You think Lamar miller at his salary is more valuable then Ajayi at his? Me bringing up Bell is the point. He is fabulous value for the Steelers because he is worth so little. Kenny Stills is undervalued at what he's getting paid, but if he gets a #1 WR type of contract when you have to pay you're true #1 (Landry) and #2(Parker) later, it doesn't make sense for us when you can pay a fraction of the cost to someone else. I would overpay a little, but Stills skills can be replicated.
You do realize that DeAngelo Williams looked like a pro bowler when he was subbing for Bell. He isn't nearly as dynamic but it still worked, because of Pittsburgh's offensive line and their ability for big plays does not allow you to stack the box. It's not all Bell, far from it. It's all about the offensive line. The Fins got more production by paying less then a 3rd of the cost to ajayi this year then they would have for Miller. It was proven to be a very smart decision. You sure up the Oline, you sure up the run game in our case. Anyone could see that. WHat evidence do you have that proves that a Lamar Miller type of running back is worth that contract? His 73yrds on 31 carries yesterday?
Again you bring up a rookie contract. I don't think you understand how this business works. I think Miller + Ajayi is more valuable than Ajayi. Absolutely. Makes the offense far more dynamic and maintains depth at an oft-injured position. We lost that and for nothing. We improved nothing else with that "savings." Awesome.
And of course Bell is great value,
he's still on his rookie contract!. You think the Steelers are going to let him walk? And yes, Williams looked good, because he's always been a good RB when healthy, but nowhere near Bell. Silliness. And while nobody is arguing that the offensive line isn't important, they aren't responsible for Bell's vision, shiftiness, burst, and threat as a receiver out of the backfield. That's pure Bell and it's an example of how silly the "dime a dozen" nonsense is. It's why this is a completely different offense with Bell instead of Williams.
If Stills gets #1 money, it will be because another team made the same mistake we did with Wallace and the 9ers did with Smith, trying to shoehorn a talented role player into what is essentially a different position. If somebody does that, good for him. It won't be us though. If we keep him, he'll be paid what he's worth for what he adds to the offense, which is a significant, not easily replaced role. If anybody is going to get overpaid, it's Landry as a "#1," which he is not. But I like him and can understand why they will likely do it.
As for Miller's stats, I have to assume you watched the game yesterday, right? Sadly, I still have to explain how you stop Houston's offense: stop Miller, who is miscast as a power RB, but still manages to produce. Osweiler is arguably the worst QB in the league. Fortunately for the Texans, they faced a terrible pass defense and a broken offense. The Pats will also focus heavily on stopping Miller and allow Osweiler to attempt to beat them. He won't.
Miller + Ajayi > Ajayi, and it's not even close. But hey, at least we saved $5 mill or whatever that we didn't even use. Huzzah!