DeVito52
Ravens Ring of Honor
I would just like to gloat that I pounded the shit out of the table for Herndon.Here's a bright spot on offense (and if you can see this from the Pit of Misery, @OriolesMagicPlease , I'm sure you'd be pleased):
-
Welcome to PurpleFlock! Sign up here so that you can chat with your fellow Ravens fans.
The Random Thought Thread
- Thread starter The Greek
- Start date
that was a good call - i was worried about the knee surgery he had to have
but i thought he and jordan akins were both way too low on most draft analysts's boards
I liked Akins also and agreed he was too low on draft boards. Good call on Herndon @DeVito52
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
Kirk cousins did this and ended up the richest man in the nfl BEFORE his mega deal with the Vikings. Quite frankly Bell is not deserving of a massive guaranteed contract because he has proven to be unreliable with multiple suspensions, and he is a RB with a ridiculous amount of mileage, there is a reason the Steelers didn’t give him those guarantees and it’s not because they thought James Conner would break out or because they were being spiteful, they didn’t give him the guarantees because it was the smart thing to do. RBs fall off a cliff quite quickly in the nfl, a majority of rb contracts are structured a certain way because the teams can’t be on the hook for tens of millions for 4+ seasons and only get one big season of production. These are things Bell has to understand, it’s the nature of his position, and even more he has to consider than he has multiple suspensions factoring into the decision and those suspensions were 100% his fault.
He’s acting like he deserves a contract that he doesn’t, and was acting like a pompous dick about it the whole time. I’m all about players getting what they deserve and holding out for it, I had zero problems with Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack doing it, they earned the right to do what they did, Bell did earn that right, Donald and Mack are the 1st and 2nd best defenders in the nfl, is Bell the #1 offensive player? Hell no. Donald and Mack have never been suspended, has Le’Veon Bell had a clean track record? Hell no.
And it’s hard for me to side with the Steelers organization about anything, i side with them 100% on this, the way bell has handled this situation just proves the Steelers made the right choice.
And if we sign him, i would declare day one that we made a mistake and will regret it by the end of year 2
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
I too had Akins really high, like early third high.
if age isnt an issue for hurst it really shouldnt have been for akins yet that was why akins seemingly was down on so many draft boards - yes they'll be older by the time they finish their rookie contract - but you're not on the hook to pay them a second contract if you dont want - and you get their prime years on a cheap contract - it's a different kind of situation but its not worth someone dropping in the draft and i think this is one of those times where analysts got too far in their own head and teams just looked at the tape and went "I want that one"
there were so many analysts who seemingly had durham smythe and dalton schultz ahead of akins and herndon and it made no sense in any fashion
looking at the draft its interesting though to analyse some of the teams:
the ravens, dolphins and texans all double dipped at tight end - all 3 made sure they got a pure receiving threat at the position somewhere but beyond that the strategies differed:
- the ravens got the best inline pro-ready tight end prospect in the draft with the athletic profile to affect the game from all sorts of alignments and then doubled down with a pure receiving threat with the ability to become a matchup nightmare
- the dolphins got what they thought was the best pure receiver in the draft at the position and then circled back around in a more traditional way to get the best pure blocker in the class too - not much schematic versatility but a traditional formula when picking multiple tight ends
- the texans took a high ceiling big-play receiving threat and then doubled down on those reception skills and got a size-speed freak with basketball skills to come score touchdowns
How long ago was bell suspensions? Dont you remember that bell lost almost 30 pounds that made him become who he is. Bell is also ripped so we know he put in the work. Big ben case was 10x worse than bells and they still held on to big ben. I didnt know bell was acting like a dick tbh. To
My knowledge, he warned them then did what he say he was gonna do! You see what happned to earl thomas? bell is worth every single penny that he wants and people are lying to themselves if they think otherwise.bell knows his worth so i dont blame him for sitting out. I hope this encourages other players to do the same. Just like how owners get their dollars worth out of players, players need to do the same. Also, mack isnt the 2nd best defender in nfl, that goes to jj watt and then maybe von miller.
