The Pittsburgh Steelers have now won five straight games and continue to r0;stack wins.r1; After their 52-21 thrashing of the Carolina Panthers in Week 10 JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey , the team now has a chance to rest and relax and prepare for the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. Today in the black-and-gold links article, we talk about how the Pittsburgh Steelers can not just win regular season games without the help of Ler17;Veon Bell, but can actually go on to win a Super Bowl without the dual threat capabilities of the All-Pro running back. Need evidence? Just look at what the team has done throughout the first 10 games of the 2018 regular season, and compare Connerr17;s stat line to that of Bell from previous years.Letr17;s get to the news:Why the Steelers have Super Bowl shot without Ler17;Veon BellBy: Jeremy Fowler, ESPNAll season, the Pittsburgh Steelers have answered questions about Ler17;Veon Bellr17;s absence and potential impact on the offense upon his return.Those questions could end this week, as Bell is unlikely to report by Tuesdayr17;s deadline to sign his $14.5 million franchise tag tender, according to ESPNr17;s Adam Schefter. Forfeiting the season might just end his prolific career in Pittsburgh, and a clean break might be necessary for both sides. The team is upset that Bell teased rejoining the Steelers by coming to Pittsburgh last week, only to balk on those plans.The Steelers are a better team with Bell, an All-Pro.That reality hasnr17;t stopped the team from moving on long ago, and getting really good in the process.r1;Ir17;m not going to comment on someone whor17;s not in this locker room right now,r1; quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said assuredly after his brilliant 328-yard, five-touchdown performance in Thursdayr17;s 52-21 win over Carolina.One of the hottest teams in the league should have every reason to believe it can contend for a Super Bowl with that locker room makeup.A surging Roethlisberger with weapons everywhereNot just playmaking weapons, but all 11 along the formation. The offensive line has been among the leaguer17;s best. Roethlisberger hasnr17;t taken more than one sack in a game since Week 3. James Conner is averaging 5.33 yards per carry over the past five weeks...The leaguer17;s best red zone offenseFor years, middling red zone production kept a prolific offense from averaging 30 points per game. The Steelers are averaging 31.0 points per game through 10 weeks because of their top-ranked red zone offense, scoring more than three out of every four times inside the 20, compared to about half last season...Defense playing to its identityThe Steelers were humbled after Patrick Mahomes came into Heinz Field and threw for six touchdowns on their defense in Week 2. Afterward, coach Mike Tomlin told his group they played the worldr17;s best offense, so act accordingly.The improvement was slow, but the performance at the midseason point is what the Steelers envisioned to start the year. Steelers players love to say that r0;rush and coverage work together,r1; and that plan is translating to the field...Loaded but manageable playoff pictureThe Steelers hold the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs thanks to the New England Patriotsr17; Week 10 loss to the Tennessee Titans.Securing a playoff bye for the second consecutive year is very much in play despite the 1-2-1 start. Three of the Steelersr17; next four opponents have losing records before a daunting three-game stretch of New England James Conner Jersey , New Orleans and Cincinnati awaits.Tim Benz: Why Ir17;m still hoping Steelersr17; Ler17;Veon Bell reportsBy: Tim Benz, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewThe latest in a never-ending stream of reports about Ler17;Veon Bellr17;s future has come from Adam Schefter at ESPN. He claims the running back is unlikely to report to the Steelers before Tuesdayr17;s 4 p.m. deadline.If thatr17;s true, itr17;s too bad.Ir17;ve seen way too many high-quality Steelers teams derailed by late-season injuries to star running backs. What if something like that should happen to James Conner?The Steelers might not have beaten the Patriots in New England even if Bell stayed in the 2016 AFC championship game beyond the first quarter. But they were not competitive without him.When Bell got hurt at the end of the 2014 regular season, the Steelers lost their playoff game at home to the Baltimore Ravens with a motley collection of reserve running backs totaling just 41 yards on the ground.Willie Parker went down in Game 15 of the 2007 campaign, and Najeh Davenport took over. He had 25 yards on the ground in the playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.A badly injured Jerome Bettis tried to play against New England in the 2001 AFC title game. He had 8 yards on nine carries, and the Steelers lost.Barry Foster was en route to a 1,200-yard season in 1993 until he got hurt in Week 9. Even though LeRoy Thompson proved a capable backup, the Steelers were defeated in the first round of the playoffs by the Kansas City Chiefs.The best thing for the Steelers is to see Bell report on Tuesday. Then, they should give him exactly what he has wanted all along: zero injury risk. Donr17;t play him until absolutely necessary, if that eventuality ever occurs.Skipped season would cost