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Ed Bouchette's Steelers chat: 02.05.19
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Ed Bouchette
1:58
Good afternoon, let's begin
Sylvester
1:58
Any word on rumor of domestic dispute involving Antonio Brown?
Ed Bouchette
1:59
TMZ reporting that AB was "involved in domestic dispute" in mid-January, that Hollywood, Fla., police were called but no arrests made.
Allan
1:59
Do the Steelers have to move Brown?  Can they say this is what you need to do to play and if he doesn’t, suspend him without pay?  Why does the played get to dictate what gets done?
Ed Bouchette
2:00
They can talk to him until they are black and gold in the face and he can make all kinds of assurances, but that hasn't worked in the past.
Sid Fernwilter
2:00
Have the Steelers given any thoughts to moving players into new positions (ie Offense to Defense or visa versa).
Ed Bouchette
2:01
If they have, they have not shared them with me. Not sure which players they could move. I assume you mean on offense since there's not much to move around on offense. They moved Sean Davis from strong safety to free last year and flip-flopped sides with T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree. If they are thinking about anything, they would wait until after free agency and the draft to see who they acquire first.
schnail
2:01
Is it really worse to keep Antonio Brown around than to devote $21M in cap space to someone who will be catching 100+ passes and 15 TDs for your opponents?  I just can't get my head around that.
Ed Bouchette
2:03
Again, that $21 million in cap space would be reduced by his salary and roster bonus that comes to $15 M. Not sure why people aren't getting their heads around that since I've reported it so many times. Also, it's past time the Steelers have players who actually conform to the word "team" and not "me" all the time.
Larry in KY
2:03
If AB and LB go, who, if anyone, will emerge as next year's drama distraction?  Any candidates in the house right now?
Ed Bouchette
2:04
No, that would eliminate the four who have prompted them most drama over the past two seasons -- AB, Le'Veon Bell, James Harrison and Martavis Bryant. Remove those four before 2017 and there might have been little drama the ensuing two seasons.
Robert
2:04
Is the Rooney rule experiment finally over? Thanks to Dan Rooney and Tony Dungy, we traded discipline, game prep, humility, situational awareness, time management, and sheer intellect for political correctness. Tomlin can thank his lucky stars he works for Art Rooney II and not Art Rooney I.
Ed Bouchette
2:04
Robert, that sounds more than a little racist.
ErieIke
2:05
If the Steelers cannot get a fair return, like a top 10 draft pick, for AB, wouldn't they be better off keeping him?
Ed Bouchette
2:05
Not in my opinion. I think they'd be better just cutting bait any way they can and move on. Did you see any future Hall of Famers at WR in the Super Bowl?
Peter
2:05
Hi Ed, the drama circus (Bell, Brown ) Missing the playoff and now the cherry on top Pats win another SB . Any idea to cheer a depress fans?
Ed Bouchette
2:06
All NFL teams are 0-0 for the 2019 season, including your Pittsburgh Steelers
Cburg Stiller
2:06
Reading Peter King's article yesterday, and he was discussing potential season openers for the Pats next season.  He referred to a possible Steelers/Pats game as the 'Drama Queens vs the Model Franchise'  He's not wrong but man that's hard to read as a lifelong Steelers fan.  From what you can see, do you think Steelers ownership and front office and coaches have begun to take the necessary steps to repair that type of damage to the Steelers reputation and begin to get back to the 'Steelers Way'?
Ed Bouchette
2:07
If they enter 2019 without Bell and Brown it will be a big step.
Karl from KY
2:07
I think one of the Steelers greates weakensses is not having a player that can make a big play to turn a game around or finish out an opponent. We don’t have a Troy P or Jerome B in several years a guy that can make a splash play. What say you?
Ed Bouchette
2:08
Antonio Brown was that guy for awhile. Ben Roethlisberger is that guy. They do have a few on defense, but they need more.
Tucson
2:08
At The Trophy ceremony, Bill Belicheck was told what a great coach he was winning the game.  Belicheck corrected the announcer and stated that it was the players who deserve the credit and not the coach.  What does that tell you?
Ed Bouchette
2:08
That he was being politically correct
Oh No it’s JOE BLOW
2:08
Ed.  You don’t really think Steelers are better w/out AB, right?
Ed Bouchette
2:09
I'm sorry, I missed the part where he led them into the playoffs last season, or to a victory against Jacksonville the year before. Do you think the Patriots are better off without Antonio Brown? Cut bait, go find a reliable player at the position.
TheStadndard
2:09
With the new's about AB's domestic violence does that speed up the trade or hurt it?
Ed Bouchette
2:09
It may speed it up, but reduce the bounty.
Oh No it’s JOE BLOW
2:10
If Steelers made playoffs and AB went awol the week leading up, no way the FO or HC suspends him from that game, right?
Ed Bouchette
2:10
I highly doubt it.
FloridaSteelers
2:10
Hi Ed,  Is it even possible for AB to return to the Steelers?  I just do not see his return leading to any other then more drama.  Your thoughts please.
Ed Bouchette
2:12
When I was at the Super Bowl last week, I can't tell you the number of people -- writers, broadcasters, NFL people -- who came to me to say they were stunned to see what was coming out of the Steelers. Besides Bell early and AB all season, was there really anything else? To me, I don't see how you bring him back.
Karl from KY
2:12
Any chance putting the transition tag on Bell blows up on us?
Ed Bouchette
2:13
Very much so. Someone else signs him, you are left with nothing and you are committed to that amount of money until you decline to match. By then, the best free agents will be gone. And if you do that and don't match, he won't count in the formula for comp draft choices in 2020.
Mr.C
2:13
Ed what do you about switching Bud Dupree  ILB and getting rid of Vince and Bostic and draft Bush or White?
Ed Bouchette
2:13
So you think Bud would perform better at ILB than outside?
TheStadndard
2:13
Whose decision is it to trade AB?  Tomlin, Colbert, Rooney?
Ed Bouchette
2:14
Rooney would have to give his OK, maybe even be the driving force behind it.
Steubenville
2:14
Hi Ed, what are you thoughts on the Steelers placing the transition tag on Bell? If they do, are they keeping or trading him?
Ed Bouchette
2:14
I wouldn't mess with the tag. Just let him go as a UFA, find another back to complement your other two and take the third-round comp pick in 2020.
Steubenville
2:15
Hi Ed, with the new domestic violence accusation against AB, does that kill his value in a trade?
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