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
Von Miller is NOT a better defender than Mack, period. Watt before the injuries absolutely, but he’s been basically out of football for 2 seasons and is just now hitting his stride again.
And owners don’t always get their dollars worth, it is absurd the number of players who get big guaranteed contracts and go on to do nothing. You think the ravens got their dollars worth out of Eugene Monroe? Redskins with Bruce smith/Deion/haynesworth? It happens all the time, owners get massively fucked on contracts constantly, just because the owners have more money doesn’t mean they’re obligated to give it to players that they can’t trust with it. And yes, Bell was being a dick, he was making vague yet blatant remarks about the Steelers on Twitter, no matter how harmless YOU may see it as, it’s literally the worst thing you can do, shows an extreme lack of professionalism and care for your team. Also it doesn’t matter how long ago they were, he was suspended multiple times and is now on a short leash, would be great to give him 60m guaranteed and he decided to celebrate with a few bleezies(as he’s done before) and gets tested and suspended for a whole year. That’s why you don’t give a player like him those guarantees, he’s been a knucklehead for years despite his incredible play, and the best ability is availability, and investing an absurd amount of guarantees in a player better come with a guarantee from his end too.
let me share something with you.. ive literally seen a current top 6 wr smoking weed on facetime and i seen a top 3 back( for like 3 seasons) smoke literally right next to me..every single player knows when the test are coming. The ones who get caught are the ones who just dgaf and since bell hasnt gotten caught since it first happene i doubt he would make that mistake again. I dont know how much bell wanted but last few yrs he has shown that he is worth whatever he asked for. Not sure about bruce smith but the rest of thise guys you named wouldve only gotten that much from those organizations and no one else.im sure they can write up those contracts very nicley to where bell couldnt fuck them over.
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
He didn’t just fail a test, he also got arrested, which can happen to any player no matter how smart they think they’re being about it. I don’t give a fuck about a player smoking weed but if I’m an owner I’m being a lot more careful about giving a guaranteed contract to someone who’s been popped multiple times
I def agree with you but i feel like bell isnt wrong neither. Couldnt steleers put some type of no smoking clause in his contract though?
allblackraven
Hall of Famer
The best part for Bell is that he seems content with where he is, regardless of whether someone gives him that multi-year deal or not.
He'd really rather not play at all. I respect that.
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
His dumbass wouldn’t agree to it lmao
the last line is EXACTLY why I say the Steelers are 100% right on all fronts with this. Maybe I wrong for saying Bell is wrong, but a player who is about the team and wants to play wouldn’t be in this situation, I’m not even suggesting playing for less than he’s worth, I’m suggesting he consider his past fuckups and realize he got an incredible offer rather than think he’s owed more than he really is.
allblackraven
Hall of Famer
I don't know - I think he'd try hard if he got a deal. He's quite a bit of diva but doesn't strike me as a dishonest guy.
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
Not dishonest, but more doesn’t give a shit. He strikes me as the type who would quit on his team if the play calls or OL play weren’t favoring him. Before this whole ordeal I thought Bell was just a guy who wasn’t the most mature, But the fact that he was kinda taunting the Steelers when things weren’t looking good early on show me that he’s more than that, he seems like he’s far from the ideal teammate/locker room presence
when has he shown that though - outside of this outlier year where he has his stated reasons for not showing up, when has he shown you that he would or ever has given up?
JoeyFlex5
Hall of Famer
Tbh it’s mostly how he’s handled this situation, also paired with his past suspensions, altogether showing that at the very least he’s a knucklehead
i just think that you're allowing a recency bias to cloud your thoughts on him a little
im not saying that id want him here because of the price tag that would come with him but i have no doubt that he'd play
his first suspension was for weed when he got done for a DUI (ironically with Lagarrette Blount lol) and his 2nd suspension was for a missed drug test (not a positive sample or anything) - he's been suspended 6 games (there's a reason both were reduced on appeal) in his entire career
he just doesnt strike me as a knucklehead
Oldfaithful
Hall of Famer
* @redrum52 has been fined $40,000 for question the all powerful Godell*