggest difference is terminology. I'm not in his head, but I'm guessing he is waaay less worried about getting the hang of this stuff than we all are, and not because he's arrogant, but because he knows what he's doing.

Comparing him to anyone that doesn't give it his all on the field is speculation about the future and can't be based on anything from his first 3 years in the NFL. I see a lot of, "I don't like him because he's going to _____..." Well let me know when he does.