Steelers To Sign LeGarrette Blount

[strngplyr]

Adam Schefter ‏@AdamSchefter 1m
Steelers gave RB LeGarrette Blount a two-year, $3.85M deal, including a $950K signing bonus.


The number saddens me a bit. Decent deal.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

wow...that's not a lot of $$. d%#*!@t

 

[PATSNUTme]

This draft class is loaded with RB's and is rated A by most draft publications and sites. Liked Blount but you can't keep them all.

 

[BadMoFo]

I guess we were hoping he'd play for minimum wage.

 

[PATS16N0]

Good signing for the Steelers and not a great loss to us.
Ridley is way better with a much higher ceiling.

 

[Brady_12]

Would have liked to have him back, but if we're going to lose one position, it might as well be running back. I think the top free agent left is Andre Brown with the Giants. I bet we either draft one late or bring in a few undrafted free agents to camp.

Agreed. It was nice to see how he performed toward the end of the year (not counting the AFCCG) and I would have been happy to see him come back but it's not the end of the world. UDFA is the way to go here. Hopefully Ridley is ready to step up (and not put the ball on the ground).

 

[doesntmatter1]

Sad to see him go, but good for the Steelers. He is exactly the pounder they need. Actually they don't seem capable of running without a big back and it doesnt get much bigger than Blount.

I guess its Ridley, Vereen, and draft from here on out. I don't think Bolden makes the team this year. Bolden seems to have chronic knee issues.

 

[Fencer]

If we have to lose a guy who was a solid professional and as productive as he was, I can't think of one I'd mind losing less.

Good luck to him in the rest of his career, with the usual exceptions to that thought.

 

[JMC00]

Patriots RB base salaries this season
Ridely- $777k
Vereen- $746k
Bolden- $570k
----

Unless Blount was going to take a $750k base salary he was never coming back. Bill wasn't going to pay Blount $1m+ because of 2 good games that have caused a lot of you to severely overrate him.

People want to harp on Ridley.
Last season-
Ridley 178 carries 3 fumbles/3 fumbles lost
Blount 153 carries 3 fumbles/2 fumbles lost

 

[Spiral]

I thought he was a good fit for the Patriots--a thumper who could help in bad weather games played late in the year. A good one-year rental. Good for him that he got a decent pay day. No hard feelings. Now go open up another can.

 

[strngplyr]

Patriots RB base salaries this season
Ridely- $777k
Vereen- $746k
Bolden- $570k
----

Unless Blount was going to take a $750k base salary he was never coming back. Bill wasn't going to pay Blount $1m+ because of 2 good games that have caused a lot of you to severely overrate him.

People want to harp on Ridley.
Last season-
Ridley 178 carries 3 fumbles/3 fumbles lost
Blount 153 carries 3 fumbles/2 fumbles lost

Jeez, compare that to Carolina and add the fact that we out rushed a team with Cam at QB, pretty impressive.

 

[patfanken]

This draft class is loaded with RB's and is rated A by most draft publications and sites. Liked Blount but you can't keep them all.

Good signing for the Steelers, Good signing for Blount. He got the kind of raise that he wouldn't have gotten here. And say what you like about the Steeler fans, their organization is top notch, and will likely take care of Blount. Also in Pittsburgh, Blount will likely be competing for snaps with only one other RB, while here he'd be competing for snaps with 3 others.

Before you think about the money think about this comparison. For about 2MM you can have Wendell who is going to be on the field for 70 snaps per game or Blount for the same money for 16 a game. In Pittsburgh there's a chance he'll get 25-30 snaps a game.

One more factor to consider in evaluating Blount's value is his lack of value in the passing game. Just look at his number of completions since he's been in the game. Plus, while I don't remember him being a liability in protection, I don't remember being an asset either, despite his size.

Sorry to see him go. It would have been nice to have him for another year, but even at just $2MM/yr it would have been too expensive for what he'd bring each game.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Blount received a 2 year/4m dollar deal with only a 950k signing bonus.

I would have paid all day for that kind of solid backup at RB. I guess the Pats want to give Ridley the keys.

Hmmm, really interesting that the Pats essentially chose to pay Wendell rather than Blount. They must have a lot of faith in Ridley/Vereen/Bolden.

Source:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources-legarrette-blount-agrees-two-201800009--nfl.html

 

[BradyFTW!]

My opinion hasn't changed in the last week - I really like the guy and was hoping that we would sign him, but I'm not too torn up about it. 2013 LeGarrette Blount is a textbook example of why you don't need to pay for 2014 LeGarrette Blount. There are other guys out there who can be had for cheap who probably won't have the kind of impact that Blount did, but will be good enough to make him not worth what I assume he got from Pittsburgh.

If it comes out that Pittsburgh got him for less than $2M per, though, I'm going to be bummed.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Blount received a 2 year/4m dollar deal with only a 950k signing bonus.

I would have paid all day for that kind of solid backup at RB. I guess the Pats want to give Ridley the keys.

Hmmm, really interesting that the Pats essentially chose to pay Wendell rather than Blount. They must have a lot of faith in Ridley/Vereen/Bolden.

Source:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources-legarrette-blount-agrees-two-201800009--nfl.html

That's about market rate, I'd say. I wouldn't have had a problem with the Pats paying that, but I don't have a problem with them electing not to, either.

Still not totally sure what Pittsburgh is going, though, to be honest. RB wasn't the problem last year; their offensive line was. Blount will help, but signing some competent line help would go a lot further.

 

[goheels22002]

LeGarrette Blount - Pittsburgh Steelers - 2014 Player Profile - Rotoworld.com

Good luck, big fella! Congratulations on your new deal. You did a great job in your one year with the Patriots and will be remembered for a couple of record-setting performances. I'm sure Big Vince will renew acquaintances when next we see you.

Start thinking Ridley, Vereen and Develin as your backfield.

His departure opens up more opportunities for FB James Develin who showed good hands and a relentless running style. Blount had two downsides: 1) he wasn't a pass blocker like Kevin Faulk or Vereen, and he was not a threat out of the backfield.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

They must be eyeing a few backs in the draft. That's the only way you'll get a better value for solid depth than what Pitt got Blount for.

 

[Stylez]

Good dude but I'm actually glad they didn't resign him. Ridley will have a great year, I believe.

 

[MrNathanDrake]

Good deal for Blount.

More money, and he will get more touches in Pitts. #1 or 2 RB there... he would be 3 on our depth chart in a pass heavy offense.

can't hate on him for leaving

 

[SteelersCanada]

Good deal for Blount.

More money, and he will get more touches in Pitts. #1 or 2 RB there... he would be 3 on our depth chart in a pass heavy offense.

can't hate on him for leaving

He's not our number one Back. He's a complementary piece to Le'Veon, and a counter to our zone blocking scheme that Munchak is bringing with him.

It's a solid signing for us. As others have said, there's either confidence in Ridley or a RB in the draft Bill and co. are looking at.