Should they bench "money man" for a quarter??

No way. As a fan and knowing it could be his and Ben's last year here I want to see them on the field from the get go.

 

Of course it was up for grabs . Every Coach is going to push their guys to be the best .I am sure they sell the dream everyday in practice...It goes like this we will play the best players at the best spot if you are 4th. string then beat out the 3rd. and don't stop there if you can beat out #2 then keep on going if your effort in practice and in the pre season games warrant it you can win the starting job.

By that standard Bell has lost his starting job because he wasn't even there to compete for it . Just because you are great and have mad skills doesn't count towards effort and availability . Bell showed no effort or no availability . So the punishment would be crowning him king without earning the crown.

You want to be the man then get your ass in here with your mates and show why you are or should be the king . In Football you elect every year he has done nothing to deserve the crown this year . Is he the best RB we have ?More than likely ,does he deserve to skip the practices and the camps and waltz back in and proclaim himself as King ? No he does not and any good Coach will not allow him to even try it, much less do it .

If I was his Coach he would be earning that spot back and if that means another guy who did put in the work holds you off then so be it.

I would let Conner and Watson show their skills to a point that it might cost us games other than that Bell is the 3rd. stringer , now put in the work you missed force me as a Coach to put you on the field..

The better the other RB'S do the more Bell will learn about being a Team player.It may even break his show me the money attitude .And that's what's up.

 

No, we just need to move on & focus toward our goal of winning a championship ...the rest is petty

 

This would be a great approach if your intention was to mold young boys into men.
That is not the Steeler's intentions.
The Steeler's intention is to win Superbowls. And Bell gives them the best chance at that. To not recognize that is doing a disservice to everyone on the team who's singular goal is one and the same. Win games. Win Superbowls.
That is what's up, actually.

 

You can't win if you can't control your Team. If we can win without Bell being the go to RB it will help him and the entire Team . I will state it right now if they let Bell come right back it will hurt this Teams Team spirit and they will not go all the way .

Plus Bell has been hurt every year in the post season it would be of great value to get the other RB'S work and as I stated if winning then Bell getting 20 totes or 10 makes no difference really. A win is a win.

 

Knowing how poorly Tomlin does in season openers, I would start Bell if he is football ready. Also, Tomlin with his mindset of running players until the wheels fall off is just stupid. Retreads have never given us a ride to the Super Bowls. He has a stable of good running backs, why run one to possible injury when in control of a game ? This is when you allow other guys to step in and develop the game playing experience and shake off possibly jitters if in fact, they are called upon due to injuries of others. Had Tomlin pulled Bell out of the game before Blount got fed up and walked off the field, we may have had a trued shot at going deeper into the playoffs and maybe the Super Bowl had Blount been available. I get that Blount walking off the field was a selfish act but, Blount knew if there was ever a chance to get into the game it was that moment. And why not save the legs of Bell and keep him fresh for another game when, your team is surely in the lead and in control ? This bull**** about not living on your fears is ego talk. You don't have to fear but, respect what could happen in a single play like an injury during cleanup time.

 

For what it's worth Bell did say he was winded yesterday so all the talk of training versus football shape was somewhat true. He said he felt good but Wednesday with pads will be the real test. So there's that.

 

I wonder, does his contract give specific performance incentives for # of starts? With it being a franchise tag, I doubt it. If I were to sit him it would be just the first offense play of the game. Don't let him get the start, just one play is enough to send your message. It's not like Ben wouldn't want to start with a 4-5WR set to come out of the gates slinging.

 

$300,000 a quarter you have invested in this guy. You wan't him to sit still?

 

Boom (per Tomlin):

“The consequences of his rust, or lack of exposure, will be revealed to him and to us over time,” Tomlin explained. “How much football he can absorb, the amount of detail in his play, his overall level of football conditioning, his ball security, all of those things are consequences, or potential consequences, of time missed. The totality of those things, I’m just not interested in speculating on, because I won’t know until time reveals it. And that’s part of this process. Like I said in Latrobe, there are definite consequences for the time missed. What those consequences are and the extent of them, time will tell him and us.”

 

Pretty massive jump there PWP.

Bell didn't hold out because of lack of coaching control, he held out because it was his contractual right. Just as countless big names have in the past, and still turned in stellar team performances. The players will understand that, and what needs to be said will be sorted behind closed doors.

I do think we'll see more of Connor this season spelling Bell, though - his development is important.

 

So does that mean he gets 20 plus carries ? Does he get all the GL work ? Does he get more rest during the game ?

Who knows it's Coach speak for I can get other RB'S in the game and can state any of the reasons above to the public as to why . He is not going to state it to the public how he intends to deal with Bell, but Bell will not be the Bell cow for the Browns game .

 

Also guys have held out and had horrid seasons. Players see Bell as the last game you played you couldn't bring the goods .The Team offered you a great deal and he turned it down. The tag is there Bell couldn't get any more money.At that point him not coming to camp is a slap in the face to his Coach and his Mates .

