Quote:Getty Images
After the Steelers opened up OTAs without running back Le'Veon Bell last week, wide receiver Antonio Brown offered some advice to his teammate.

Bell is looking for a new contract and Brown said that “you can’t make anything better without showing up.” If Bell had shown up for work at the last few practices, however, he wouldn’t have found Brown there.

Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Brown has not been in attendance since taking part in the first two days of OTAs. He’s had some company on the absentee list. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was there the first day, but has not been around since then.

“It’s tough, you wish they were here,” guard David DeCastro said. “It’s a team event, but it’s not real football yet. It’s one of those things, you just look at it as an older guy, just get in shape. It would be great if they were out here, but at the same time we’ll be all right. I think they’ll definitely be all right.”

The practices are voluntary and neither Brown nor Roethlisberger are alone among veteran players around the league who choose not to show up for every session, so DeCastro’s shrug of a response isn’t much of a surprise. It does make advice centered around showing “you want to get better and show guys you’re serious” a bit harder to take.

(05-30-2018, 07:13 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: They're voluntary, but you'd still expect your quarterback and star receiver to be at OTAs.

Is it normal for them to skip, or is there something brewing in Pittsburgh where maybe they're just fed up with Bell or the entire organization or what?

You'd think that stories would mention it if it's normal and they skip OTAs a lot, but this story doesn't say anything about it:


DeCastro's quote makes it sound like he doesn't think that it's that big of a deal or at least not his place to say anything, but the quote in the last paragraph of "it does make advice centered around showing “you want to get better and show guys you’re serious” a bit harder to take," does make it sound like there's trouble, especially since the media usually kisses the Steelers' asses, and kind of sounds like it was a quote from a player that they're just not naming.

(05-30-2018, 07:13 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: They're voluntary, but you'd still expect your quarterback and star receiver to be at OTAs.

Is it normal for them to skip, or is there something brewing in Pittsburgh where maybe they're just fed up with Bell or the entire organization or what?

You'd think that stories would mention it if it's normal and they skip OTAs a lot, but this story doesn't say anything about it:


DeCastro's quote makes it sound like he doesn't think that it's that big of a deal or at least not his place to say anything, but the quote in the last paragraph of "it does make advice centered around showing “you want to get better and show guys you’re serious” a bit harder to take," does make it sound like there's trouble, especially since the media usually kisses the Steelers' asses, and kind of sounds like it was a quote from a player that they're just not naming.

(05-31-2018, 12:57 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: wait wasn't brown just giving bell shit for being a no show?

(06-01-2018, 11:40 AM)StrictlyBiz Wrote: Fake news. At least the Ben part.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/heres-what-ben-roethlisberger-said-about-mason-rudolph-after-the-steelers-first-ota/


Oh, and Tom Brady skipped OTAs this year too. Maybe he's pissed about Malcom Butler and the Super Bowl still and there's 'trouble brewing in New England.'

Quote:Fun fact:  *technically* OTA's are Voluntary, and teams are not allowed to penalize players for not attending (with one exception, covered below).  Note, however, that in an environment where teams have basically full authority to determine who gets to be on the team and who doesn't...95%+ of players "volunteer" to attend, the notable exceptions generally being players who are working through Free Agency or attempting to renegotiate their contract.

...

Teams who have new coaches are also allowed an additional voluntary veterans minicamp, for the purpose of installing their playbooks and systems.

(06-04-2018, 09:18 AM)GMDino Wrote: Sidenote: Why is the press being treated so poorly at the Bengals' OTAs?

https://www.cincyjungle.com/2018/5/29/17405830/bengals-otas-what-we-know-tuesday-practice-william-jackson-john-ross-matt-barkley-logan-woodside

(06-04-2018, 09:18 AM)GMDino Wrote: Sidenote: Why is the press being treated so poorly at the Bengals' OTAs?

https://www.cincyjungle.com/2018/5/29/17405830/bengals-otas-what-we-know-tuesday-practice-william-jackson-john-ross-matt-barkley-logan-woodside

(06-05-2018, 10:08 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Well, first off, Cincy Jungle is not media. Secondly, why would Marvin and his new coaches want to tip their hats about what they have planned for the season? It's already been announced that players will line up everywhere to see who's best where. I suspect they aren't elling people because they don't want people to know.......

(06-10-2018, 03:22 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Steelers suck. That is all!

(06-20-2018, 11:45 AM)Go Cards Wrote: I concur !

(06-20-2018, 01:48 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: I'll 3rd that

(06-20-2018, 01:48 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: I'll 3rd that

(06-20-2018, 01:48 PM)bengalfan74 Wrote: I'll 3rd that

(06-20-2018, 05:23 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: And, so it is agreed that the Steelers do, indeed suck.  (taking turns sucking the tailpipe of the fat chick wearing the Roethlisberger underwear..} 

(06-22-2018, 03:19 PM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: That made me vomit in my mouth a little.  Shouldn't poke fun at Ben's wife like that.

(06-22-2018, 07:51 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: It was a bar bathroom kinda shotgun marriage. Paw was in the bar, Ben nailed it, now divorce would be too expensive. Although, despite all that, he has started a cell company with a heavy plan for people on the go. It's called Cell-U-lite!