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zhangzk
Joined: 15 Mar 2018
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18 Dec 2018 04:28 |
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 The Pittsburgh Steelers have now won five straight games
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After their 52-21 thrashing of the Carolina Panthers in Week 10 http://www.pittsburghsteelersteamstore.com/terrell-edmunds-jersey , the team now has a chance to rest and relax and prepare for the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. Today in the black-and-gold links article, we talk about how the Pittsburgh Steelers can not just win regular season games without the help of Le’Veon Bell, but can actually go on to win a Super Bowl without the dual threat capabilities of the All-Pro running back. Need evidence? Just look at what the team has done throughout the first 10 games of the 2018 regular season, and compare Conner’s stat line to that of Bell from previous years.Let’s get to the news:Why the Steelers have Super Bowl shot without Le’Veon BellBy: Jeremy Fowler, ESPNAll season, the Pittsburgh Steelers have answered questions about Le’Veon Bell’s absence and potential impact on the offense upon his return.Those questions could end this week, as Bell is unlikely to report by Tuesday’s deadline to sign his $14.5 million franchise tag tender, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Forfeiting the season might just end his prolific career in Pittsburgh, and a clean break might be necessary for both sides. The team is upset that Bell teased rejoining the Steelers by coming to Pittsburgh last week, only to balk on those plans.The Steelers are a better team with Bell, an All-Pro.That reality hasn’t stopped the team from moving on long ago, and getting really good in the process.”I’m not going to comment on someone who’s not in this locker room right now,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said assuredly after his brilliant 328-yard, five-touchdown performance in Thursday’s 52-21 win over Carolina.One of the hottest teams in the league should have every reason to believe it can contend for a Super Bowl with that locker room makeup.A surging Roethlisberger with weapons everywhereNot just playmaking weapons, but all 11 along the formation. The offensive line has been among the league’s best. Roethlisberger hasn’t taken more than one sack in a game since Week 3. James Conner is averaging 5.33 yards per carry over the past five weeks...The league’s best red zone offenseFor years, middling red zone production kept a prolific offense from averaging 30 points per game. The Steelers are averaging 31.0 points per game through 10 weeks because of their top-ranked red zone offense, scoring more than three out of every four times inside the 20 Authentic Alejandro Villanueva Jersey , compared to about half last season...Defense playing to its identityThe Steelers were humbled after Patrick Mahomes came into Heinz Field and threw for six touchdowns on their defense in Week 2. Afterward, coach Mike Tomlin told his group they played the world’s best offense, so act accordingly.The improvement was slow, but the performance at the midseason point is what the Steelers envisioned to start the year. Steelers players love to say that “rush and coverage work together,” and that plan is translating to the field...Loaded but manageable playoff pictureThe Steelers hold the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs thanks to the New England Patriots’ Week 10 loss to the Tennessee Titans.Securing a playoff bye for the second consecutive year is very much in play despite the 1-2-1 start. Three of the Steelers’ next four opponents have losing records before a daunting three-game stretch of New England, New Orleans and Cincinnati awaits.Tim Benz: Why I’m still hoping Steelers’ Le’Veon Bell reportsBy: Tim Benz, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewThe latest in a never-ending stream of reports about Le’Veon Bell’s future has come from Adam Schefter at ESPN. He claims the running back is unlikely to report to the Steelers before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.If that’s true, it’s too bad.I’ve seen way too many high-quality Steelers teams derailed by late-season injuries to star running backs. What if something like that should happen to James Conner?The Steelers might not have beaten the Patriots in New England even if Bell stayed in the 2016 AFC championship game beyond the first quarter. But they were not competitive without him.When Bell got hurt at the end of the 2014 regular season, the Steelers lost their playoff game at home to the Baltimore Ravens with a motley collection of reserve running backs totaling just 41 yards on the ground.Willie Parker went down in Game 15 of the 2007 campaign, and Najeh Davenport took over. He had 25 yards on the ground in the playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.A badly injured Jerome Bettis tried to play against New England in the 2001 AFC title game. He had 8 yards on nine carries, and the Steelers lost.Barry Foster was en route to a 1,200-yard season in 1993 until he got hurt in Week 9.