Do you think his OL respect him more or less ? Less because he wasn't out there ready to pursue the goal with them. Again he had nothing to gain all he was doing is skipping the process .Common sense dictates some of his mates will not respect that . Will they say it in public ? Hopefully not , but just because fans don't hear it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Coach T needs to keep his locker room and protect his own words ,this Bell crap is how a Team begins to unravel in crucial spots . Do you think the Pats would make him the man game 1 back ?

Not to mention missing part of the other season for violating NFL rules . If I was his mate me and him would have some words in private trust that.

 

Ok

OK my last post on this subject as I have stated my view enough.

If a guy is not in camp he is not the starter. What if he never returns to camp?
What if that guy gets traded ?
What if he comes back and doesn't pass the physical ?
What if he tweaks a Hammy or another injury in practice before game 1 ?

I could list many more , but the point is the other RB'S have to prepare as if they are the starter. Nothing naive about it .Those guys put in the work and Bell did not . As a Coach to win over a locker room is to develop trust, how this is handled now will have lots of implications in the future .

If you really do believe in the Team concept then your actions as a Coach must support that . I firmly believe Coach T will reward Conner and Watson for their work this off season in the Browns game . I am sure he will say Bell was not completely ready for the full load , or seemed winded, or we wanted to use caution some type of crap like that , but the players will know the real reason that Bell was not the Bell cow in the Browns game.

If Bell is the Bell cow I will lose a lot of respect for Coach T and have serious concerns about his Team building skills moving forward .

 

If Bell wasn't going to play this Sunday for any reason, do we still win against Cleveland ? This is Cleveland's Super Bowl, I hope the Steelers don't blow it. We are going to have a Steeler secondary that is practically new to all the players with some new faces, learning the system and just getting on page with each other. Defense, we have a rookie in Watts, Williams taking the place of Timmons. Add into the mix if Tomlin insist upon putting Bell in and if he isn't in shape. If Bell does have issues with holding onto the ball, being winded I, would sit him for Watson and with a change up of Connors. I know the Browns are not that good but, I've seen better Steeler teams fall to lesser teams. I hope Tomlin doesn't unleash hell.

 

But, if CoachT sits Bell for the first series vs Cle and short changes him a carry or two for the season, then in your mind - respect is restored, punishment is meted, justice is served, and an important team building message is sent to the team?? It ain't the 2 cent library fine, it's the principle?

If that's your point fine. But i suspect the locker room will snicker and roll their eyes, rather than take a lesson to heart.

 

We bench him only if we are complete morons and hold grudges over business. Fortunately we aren't a trash organization, so Bell will get the ball early and often. I still believe that we intend on trying really hard to sign Bell long term next offseason. Showing a level of pettiness and benching him for 'acting out of line' would hinder that process I'd imagine.

There's zero chance he gets benched

 

Tomlins ultimate goal should be, put the best person in the game that will win for the team. I get it that Bell situation may warrant action to keep other players from not, putting the team first. There are divas in this league and it's usually the ones that are top shelf players. They get extended leashes. It's my understanding that Bell did what, he was allowed to do with holding out. I also get Bell wants to make as much money as he possibly could with some safeguards as his future and future dollars. I don't get why Bell can't do the math that, he was asking for way too much IMHO and with the franchise tag and the highest dollar amount thrown at him that, Bell did not sign the tag earlier and join his team. He did hurt himself and his team. Bell is never going to learn IMO but others need to learn if they aren't aware how Bell actually is no better off for doing what he has done. How do you address as a coach what Bell did without hurting the team ? Sit next to the coach on the bus or plane as the naughty student ? Run extra laps ? Have him write, " I promise to put the team before me 1000 times ? " Maybe if they're in a game winning, Bell has a chance to add to his stats or break a record Tomlin, could then bench him ? For Tomlin, it needs to be a situational thing when the opportunity arises if it arises at all. Maybe Tomlin can throw a 52 man team party and number 53 that wears number 26 is not invited ?

 

Ok so I didn't read this whole thread but benching him is stupid. I have sat here a read in other threads how Bell has hurt the team cause he wasn't practicing with them and holding out. Well if that is the feeling what sense does benching him when he shows up? I mean the Clowns are the best practice you can have.

My feeling is just the opposite, he now gets one week in of practice then gets to play a pretty easy game where it could be taken like a preseason game and he plays like 2-3 quarters and he then get taken out. He will have 2 weeks to get reps in before he has a real game vs the Vikes. Now listen I am not over looking the Clowns and if we don't blow them out then Bell has to stay in, but for real if we are a SB inspired team these are games we need to roll on. I think this whole Bell thing has gotten out of control and needs to be put in check and move on to more important things like the regular season and then the playoffs in route to #7!!!!!

 

Nope. Would bring unneeded attention to us. We've already had too much of it with Bell in the preseason/training camp. Whether you agree with his actions or not, let the best RB in the game play.

 

http://pit.247sports.com/Bolt/Big-B...r-to-get-quite-a-few-carries-Sunday-106982634
FYI.