Updated: Steelers open to trading Antonio Brown - Rooney sees it hard bringing him back

[TheFunPolice]

maybe the Rams will trade for him.

 

Why not? They traded for everyone else! They might not draft until 2021 but still!

[Hapless Bills Fan]

22 minutes ago, BarkleyForGOATBackupPT5P said:

He didn't have a knee injury. I thought for the longest time he did, I saw the CBS report before the Steelers game practice. I had no idea he was MIA for 4 or so days. Tomlin knew he'd have to bench him and sent that last minute knee injury for media damage control.

 

I'm not judging.  Maybe he had pain in his knee.  Probably true for many players at end of season.

 

I'm just saying his other reported behavior, including skipping a scheduled MRI and the team's Saturday walkthru and not communicating with the coach, are atypical for an injured teammate who wants to play.

[CommonCents]

2 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I'm not judging.  Maybe he had pain in his knee.  Probably true for many players at end of season.

 

I'm just saying his other reported behavior, including skipping a scheduled MRI and the team's Saturday walkthru and not communicating with the coach, are atypical for an injured teammate who wants to play.

Has the stuff that Breer reported yesterday been added to this thread? Brown was upset about the loss in NO. Then the team had its vote for team MVP and JuJu won. 

 

“So he shows up for work, he’s not voted MVP, he is in a bad way, and that carried

over into the walkthrough”

 

Thats from Breer’s reporting and it’s a direct quote from a Steelers source. 

 

 

[Magox]

Definite red flags with AB.  With that said he is a tremendous talent and it would be hard to pass up on for the right price.

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Except that there appears to be controversy as to whether he had a knee injury, or whether that report was a "precautionary measure" by Tomlin.

 

Normally, players who are injured leave practice with a trainer

They don't fire a ball at their QB and walk out

They are at the facility receiving treatment the following day

If the team schedules an MRI for them on Friday, they show up and get the test

 

Tomlin said they put AB on the injury report because he complained of knee soreness Wednesday.

Tomlin confirmed that AB did not undergo his scheduled MRI on Friday, did not show up for the team walkthrough and meeting on Saturday, and did not communicate until his agent phoned Tomlin on Sunday am and said he felt better and would be able to play in the game.

 

It must be acknowledged that's not normal behavior for injured NFL players.  They're allowed to get second opinions, but they're supposed to undergo medical evaluation as requested by the team as well.  A non-invasive test such as an MRI is a no-brainer.  They also communicate with the coach prior to game day.

 

Now maybe AB was injured, but while we're keeping an open mind, let's put the other side of that "knee injury" designation out there.

I expect at this time of the season, many if not most players could report discomfort or even pain in their joints mid-week.

 

 

See above

 

 

 

The Steelers have an issue with their best player because their designated leader is not as well prepared as their best player.    AB is arguably the most polished and prepared WR to suit up since Jerry Rice...........and Ben rolls off his couch in July and plays QB while Tom Brady and Drew Brees leave no stone unturned.     It's been festering for YEARS and I'm certain Brown is deliberately forcing action because nothing gets done about it.   It's not going to be Ben and it shouldn't be the coach and the Steelers have a replacement #1 WR on hand in Juju..........makes perfect sense to deal Brown.

[IDBillzFan]

1 hour ago, Magox said:

Definite red flags with AB.  With that said he is a tremendous talent and it would be hard to pass up on for the right price.

 

He may be hard to pass up, but I'd pass him up anyway. Regardless of the 'knee issue,' it's evident now the team expected him to be on the field Sunday. It's clear now his knee was never the problem this weekend, and that he chose himself over team. I wouldn't want a guy like that in the cubicle next to me let alone on my football team.

 

Of course, that's why I sit at a desk and AB is bouncing around on TV to a cheering crowd while dressed like a Madagascar character, so I recognize that my opinion means little.

 

Bail on your team in a must-win game to make the post-season? Hard pass from me. 

[Bing Bong]

Cris Carter weighed in on how disappointed he was in Brown.

 

Didn't have a fall guy. When will these young superstars learn from the wise HOFer smh.

 

His agent lost Brown's cellphone and told AB he spoke to Tomlin and Tomlin was totally cool with AB chilling at home before the game. Cmon AB not that hard. Fall guy.

Edited January 5, 2019 by BarkleyForGOATBackupPT5P

[Boca BIlls]

If he fakes putting AB on the injury report wouldn't they get a big fine?

[Stank_Nasty]

does anyone else chuckle every time they read "pig ben"?

 

EVERY.

SINGLE. 

TIME. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

54 minutes ago, Boca BIlls said:

If he fakes putting AB on the injury report wouldn't they get a big fine?

