Want to know how I see it?
OK, here goes: The Steelers now officially have a much-better-than-average chance of employing the NFL's best running back, one who's intensely familiar with their system, one who's immensely respected by his coaches and teammates, for the 2018 season.
That's it. That's all I've got on this.
Because all the rest will be nothing more than noise.
Le'Veon Bell will complain. He'll publicly pout. He'll make one controversial comment to one outlet, a completely contradictory one to another. He'll be lambasted by some, lauded by others.
Mike Tomlin will tell us all he won't talk about it. Then he'll talk about it. Then he'll take exception the next time it's brought up.
Other players in the locker room will be asked about the distraction. They'll answer that it's no distraction at all. Then they'll be asked if being asked about the distraction is a distraction unto itself.
Noise.
All the drama, all the debates, all the raps and rhymes, all the questions and criticisms ... all of that will be rendered wholly moot by the time the football matters.
Bell's a lot of things, but he's no crusader, no matter what he'll spout to the next microphone put in his face. He's not about to walk away from $14.5 million in some vague, vain attempt to set the standard for the next generation of hybrid running backs. I like Bell quite a bit. Always have. He's a happy guy. He's fun. What he isn't is someone with the Type A super-serious personality required to snub an eight-figure payday to stand up for a cause.
Nope. He's this guy on Monday ...
lol what more I gotta do to be wanted? https://t.co/Dq5oe5hRZ4
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) March 6, 2018
... and then this guy on Tuesday:
Pittsburgh: the city that took in a 21-year old kid from small-town Ohio, the city I battled thru adversity in, the city that I became a man in. I love everything about being a Pittsburgh Steeler, and I want nothing more than to finish the rest of my career in Pitt! #26Forever pic.twitter.com/mhs2ikpK71
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) March 6, 2018
He'll show. Eventually. Probably in time for kickoff. And he'll play.
When he does, all concerned will be the better for it.
• No sillier notion gets put forth in any facet of this debate than suggesting the Steelers can casually replace Bell. He's the best at what he does, his 36-year-old franchise quarterback knows best how to use him in all his hybrid ways, his experienced offensive line knows best how to block for him with all his quirky delays, and the last thing anyone wants in the same summer as a new coordinator is a new featured back.
The goal for 2018 isn't to punish egos. It's to win the Super Bowl.
• More on this in spoken form ...
• I reported two weeks ago that Pitt's administration was working toward a reduced buyout for Kevin Stallings. In that time, but particularly in the past 48 hours, more and more such word of that is being spread.
What's most relevant now is that it happens quickly, whether the buyout's the full $10 million or at a discount. Because there's so much more for the program to lose by not paying up, and not just in the long term. Right now, with this miserable season mercifully done, no one wants to see other quality coaching candidates get snapped up while there's a delay over money that the university absolutely can afford.
• On Feb. 28, 2016, Pitt faced No. 15 Duke at a throbbing Petersen Events Center, with Jamie Dixon's Panthers dominating Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils, 76-62. And I'm talking 39-20 in rebounds, 24-6 on points in the paint, 20 assists on the 28 field goals, and never once trailing.
When it was done, Jamel Artis spoke this at the podium: “Duke’s a good team. But we’re a better team.”
Watch for yourself. Don't hesitate. It's worth it:
That, my friends, was scarcely two years ago. These current Panthers, as of one last loss Tuesday in the ACC Tournament, just finished 0-19 inside the conference.
If there's been a more precipitous fall for any prominent local sports program in my lifetime, I can't recall it.
• A week ago, I applauded Mike Sullivan for finding a way around having to deploy a fourth line. It would be fabulous if the Penguins got back to that tonight in Philadelphia.
Obviously, it can't be done every night, with the playoffs a month away. But there's merit in finding the right rhythm for the big boys, as well as rotating Riley Sheahan, as Sullivan had told me for that column was his initial preference. Let's not pretend that Sheahan between Tom Kuhnhackl and Conor Sheary will amount to much more than the mess they made Monday night against the Flames. They're better than that, but not excessively so.
Replace Sheary with Carter Rowney purely for penalty-killing purposes, store Kuhnhackl and Rowney on the bench until needed, and make sure Sheahan doesn't lose all that mojo he'd built up before the Derick Brassard trade. If he's distributed evenly through the top three lines, fatigue seldom needs to become an issue.
• There's nothing currently wrong with the Penguins that Matt Murray can't calm down and, thus, solve.
• The NHL has just as clear a view on what constitutes goaltender interference as the NFL has on what constitutes a catch.
• The Baseball Hall of Fame selection process receives the most scrutiny, undoubtedly because it's got the longest history, but the processes in football and hockey are far worse. In football, beat writers are put in the terribly uncomfortable position of having to lobby for players from their markets, something I can't believe is still occurring. In hockey ... well, there are just 19 people who pick.
I bring this up because, on Tuesday, the Hockey Hall announced that Scotty Bowman's spot among those 19 was being taken by NBC analyst Pierre McGuire. Bowman was done with his 15-year tenure, so this wasn't about him. It isn't about McGuire, either, though I know he's not universally beloved. It's about these same 19 people -- as enormously impressive as many of those names are -- making the choices year after year with zero debate, discussion, transparency or any reason to believe any form of advanced thinking might be entering the equation.
The. Worst.
• Grapefruit League statistics mean next to nothing, but spring confidence often does. Starling Marte's off to a 7-for-13 start with a home run, three RBIs and four steals in as many tries. Predictably, he's also looked right at home in center field, which will now be his for the long haul.
What's more, he sounds different.
When he came back from that spectacularly stupid 80-game steroids suspension last summer, he stayed mostly silent, withdrawn. Not just from reporters. The interaction seemed limited all-around.
Now ...
"I'm feeling good," Marte told me over the weekend in Bradenton. "I'm happy. I'm excited. It's good."
That was nice to hear. Nicer still to see.
• In 2014, Baseball America had the Pirates at No. 1 in its organizational talent rankings, ultimately leading to this historic scene in 2015, when they were later named BA's Organization of the Year.
I know, I know. Not a dry eye in the house.
And who can forget the banner-raising and the parade that followed?
Well, the new BA that popped into my snail-mail box this week, one that apparently wasn't determined to whiff like the one four years ago, lists the Pirates' current system at No. 16, their worst such showing since 2011. And yes, as the magazine points out, this was "even after acquiring prospects in the Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen trades."
The magazine further states that "the majority of Pittsburgh's prospects project as contributors, not stars."
Awesome. After 10 years of this front office's major-league-worst drafting and developing, we're still waiting on the first one of those.
• Everyone's into the brackets. I've filled them out, too.
But man, it feels like forever since March Madness meant something for real around here. And no, I'm not talking about Duquesne hosting the first round at PPG Paints Arena in a week. That's fun for spectators, of course, but there's no hard investment locally. Not without a team.
Someone bring back real from-the-heart hoops to our region. It's very much missed.