And I would like to go out on a limb and say with Bell healthy we would have averaged even more since he is so good in the passing game.
Bell may not be ready week one
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And I would like to go out on a limb and say with Bell healthy we would have averaged even more since he is so good in the passing game.
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Well, let's not just be all emotional about it. Numbers are good.
907 > 556 Advantage D'Angelo
4.5 ypc < 4.9 ypc Advantage Bell
16 games played > 6 games played Advantage D'Angelo
56.7 < 92.7 Advantage BELL (note the BIG advantage here...) See, I can be objective...
3 fumbles > 0 fumbles Advantage Bell
Based on the above, I think it's safe to say that Bell is generally a better overall option than Williams. The yards per game is a glaring stat that's huge. Of course I didn't put up the carries per game stat. Bell was getting at minimum 6 or so more carries per game than D'Angelo and Williams was almost completely unused in the weeks before Bell was was injured. He played during the suspension, was relegated to the bench excepting a play or two here and there and then did virtually nothing until Bell was injured.
Nonetheless, I don't think any reasonable argument can be made that statistically Bell is not superior to Williams before Week 6 or 7. However...
After week 7, Bells production fell dramatically. In fact it could be argued that without Williams the running back situation would have become dire. Bell may as well have been inactive for as low as his statistical output was after November 2nd. Oh wait... He was inactive. So it seems Williams was a significant upgrade from the point on. You could even say that D'Angelo Williams saved the entire season by giving the Steelers a semblance of a running game. I would say that ensuring that Williams remains as the #2 and finishes out the 2nd year of his contract is a major priority this year.
907 > 556 Advantage D'Angelo
4.5 ypc < 4.9 ypc Advantage Bell
16 games played > 6 games played Advantage D'Angelo
56.7 < 92.7 Advantage BELL (note the BIG advantage here...) See, I can be objective...
3 fumbles > 0 fumbles Advantage Bell
Based on the above, I think it's safe to say that Bell is generally a better overall option than Williams. The yards per game is a glaring stat that's huge. Of course I didn't put up the carries per game stat. Bell was getting at minimum 6 or so more carries per game than D'Angelo and Williams was almost completely unused in the weeks before Bell was was injured. He played during the suspension, was relegated to the bench excepting a play or two here and there and then did virtually nothing until Bell was injured.
Nonetheless, I don't think any reasonable argument can be made that statistically Bell is not superior to Williams before Week 6 or 7. However...
After week 7, Bells production fell dramatically. In fact it could be argued that without Williams the running back situation would have become dire. Bell may as well have been inactive for as low as his statistical output was after November 2nd. Oh wait... He was inactive. So it seems Williams was a significant upgrade from the point on. You could even say that D'Angelo Williams saved the entire season by giving the Steelers a semblance of a running game. I would say that ensuring that Williams remains as the #2 and finishes out the 2nd year of his contract is a major priority this year.
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Bell gives you a complete weapon in all facets of the game: rushing, receiving, blocking. The guy's value goes beyond the numbers, he's a true everydown back with all the tools (I don't care about his speed compared to others) who also has amazing stats and makes the opposite D doubt about what he will be doing in every down
It truly is bizarre the people questioning how good Bell is. When he is healthy, he is a top 3, if not the top RB in the league, period. He can run, pass and block as well as anyone in the league. He can run WR routes. He is a true three down back. If we can afford to sign him, we should.
I have no doubts that Bell gets his contract taken care of. He's a gamer and except for getting cheapshotted out of the past two seasons he's as dynamic a back as you'll find in the league.
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I know I wasn't questioning Bell's place as a top 3 RB in the league. He's definitely one of the best when healthy and not sparking it up. I was questioning the overall importance of spending big bucks on a top RB in general. It's all about opportunity cost.
Look at the stats I posted earlier about top rushers last season. Only 1 team out of 7 with a 1,000 yard rusher this year made the playoffs (Minnesota) and AP is arguably the best in the league. Why spend big bucks on a position that has a short shelf life plus doesn't even guarantee more wins (unlike a premier QB, WR, CB, or Pass Rusher)? This is even ignoring the fact that Bell is coming off his 2nd major knee surgery AND has been in trouble with the league before.