 

As long as there is some documentation of soreness or pain (could be "player reports") I think it's the opposite, actually.

[Golden Goat]

47 minutes ago, Stank_Nasty said:

does anyone else chuckle every time they read "pig ben"?

 

EVERY.

SINGLE. 

TIME. 

 

Perhaps it wasn't an error?

 

Big Ben and Dad go pig hunting

Could be related, but click at your own risk

[Hapless Bills Fan]

10 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

The Steelers have an issue with their best player because their designated leader is not as well prepared as their best player.    AB is arguably the most polished and prepared WR to suit up since Jerry Rice...........and Ben rolls off his couch in July and plays QB while Tom Brady and Drew Brees leave no stone unturned.     It's been festering for YEARS and I'm certain Brown is deliberately forcing action because nothing gets done about it.   It's not going to be Ben and it shouldn't be the coach and the Steelers have a replacement #1 WR on hand in Juju..........makes perfect sense to deal Brown.

 

Now I'm all confused!  Are you lobbying that AB did have a genuine knee injury that kept him out of practice all week, or acknowledging that he behaved atypically for an injured player and probably other stuff was going on (like, everything you say)?

 

The Steelers may choose to deal Brown, but they'll earn themselves a $21M-$23.5M cap hole if they do, which will make their lives challenging.

 

 

 

 

[YoloinOhio]

 

[Reed83HOF]

 

[formerlyofCtown]

On 12/31/2018 at 4:41 PM, Binghamton Beast said:

Why is it that the real Diva’s in this league play either WR or CB?

 

Steelers are close to having to rebuild.

I dont think you ever have to rebuild when you have A QB and Oline like they do.  I would say they need to Retool.  A few adjustments on offense and D and they will be legit contenders again.

[Stank_Nasty]

1 minute ago, formerlyofCtown said:

I dont think you ever have to rebuild when you have A QB and Oline like they do.  I would say they need to Retool.  A few adjustments on offense and D and they will be legit contenders again.

This is how I would put it. Ben is close to the end of his career. Therefore i’d bet they are close to a rebuild. That’s probably a 5-7 win team without him this year. 

 

 

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

Brown is a headache so we won’t even consider it.

 

Brown is also the best WR in the NFL and probably the closest thing to Marvin Harrison you can get. I would give up 9 for him and think nothing of it. We won’t draft a player (anywhere) better then him. Maybe ever. I would absolutely give them anything within reason but again...never going to happen with Bean and Mcd in charge.

Edited January 5, 2019 by Brianmoorman4jesus

[Stank_Nasty]

5 minutes ago, Brianmoorman4jesus said:

Brown is a headache so we won’t even consider it.

 

Brown is also the best WR in the NFL and probably the closest thing to Marvin Harrison you can get. I would give up 9 for him and think nothing of it. We won’t draft a player (anywhere) better then him. Maybe ever. I would absolutely give them anything within reason but again...never going to happen with Bean and Mcd in charge.

I would be cool with it either way... but I think it could easily be argued that the potential to sure up the OT slot for the next decade and then fill in the wr’s and te’s later in this draft and the next would be just as valuable or arguably more so than 2 or 3 years of play from brown. 

[formerlyofCtown]

13 minutes ago, Stank_Nasty said:

This is how I would put it. Ben is close to the end of his career. Therefore i’d bet they are close to a rebuild. That’s probably a 5-7 win team without him this year. 

 

 

I really liked Rudolph coming out of the draft.  I actually believe they already have Ben successor in him.

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

4 minutes ago, Stank_Nasty said:

I would be cool with it either way... but I think it could easily be argued that the potential to sure up the OT slot for the next decade and then fill in the wr’s and te’s later in this draft and the next would be just as valuable or arguably more so than 2 or 3 years of play from brown. 

Yeah I know it won’t happen so I’m not even going to consider it a reality. I would use the FA money to fix the line since the college game isn’t developing Olineman anymore. I would use the draft for all skill pos players. Fant in rd 1. Best WR/RB with the next 2 picks and just keep adding guys that can put points on the board.

[YoloinOhio]

29 minutes ago, formerlyofCtown said:

I dont think you ever have to rebuild when you have A QB and Oline like they do.  I would say they need to Retool.  A few adjustments on offense and D and they will be legit contenders again.

They say that every year with the D and haven’t been able to make it happen. They suck at drafting CBs and still haven’t overcome the loss of Shazier. 

[VW82]

26 minutes ago, Brianmoorman4jesus said:

Brown is a headache so we won’t even consider it.

