PITTSBURGH _ Le'Veon Bell didn't get his long-term contract from the Steelers, and now there is speculation that he might skip training camp. Alejandro Villaneuva might be a no-show, too, as he has yet to sign his tender.
That's actually the best Steelers news of the week in my opinion. Bell and Villaneuva should skip training camp. They should spend the next six weeks relaxing and staying healthy. They should be absent until the final week of the preseason, then report to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side and get ready for the opener.
To start, NFL training camp is a stupid idea that is no longer useful. There is nothing for any veteran to gain by going through it. It is the most overrated, unnecessary exercise that NFL teams do, well besides OTAs and minicamp. The same can probably be said for college and high school training camps but there is at least that whole "team bonding" stuff that goes on at those levels.
This isn't the 1970s or '80s, though, and teams can't practice three times a day anymore. They can barely even get two real practices in one day, and now they all must minimize the amount of time they are in full pads. There is no reason for players to be stuck in a dormitory somewhere simply because that's the way things have always been done.
Don't get me wrong _ it is great the Steelers go to Saint Vincent College for a month. It provides a little financial bump to Latrobe and the surrounding areas. It has helped Saint Vincent financially and has raised the profile of the school. It is one way the Steelers give back to the community.
It also is a big waste of time and money. The Steelers _ and every team _ could get ready for the season with just a couple of weeks of practice and a few film sessions.
That brings me back to Bell, who has yet to sign his franchise tender. He is currently under no obligation to go to training camp. There are some people around town who are actually upset about this. There are some who hate the idea of any player holding out as if going to training camp is some badge of honor.
Bell has nothing to gain and everything to lose by going to training camp. He has a history of getting injured. He doesn't have a long-term contract. He owes nothing to the Steelers until the season begins.
He plays a position with average career of 3.1 years. Running backs are usually on the sharp decline after age 27. They only have so many days of practice and so many hits to absorb before their bodies begin to break down.
All of the rhetoric that comes from the coaches when a star player skips training camp is silly. Bell is maybe the Steelers' best player. He could be a no-show until the Thursday before the first game and be in the starting lineup Sunday.
Mike Tomlin knows this. Kevin Colbert knows this. Art Rooney II knows this, too. The reality is the Steelers need Bell in order to win football games, and Bell still will earn $12.1 million this year.
Villanueva, though, was offered a tender of $615,000 which is all the Steelers were obligated to offer him. He is 28, though, and the Steelers control his rights for this season and next.
He is grossly underpaid, given what starting left tackles make, and so he should skip training camp to give him any leverage he can get. That's really his only option. If the Steelers aren't going to pay him what he's worth, why should he risk injury by going through training camp?
Villanueva plays one of the most important positions on the field. He also plays a position where there is a limited supply of quality players. He is charged with protecting the blind side of the Steelers' most important asset, Ben Roethlisberger.
If neither man is at training camp, there will be some moaning. There will be people critical of them and some who may even call for both to be cut for being selfish. That is all utter nonsense. It isn't in either player's best interest to be there.
The NFL is a business and both need to make a smart business decision.