I don't think it's as clear cut as some of you guys are making it to re-sign him. I'm not saying we cut him loose, but we need to be realistic with the price. The inherent risks need to be factored in and discounted accordingly. Bell's not a re-sign at all cost type of situation like it will be with AB, IMO.
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How about we just use our eyeballs when comparing the two not stats that can be twisted to look anyway you want..using just my eyeballs Bell>Williams by a large margin. Not that Williams is a slouch but Bell is that good.
Also let me add people kill me bitching about injuries when damn near all of you couldn't play with the week in and week out injuries that these guys play thru. Let alone the major ones they endure from playing the most physical sport.
Also let me add people kill me bitching about injuries when damn near all of you couldn't play with the week in and week out injuries that these guys play thru. Let alone the major ones they endure from playing the most physical sport.
And IMO as Ben career is winding down Bell is just as important to the Steelers..he can bridge that gap in between Ben skills that one day start to diminish and the next QB. A strong running game will be need as Ben gets older. Being able to give it to Bell will only extend Ben's career.
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Nobody is questioning how good he is, but in three seasons he's missed 11 regular season games due to injury, 2 to suspension, and missed two playoff seasons. You have to factor that in when thinking about contracts.
I agree, but will Tomlin/Hailey run the offense the same when Bell is healthy as the did when he was out?
We will see. Its not like he can't play in that type of offense. That's the beauty of Bell.
One post season he missed due to going all out for the team and getting a head injury. I don't count that as a negative. If so,, you can do the same thing to Antonio after the Burfict hit.
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You mean like they did with Pouncey? Just like Pouncey, Bell isn't going out there and pulling muscles, he's getting hit in his knees and being taken out. This isn't Woodley we're talking about, who had an injury bug. This is one of the best players on the field being targeted by certain teams. All of Bells major injuries, and all the reasons he has missed playoff games are because of ONE TEAM.
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My bigger concern is who is the safety outlet for Ben with Miller retired and potentially without Bell. Williams is certainly an option, but Bell is essentially a bulked up receiver when he is on the field.
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Yea, but that's Brown's only significant span of missed games; with Bell this is old news. I don't pay premium bucks for a player you can't trust to make the field.
DW is very good, Bell is GREAT! That said I also wouldn't break the bank for him either. While his being an excellent every down back, in all 3 aspects of the offensive game cannot be over-stated, our offense can thrive with a lesser weapon. Hopefully he will agree to a deal that is fair to both sides. If we overpay we will be unable to continue to upgrade the defense and that is needed more than anything else.
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I think Bell is a much better back all around than Williams. I also think he's had 2 major injuries in three years, much like Pouncey. That makes me say (in my inside head voice), "maybe, just mabye he's not quite cut out for Running Back".
It's not his fault. I suppose it's Vontaze Burfict's fault. But the Steelers front office is considering a gamble wherein they'll be asked to put up tens of millions of dollars on the assumption that Leveon Bell can finish 3 to 5 seasons, let alone 1. He's not actually managed that too well so far.
Is he amazing when he's on the field? Yep! No doubt about it.
Does Antdrew have a valid point about Bell's value to Ben and "other than Ben" on the offense? Oh ya. He sure does.
Will I be wildly ecstatic if and when Bell breaks the rushing record next season? You betcha!
Do I believe we ought to make damn sure Williams is signed for the possibility of Bell getting injured? Ya!
Am I also FULLY aware that Williams was injured at the end of last season when we needed him too? UH HUH!
Look, I like Bell. I think he's a tremendous player. But I think he and Pouncey both need to sit their agents down and say, "Hey man, we just got paid a shitload of money to do nothing. I think we should probably take that seriously into consideration when we negotiate our next contract."