Ler17;Veon Bell additional $200,000 in benefitsBy: Adam Schefter, ESPNIf Ler17;Veon Bell doesnr17;t report to the Pittsburgh Steelers by Tuesdayr17;s deadline -- and the belief among multiple sources is that he will not -- he will forgo roughly $200,000 in additional benefits that come with a credited NFL season, sources told ESPN.Each credited NFL season for players adds to their benefits in the form of a pension, an annuity, 401K contributions and a health reimbursement account -- which one official estimated to be roughly $200,000 per year, plus however that money would compound over time.In 2018, if an NFL player earns a credited season, he will receive $760 per month -- or $9,120 per year -- in pension beginning at age 55. The league contributes a maximum of $26,000 into each playerr17;s 401K plans Artie Burns Jersey , assuming the player contributes to the max. There is also severance and a health reimbursement fund.While therer17;s no exact figure, estimates for a loss of a player sitting out a full season, as Bell is considering, escalate to close to or at $200,000 per year.r1;I donr17;t think it even enters his mind,r1; one source familiar with the NFLr17;s benefits package told ESPN. r0;When you lose a credited [season] and retire, you wish you had it then. But your17;re not thinking about that now.r1;What Bell is thinking about now is getting to this winter and to free agency as healthy as possible, which means skipping this season to date. He must report by Tuesdayr17;s deadline, or he will be ineligible to play this season. Each week that Bell misses costs him $855,000 in base salary.Bellr17;s camp continues to maintain its cone of silence and repeatedly has declined to address with reporters the star running backr17;s plans for the coming week.Ten months ago, Bell said he r0;definitely would considerr1; sitting out the 2018 season or retiring if the Steelers used the franchise tag on him for a second consecutive season. The Steelers did use the $14.1 million tag, and there are no indications that Bell will report by the deadline. Sports Illustrated paints a negative picture of Ben Roethlisberger as a leader/teammate."The Pittsburgh Steelers have had their share of drama the past there seasons. Whether it was Ler17;Veon Bellr17;s franchise tag mess, or the Antonio Brown drama, the one thing which has been trending lately is throwing Ben Roethlisberger into the fire as well.Bashing on Ben Roethlisberger is nothing new for fans of other teams and national media. Since his allegations in both Nevada and Georgia, everyone has been skeptical of the man they call r16;Big Benr17;. At first, it was questioning him as a person. His off-field antics were a part of several articles painting him in the light of a young superstar who believes he is above everyone, including the law at times.As Roethlisberger settled down, married and is the father of three children, these stories began to slowly fade away. With them gone, now people are starting to attack Roethlisberger as a teammate and leader. Former players and teammates from Ryan Clark to Emmanuel Sanders have publicly spoken about how Roethlisberger isnr17;t a leader, and isnr17;t a good teammate.As Roethlisbergerr17;s name has been beaten like a dead horse throughout his time in the NFL, many times at no oner17;s fault but his own Sean Davis Jersey , Sports Illustrated was just the latest to run a piece on how Roethlisberger is lacking in the leadership department, and is a large reason for the dysfunction not just with the team, but the organization.Author Robert Klemko had this to say about the Steelersr17; signal caller, citing both Joshua Harris and Isaac Redman during the article.Klemko continued:The one factor about Harrisr17; comments is the short period of time he spent with the Steelers. Just one year, 2014, and hardly played during that time. Redman, on the other hand, spent more time in Pittsburgh and would give a better glimpse into the locker room and Roethlisbergerr17;s demeanor.While that seems like a very damning statement, Redman would continue showing Roethlisbergerr17;s actions might have been intentional.To think Roethlisberger might be guarded after the allegations early in his career shouldnr17;t shock anyone, but where are the teammates sticking up for Roethlisberger? Not all of the players who played alongside No. 7 had a negative image of him and thought he was a bad teammate, so why havenr17;t they spoke out?Recently a fan asked offensive guard Ramon Foster this very question, and Fosterr17;s response was very candid:While Foster is certainly correct, it wouldnr17;t hurt for a couple of players to come out and talk, give an interview, or even do a radio spot and speak highly of the man who makes them a whole lot of money as the franchise quarterback.Either way you slice it, the blame game has been going through the Steelersr17; organization for the last three seasons, and has finally come to a head. Some blame Bell. Some blame Brown. Some blame Mike Tomlin. Some blame Kevin Colbert. Some blame Art Rooney II. And it is now Ben Roethlisbergerr17;s turn to take his turn in the game.Will this mean anything? Will anything change? I doubt it, but it will make for an interesting interview when Roethlisberger steps back in front of a microphone for the first time since the season ended last year with the Steelers out of the playoffs.