Even though LeRoy Thompson proved a capable backup, the Steelers were defeated in the first round of the playoffs by the Kansas City Chiefs.The best thing for the Steelers is to see Bell report on Tuesday. Then, they should give him exactly what he has wanted all along: zero injury risk. Don’t play him until absolutely necessary, if that eventuality ever occurs.Skipped season would cost Le’Veon Bell additional $200,000 in benefitsBy: Adam Schefter, ESPNIf Le’Veon Bell doesn’t report to the Pittsburgh Steelers by Tuesday’s deadline -- and the belief among multiple sources is that he will not -- he will forgo roughly $200 Womens Le'Veon Bell Jersey ,000 in additional benefits that come with a credited NFL season, sources told ESPN.Each credited NFL season for players adds to their benefits in the form of a pension, an annuity, 401K contributions and a health reimbursement account -- which one official estimated to be roughly $200,000 per year, plus however that money would compound over time.In 2018, if an NFL player earns a credited season, he will receive $760 per month -- or $9,120 per year -- in pension beginning at age 55. The league contributes a maximum of $26,000 into each player’s 401K plans, assuming the player contributes to the max. There is also severance and a health reimbursement fund.While there’s no exact figure, estimates for a loss of a player sitting out a full season, as Bell is considering, escalate to close to or at $200,000 per year.”I don’t think it even enters his mind,” one source familiar with the NFL’s benefits package told ESPN. “When you lose a credited [season] and retire, you wish you had it then. But you’re not thinking about that now.”What Bell is thinking about now is getting to this winter and to free agency as healthy as possible Womens Jordan Berry Jersey , which means skipping this season to date. He must report by Tuesday’s deadline, or he will be ineligible to play this season. Each week that Bell misses costs him $855,000 in base salary.Bell’s camp continues to maintain its cone of silence and repeatedly has declined to address with reporters the star running back’s plans for the coming week.Ten months ago, Bell said he “definitely would consider” sitting out the 2018 season or retiring if the Steelers used the franchise tag on him for a second consecutive season. The Steelers did use the $14.1 million tag, and there are no indications that Bell will report by the deadline. When it comes to division games, I often feel the venue, as well as whether it is the first or second meeting, are vitally important. After the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns locked horns in Week 1 in Cleveland, the two teams will meet up again at Heinz Field in Week 8, in hopes of actually crowning a winner this time around.With the game being played in the friendly confines of Heinz Field, and many drastic differences between the two teams, nothing is certain when it comes to predicting the winner. This will be the first time Baker Mayfield will not only play in Pittsburgh, but the first time the Steelers will experience playing against the NFL’s top draft pick. Gone is Josh Gordon, and although Le’Veon Bell remains out of the lineup, James Conner has become a very consistent contributor to the Pittsburgh offense. On top of personnel, both teams are headed in different directions coming into Week 8. Pittsburgh is coming off their bye week, but prior to their week off they had won back-to-back games for the first time this season. Cleveland has been heading in the wrong direction Authentic Cameron Heyward Jersey , and have played in a whopping four overtime games through seven games, and the most recent was a Week 7 loss in overtime to the Buccaneers.So, who will come out victorious in this game? While it is anything but certain what kind of Steelers team comes out of a bye week, it is difficult for me to see a way the Browns win this football game. I fully believe the Steelers are fired up for several reasons. First, they want to prove the tie in Week 1 was nothing more than a fluke, second after the bye week the team finds itself in first place in the division, and lastly, the Steelers realize how important these next two games are for their place within the AFC North division race.For all those reasons, and much more, I see the Steelers winning this one rather easily after a slow start by both teams. Look for Ben Roethlisberger, James Conner, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Antonio Brown to all do their part as they put up over 30 points again in a very important win. My prediction:Steelers - 34Browns - 17
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