Likewise, I think the Steelers should look at D'Angelo Williams and other players like him who DON'T pull a (I'm so proud of myself. I can't even remember the last running back's name.) They should take a look at how Williams came in, worked his tail off, did what was best for the team, accepted a backup role without question but still worked every bit as hard as a starter would and managed to put up starter numbers throughout the season. (Oh. I almost remembered that last guy's name. Almost.) The Steelers should remember that kind of thing and do THEIR negotiations accordingly.
That's just me though. I can't help but be sort fair about stuff. (Damn, I almost had it - Got it. Blount. Right. LeGarret or something like that. Hated that kid when he was in college. Didn't like it when the Steelers signed him as a FA. Just goes to show. If you got no class, you got no class.)
Ok, I'm done.
It's not his fault. I suppose it's Vontaze Burfict's fault. But the Steelers front office is considering a gamble wherein they'll be asked to put up tens of millions of dollars on the assumption that Leveon Bell can finish 3 to 5 seasons, let alone 1. He's not actually managed that too well so far.
Is he amazing when he's on the field? Yep! No doubt about it.
Does Antdrew have a valid point about Bell's value to Ben and "other than Ben" on the offense? Oh ya. He sure does.
Will I be wildly ecstatic if and when Bell breaks the rushing record next season? You betcha!
Do I believe we ought to make damn sure Williams is signed for the possibility of Bell getting injured? Ya!
Am I also FULLY aware that Williams was injured at the end of last season when we needed him too? UH HUH!
Look, I like Bell. I think he's a tremendous player. But I think he and Pouncey both need to sit their agents down and say, "Hey man, we just got paid a shitload of money to do nothing. I think we should probably take that seriously into consideration when we negotiate our next contract."
Likewise, I think the Steelers should look at D'Angelo Williams and other players like him who DON'T pull a (I'm so proud of myself. I can't even remember the last running back's name.) They should take a look at how Williams came in, worked his tail off, did what was best for the team, accepted a backup role without question but still worked every bit as hard as a starter would and managed to put up starter numbers throughout the season. (Oh. I almost remembered that last guy's name. Almost.) The Steelers should remember that kind of thing and do THEIR negotiations accordingly.
That's just me though. I can't help but be sort fair about stuff. (Damn, I almost had it - Got it. Blount. Right. LeGarret or something like that. Hated that kid when he was in college. Didn't like it when the Steelers signed him as a FA. Just goes to show. If you got no class, you got no class.)
Ok, I'm done.
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And how well did Williams fare against those two "tough" defenses? If I'm not mistaken, I believe his TOTAL yardage between the two games was less than 50 yards and that's probably being generous.
Bell is a bigger more significant find than any receiver.... Yeah , I said it.
I absolutely agree with that. I would be surprised if we can keep Bell and AB but hope we do. If we do, you have to assume Bryant is gone. We just can't sign everyone. Career longevity wise, you can probably get more years out of AB than you can out of Bell. So, sure, if you HAD to choose, I would choose AB. But, I sure do hope we can keep them both. They will be fun to watch as Ben wraps up his career trying to get that 3rd and even 4th ring.
I wish the players union would push for a NBA type rule where a team can go over the salary cap to sign their own players who have 3 or more years with the team. Bird rights.
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Good question. Denver and Seattle finished #1 and #2 overall in NFL Defense. They also were #1 and #2 in rush defense by a good margin. The Steelers only gave him 22 total attempts in both games, but Williams did 118 yards as a receiver in these two games.
Compare and contrast
Bell did not do well vs St Louis ranked 23rd in defense (19 rushes 62 yards 3.26 YPC ). He also had a sub par game vs Arizona, ranked 5th in defense ( 24 rushes 88 yards 3.67 yards per carry )
When healthy, Bell can be viewed as better overall, but not by a wide margin. You can also argue that Williams is a better goal line back, and offers more speed.
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So you don't factor into the equation who was at QB in those games? Just remembered Ben played the majority of the Rams game was thinking about the Chargers game. Still even in that Rams game you neglected to include Bell also had 7 catches for 70 yards.
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