NFL Analyst Alex Marvez: "How Much Does Football Really Matter To Le'Veon Bell?"
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) - Steelers season is upon us.
Training camp officially opens on Friday, and as always, the expectations are high. Senior NFL Writer and Sirius NFL Radio Host Alex Marvez joined Cook and Poni on Wednesday to preview the upcoming season and the latest on Le'Veon Bell's appeal.
So what about Bell? Can he actually win his appeal and avoid a four-game suspension?
"If the NFL makes one exception to their drug testing program, how many more are you going to make?" Marvez said. "The fact that Le'Veon Bell is this far long in the program, what does that tell you about the guy? The fact that we are at this point, that you're talking about a four-game suspension means it wasn't just one failed test, look at the rules of the test. I mean, these are multiple failed tests for Le'Veon Bell. How much does football really matter to him?"
Marvez says there could be a chance that Bell could win an appeal with the league over a technicality of the tester not having the proper information, but if that were the case he feels the NFL would have settled this behind closed doors before the suspension was even discussed.
So how does this effect Bell's future with the Steelers?
Marvez says that it certainly has cost him millions because it has created an issue with whether or not the Steelers can trust him enough to pay him a large contract.
The Steelers were considered to be favorites by many in the AFC this year, but now will be starting the season with many of their offensive weapons unavailable as Bell and wide receiver Martavis Bryant will serve suspensions, and with the retirement of tight end Heath Miller.
"Heath was such a special player," Marvez added. "So reliable, such a great blocker, always the guy Ben Roethlisberger was going to look for on 3rd down if he needed a clutch catch."
Marvez says the Steelers will still have many weapons left on offense, including a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown who possibly could be the best wide receiver in the league.
But the reason he likes the Steelers chances this year is because the defense is on the upswing with a secondary that will get better as the season goes on.
Listen to the full interview here, including his thoughts on Antonio Brown being worth a look at an extension right now:
