Home Player Spotlight Are We Expecting Too Much From Martavis Bryant?

Are We Expecting Too Much From Martavis Bryant?

by Steeldad
Bryant Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers recently advanced to the AFC Championship Game where they lost to New England. If you looked at social media during the game, after the game and in the days since, you’d think that if the Steelers had had Martavis Bryant playing it would have been an easy victory. While offense was certainly a problem, unless Martavis Bryant was going to be in the secondary his presence likely wouldn’t have made a difference. 

But don’t tell that to many Steelers’ fans who believe the pending return of Bryant is on par with Jesus Christ himself. 

Nobody wants Bryant to come back and be more successful than I do but how much can we truly rely on him? Sure, right now he’s saying and doing all of the right things as he finishes his year-long suspension. But what happens when he returns to Pittsburgh? 

Has Bryant matured enough to put himself in better environments when he’s away from the team? Has he been able to kick the marijuana habit which led him to this position? Can he be honest with his teammates? 

This general assumption by fans that his return will just magically transform the Steelers into the greatest show on Earth is justified to a point. Bryant is an athletic freak. He makes plays very, very few guys in the NFL can and he opens things up for Antonio Brown on the other side. The on-field expectations aren’t the problem though. 

I get the feeling that fans aren’t even considering that Bryant will need to re-build his life in Pittsburgh when he returns. He will need a support system similar to what he’s had in Nevada and that’s not necessarily a slam dunk. The negative forces that enticed Bryant aren’t going to disappear. He will have to make them disappear and it won’t be easy. 

My hope for Martavis Bryant in 2017 is that he succeeds off the field first and on the field second. I’m not assuming a damn thing when it comes to Bryant because I’ve seen this before. I will hope for the best and deal with whatever happens but I do know this; let’s stop expecting the sky and moon from Bryant. Let him get his feet underneath him first. 

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2 comments

steelbydesign January 27, 2017 - 6:49 pm

All that really matters is if he stays clean. On the field I’m not worried about him. He made plays a few weeks into his NFL career. I think you give him a pre-season and he’ll be back to dominating.

I don’t necessarily trust him to stay clean, but I’m also not too worried. I think that the Steelers are going to have a good idea of what to expect when MB is re-instated. If they don’t feel great about him they have a whole off-season to find a #2 receiver… and while a crazy athlete like MB would be great I also think someone like a Pierre Garcon could step in and really give them an upgrade at the #2 spot.

The only way Martavis could REALLY screw the team is if he truly has stayed clean all this time and they go into the season and then he flunks a test. I don’t know how testing works (is he currently being tested?) but he’ll def have to be clean to be reinstated.

bob graff January 28, 2017 - 11:51 am

Bryant and Coates are very similar receivers. With Bryant being slightly faster .We all know the off field stuff but there are on field problems as well. neither adjust well to the ball after it’s thrown. I look at both these guys as a #3 WR. Add to that Ben isn’t a great deep ball thrower.The problem on offense is they just don’t score enough for the talent they have. The fact remains for what Haley has been given to work with this offense has under-preformed. And i don’t buy into this Haley and Ben work well together because they don’t. BTW feeding Bell the football for an entire season may get you to 10-6 but no RB in today’s NFL is going to carry you to the big dance.Watching the Steelers for years it’s obvious that there greatest strength there consistency is also there greatest weakness the inability to adapt. In my opinion what we need is a Wes Welker type, someone who just finds a way to get open.

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