Good Monday to you Steelers’ fans.
There’s a lot of speculation about the Pittsburgh Steelers drafting a running back in April. With James Conner a question mark due to his injury history and with seemingly little behind him but Benny Snell, it seems quite legitimate that they’ll try to find a new backfield runner. The Steelers’ history of drafting running backs is not great. Here are the guys drafted since 2000:
– Verron Haynes
– JT Wall
– Noah Herron
– Cedric Humes
– Rashard Mendenhall
– Frank Summers
– Jon Dwyer
– Baron Batch
– Dri Archer
– Chris Rainey
– Leveon Bell
– James Conner
– Benny Snell
Only Verron Haynes and Le’Veon Bell lasted longer than five years in the League. Arguments can certainly be made for Snell and Conner and to an extent Mendenhall, but overall, this isn’t the most exciting group. Perhaps the Steelers could borrow some good karma from their ability to draft receivers and apply it to the running backs.
Mocking!
Derrick and I both released our first mock drafts of the season. Derrick’s came out on Saturday while mine dropped this morning. Check them out and tell us what you think!
Tweet of the Day… He’s not wrong.
The starting point for Bud is $15 million average. That is the going rate for edge rushers. And with the CBA about to take a big leap, those going rates are going to go up.
— Dale Lolley (@dlolley_pgh) March 9, 2020
But…. Player Safety!!!
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported over the weekend that there is a small group of NFL Owners that privately are hoping the players DO NOT approve of the CBA. The reason Fowler explains is that they would rather have the 18-game schedule now rather than have to wait another 10 years for it. As most of you know, the current proposal features a 17-game schedule. The only way I take this is as yet another middle finger to ‘player safety.’ If the League and the owners were really concerned about the well-being of their players then adding more games would not even be a question. What worries me more though is that this could also be an indication of how much more the NFL plans to come down on aggressive play. Look how much the league has already changed since 2008 in terms of the type of tackling and blocking that is allowed. Owners and League officials prize offense in the regular season because that’s what keep the fantasy football players happy. Two more games added to the schedule extends those seasons too and the owners know money when they see it.
As for the CBA
Players have until Thursday to cast their vote for or against the proposal. At this time I still think there are enough ‘rank and file’ players to get the deal passed but many star players have strong opinions to the contrary and those weigh heavily on all players. Time will tell for sure but for we fans getting it done would be great. UPDATE: The NFLPA announced an extension for voting thru this Saturday at 11:59pm.
Have a great day Steeler Nation!
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