 

Brown is also the best WR in the NFL and probably the closest thing to Marvin Harrison you can get. I would give up 9 for him and think nothing of it. We won’t draft a player (anywhere) better then him. Maybe ever. I would absolutely give them anything within reason but again...never going to happen with Bean and Mcd in charge.

 

Is he still that guy though? Brown is undersized for the position and turns 31 next year. Also, football is a team sport. I like the fact McD targets guys who buy in to the team culture first. We might not always get the most talented player but it takes 53 to make the playoffs, and so if your more talented guy is taking things off the table for the other players it doesn't always work. The worst kind of player is the former star on a big contract who thinks he's still a big time player, and distracts the team with his selfish behaviour.  

Edited January 5, 2019 by VW82

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

3 minutes ago, VW82 said:

 

Is he still that guy though? Brown is undersized for the position and turns 31 next year. Also, football is a team sport. I like the fact McD targets guys who buy in to the team culture first. We might not always get the most talented player but it takes 53 to make the playoffs, and so if your more talented guy is taking things off the table for the other players it doesn't always work. The worst kind of player is the former star on a big contract who thinks he's still a big time player, and distracts the team with his selfish behaviour.  

Is he still that guy? Yes. There is nothing else to say

[Rob's House]

I'd give up a 3rd for him, but that's about it. I can't think of too many undersized WRs who continued to dominate in their mid 30s.

[CaptnCoke11]

35 minutes ago, Rob's House said:

I'd give up a 3rd for him, but that's about it. I can't think of too many undersized WRs who continued to dominate in their mid 30s.

Exactly.. Soon as he loses a step he’s done 

[Chicken Boo]

They say that, but will demand something ludicrous like 3 1st round picks.

 

They weren't even smart enough to get something for Bell.

[Stank_Nasty]

1 hour ago, formerlyofCtown said:

I really liked Rudolph coming out of the draft.  I actually believe they already have Ben successor in him.

Ya. I’m not buying Rudolph. I live in Steeler country. It’s a land full of self righteous, spoiled fans that take having a HOF qb for granted. They’vd basically already fitted rudolph for his gold jacket because they don’t know how to register the concept of not having a top ten qb that can carry them to wins....

 

Rudolph May eventually take over, he won’t be a hall of famer and it will bring them clear on back pack to the pack, if not worse. 

 

Odds stack against teams hitting on qb after qb. 

[WideNine]

On 1/3/2019 at 1:39 PM, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Just a reminder..........he was inactive for the game with a knee injury.

 

People act like he pulled a Vontae.  ?  

 

 

 

It was immature - and WR's, especially good ones can have a diva streak. He's hungry, wants the ball, probably feels he can still get it done (he can), and he is losing reps to Ben's new favorite. That, and probably a lot of other dysfunctional things going on in that org that we are not even aware of.

 

AB is not KB the skills are still there.

 

We all know that he is going to be grilled about this episode from every team that shows interest. He is probably better off just being honest about why he was fed up with Big Ben and the Steeler's org... it happens. I think he could be a solid contributor and I would not mind the Bills taking a flyer on him. Having someone like Josh who can lob it a mile downfield is likely an attractive option too for a player with his skills who will want to put in an "I told you so" kind of year.

 

If there is nothing more to it than the above, considering the weak WR class this year, I could see OBD talking with him. Jordan Phillips was not even near the difference maker that AB is and they were willing to bring him in when he and the Dolphin's org were having issues getting along... there is precedence. 

 

 

 

 

[formerlyofCtown]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

They say that every year with the D and haven’t been able to make it happen. They suck at drafting CBs and still haven’t overcome the loss of Shazier. 

So you are saying havig a QB and Oline isnt that important.

[formerlyofCtown]

19 minutes ago, Stank_Nasty said:

Ya. I’m not buying Rudolph. I live in Steeler country. It’s a land full of self righteous, spoiled fans that take having a HOF qb for granted. They’vd basically already fitted rudolph for his gold jacket because they don’t know how to register the concept of not having a top ten qb that can carry them to wins....

 

Rudolph May eventually take over, he won’t be a hall of famer and it will bring them clear on back pack to the pack, if not worse. 

 

Odds stack against teams hitting on qb after qb. 

While I respect your opinion on Rudolph I disagree. I watch all of his college film and he threw the prettyest deepball of the group.  He was also exstremely accurate and seemed to command the huddle well.  Maybe he wont be able to transition that to the NFL you never truely know 100%.

 

I had him as my 3rd rated QB on draft day with Mayfield 1 and Allen 2.  So far I think Im right on the money.  While a lot of people called the later 2 busts.

Edited January 5, 2019 by formerlyofCtown

[YoloinOhio]

6 minutes ago, formerlyofCtown said:

So you are saying havig a QB and Oline isnt that important.

Nothing to do with that. They have a great QB and OL (and WR, and RB....) and haven’t won the conference in 8 years.  I was simply commenting on the “few adjustments on offense and the D”... they say that every year with the D

Edited January 5, 2019 by YoloinOhio

[formerlyofCtown]

36 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

Nothing to do with that. They have a great QB and OL (and WR, and RB....) and haven’t won the conference in 8 years.  I was simply commenting on the “few adjustments on offense and the D”... they say that every year with the D

I guess youre saying they lack the scouts to find those defensive guys.  Thats a fair arguement.  I guess it backs up the old defense wins championships.

[Dr. Who]

I think he would be bad for the locker room and team chemistry. Google Brown, Poyer and Rachel Bush; it's tawdry. If we're going to spend picks for an aging, albeit, excellent wr, I'd rather go after Julio Jones. Better to sign Golden Tate and draft a good one early though, imo.

[WideNine]

2 hours ago, Brianmoorman4jesus said:

Yeah I know it won’t happen so I’m not even going to consider it a reality. I would use the FA money to fix the line since the college game isn’t developing Olineman anymore. I would use the draft for all skill pos players. Fant in rd 1. Best WR/RB with the next 2 picks and just keep adding guys that can put points on the board.

 

I would not tie up a lot of money into him, work it around performance bonuses and such, but if the bidding got too high you move on. Worth a look under the hood.

 

I am not sold on Fant, just too many flags around him as a player, and inconsistent hands. If he is not a good effort guy, doesn't block, and does not have amazing hands, I don't care if he can run a fast forty or jump over my roof. And yes, I could be wrong... but I am not sold on him enough to think he warrants that high of a pick.

 

Other than that, I agree with most everything you said and think there are plenty of round 2-5 bargain skill position players. I don't think we can fill all the vacant O-line positions with FA's, so there is going to be a need to draft some talent to develop (I really like a few Wisconsin prospects). That being said, I am a firm believer that an O-line needs 1 or 2 veterans to really gel and play their best.

 

 

 

 

[CommonCents]

14 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:

I think he would be bad for the locker room and team chemistry. Google Brown, Poyer and Rachel Bush; it's tawdry. If we're going to spend picks for an aging, albeit, excellent wr, I'd rather go after Julio Jones. Better to sign Golden Tate and draft a good one early though, imo.

Golden Tate is going to want one last payday, the team that signs him will regret the last few years of his deal. If he would come to Buffalo on a one year deal it would be worth the overpay. 

[Dr. Who]

6 minutes ago, WideNine said:

 

I would not tie up a lot of money into him, work it around performance bonuses and such, but if the bidding got too high you move on. Worth a look under the hood.

 

I am not sold on Fant, just too many flags around him as a player, and inconsistent hands. If he is not a good effort guy, doesn't block, and does not have amazing hands, I don't care if he can run a fast forty or jump over my roof. And yes, I could be wrong... but I am not sold on him enough to think he warrants that high of a pick.

 

Other than that, I agree with most everything you said and think there are plenty of round 2-5 bargain skill position players. I don't think we can fill all the vacant O-line positions with FA's, so there is going to be a need to draft some talent to develop (I really like a few Wisconsin prospects). That being said, I am a firm believer that an O-line needs 1 or 2 veterans to really gel and play their best.

 

 

 

 

I think we should look at Mitch Morse or Matt Paradis at center. Ju'Wuan James would be a good signing at RT.

[Dopey]

On ‎1‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 10:09 AM, CommonCents said:

Has the stuff that Breer reported yesterday been added to this thread? Brown was upset about the loss in NO. Then the team had its vote for team MVP and JuJu won. 

 

“So he shows up for work, he’s not voted MVP, he is in a bad way, and that carried

over into the walkthrough”

 

Thats from Breer’s reporting and it’s a direct quote from a Steelers source. 

 

 

He led AFC WRs in pro bowl voting. My guess is he plays in the pro bowl. Now if he came in 2nd or 3rd place...hmm. 

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

On 12/31/2018 at 3:58 PM, CaptnCoke11 said:

Jealous JuJu is the man in Pittsburgh now.  

Yep,  I can't tell you how badly I wanted Juju Smith in that draft. I was going to get a personalized jersey with Bad Juju on the back.

[MAJBobby]

As Nike slogan is. “Just Do It!”

[Green Lightning]

20 hours ago, Brianmoorman4jesus said:

Is he still that guy? Yes. There is nothing else to say

Sure there is, he's 30 years old and hasn't played in a long time. Plus he's got a bad attitude. Giving up a first-round pick for him is just asinine.