Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is taking the optimistic approach to Le’Veon Bell’s franchise tag negotiations.
Appearing at the Hampton Roads Youth Foundation football camp over the weekend, Tomlin told WAVY Channel 10 that he would like the Steelers to sign Bell to a long-term contract before Monday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline.
“Obviously we want to get a deal done, he wants to get a deal done; everybody has said that,” said Tomlin, who returns to his hometown of Hampton, Virginia, every summer for the camp. “Now it’s just about the negotiators getting into a room and doing what it is they need to do. I’m excited and hopeful. Hopefully we’ll have some exciting news before Monday.”
Tomlin expressed similar optimism before last year’s deadline, when the Steelers failed to sign Bell and didn’t see him until training camp ended. Bell signed his $12.12 million tag on Sept. 4.
As the Steelers and Bell are pressed against the deadline for the second straight year, the running back is prepared to play on this year’s tag — worth $14.5 million — in the absence of what he considers a fair deal.
Bell told ESPN this offseason that he won’t sign an extension offer worth less than the tag number on an annual basis. Talks stalled in the spring after Bell turned down an offer, but both sides reopened negotiations over the past week.
Coach Mike Tomlin believes a long-term contract could be reached between the Steelers and running back Le’Veon Bell in the final hours. David J. Phillip/AP Photo
Bell started slowly in 2017 but finished with 1,291 rushing yards on 321 carries, 655 receiving yards on 85 catches and 11 total touchdowns. The performance earned him All-Pro status, and his 7,996 career scrimmage yards are the most since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger for a player’s first five seasons.
The Steelers report to St. Vincent College for training camp on July 25. Teammates are used to life without Bell — who has used boxing and a vegan diet this offseason to stay in shape — holding off from most football exercises to keep his knee fresh.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to leave Real Madrid has had an immediate impact on Champions League odds heading into the 2018-19 season, with the Spanish side dropping to third favourite for the crown, per the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.
Los Blancos are the three-time defending champion in the competition.
UEFA Champions League updated
Barcelona 5/1 Manchester City 6/1 Real Madrid 7/1 Bayern Munich 7/1 Juventus 7/1 PSG 8/1 Liverpool 12/1 Atletico Madrid 14/1 Manchester United 14/1 Tottenham 25/1 Borussia Dortmund 40/1 Napoli 40/1 Inter Milan 50/1 AS Roma 50/1 Valencia 60/1
— Jeff Sherman (@golfodds) July 10, 2018
The Portuguese star’s €100-million transfer to Juventus leaves Barcelona as the betting favourite to win the big-eared trophy next season, with Manchester City hot on the Blaugrana’s tail.
Juve, meanwhile, is being tipped at 7/1 to win the title the club so desperately craves; the Bianconeri haven’t captured Europe’s marquee prize since 1996.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — In an offseason that saw Jason Witten retire to the Monday Night Football broadcast booth while Antonio Gates awaits a team to sign him and Rob Gronkowski flirts with ending his NFL career, it’s safe to say the tight end position in the NFL is in a state of transition.
With those superstars moving on or close to it, there are a number of vacancies at the head of the class alongside the likes of Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz. While there’s no shortage of options to fill the void, one candidate wouldn’t immediately come to mind when looking at the next wave of tight ends, at least not for those outside of the Bay Area.
But in San Francisco, second-year 49ers tight end George Kittle has quietly emerged as one of the league’s most intriguing tight end prospects. And he’s not shying away from the opportunity to establish himself as one of the best at his position.
“Obviously I want to be the best as a tight end,” said Kittle. “I get on the field, I feel like it’s an opportunity to show that I can play football and I’m good at my job and I deserve to keep my job. … There’s comparisons everywhere, but if I can go out and show that I’m the best me, and I can ball and prove to myself that I can play really well and prove to Coach [Kyle] Shanahan and my tight end coach that I’m playing well and I’m the best one and they need me, then I’m satisfied.”
Kittle has lofty goals, especially for a fifth-round pick who entered the league with little hype just more than a year ago. Kittle’s high expectations aren’t exclusive to him. In fact, the 49ers have been high on him since they chose him with the 146th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.
During his career at Iowa, Kittle never finished with more than 22 catches per season for the run-heavy Hawkeyes. He had just 48 receptions for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns in four years. Iowa’s commitment to the running game, however, helped Kittle establish himself as a stout blocker, but blocking tight ends don’t usually get drafted very high.
George Kittle had 43 catches for 515 yards and two touchdowns during his rookie season. Sergio Estrada/USA TODAY Sports
Still, Kittle had a strong showing at the NFL scouting combine, where he ran the third-fastest 40-yard dash among tight ends (4.52 seconds) and had the third-best long jump (11 feet).
In Kittle, Shanahan saw the ideal fit for his offense — a tight end capable of in-line blocking and lining up in a variety of places. Among the many rookies the 49ers brought in last season, none had a bigger workload than Kittle, who was taking starting reps from the moment he arrived.
Kittle never flinched, despite playing through a high ankle sprain, as well as calf, hip, chest, elbow, back and hamstring ailments.
“It’s rare that you have a guy who is built to block very well who also runs in the 4.5s and who is quick enough to separate,” Shanahan said.
“This is the healthiest I’ve felt since I was going into college,” Kittle said.
Improved health wasn’t Kittle’s only offseason emphasis. He managed to finish his rookie season with 43 catches for 515 yards, rookie records for a 49ers tight end and second among all rookies at the position. Finally healthy in the season finale against the Rams, Kittle went for 100 yards on four catches. Still, those overall numbers could have been better if not for an early-season struggle with drops.
Kittle finished with five drops on the season, tied for third most among tight ends. Some of those miscues were the product of his tendency to let the ball get too close to his body instead of using his hands to snatch it out of the air. Which is why tight ends coach Jon Embree has instituted a system of fines for his players when they don’t catch the ball away from their bodies in practice.
“In the NFL at our position, I would say that 85 percent of the passes you catch are going to be contested balls with people around you,” Embree said. “So he’s had to learn, and is still learning, how to play outside of his frame. In other words, playing with his hands away from his body, using his length.”
Assuming Kittle can stay healthy and eliminate some of those drops, it’s not hard to envision how Shanahan can put him to work. While tight ends have never been the primary target in Shanahan’s previous offenses (in part because he’s rarely had legitimate playmakers at the position), he has had a knack for getting the most out of them when the ball does go their way.
In two seasons with Shanahan in Atlanta, Falcons tight ends were fifth in the NFL in yards per catch (12.18) and third in yards before first contact with a defender (11.07). With Shanahan in 2014, Browns tight ends ranked second in yards per catch (15.22) and first in yards before first contact (14.33). In other words, Shanahan’s scheme has a way of creating openings for tight ends to run free for big gains.
Kittle still has a long way to go to be considered among the game’s elite at his position, but the 49ers are pleased with his trajectory.
“We put a lot of pressure on George early because we needed to and it was up and down throughout the year, but he never shied away,” Shanahan said. “… He is a tough guy who is going to play through things, but he’s healthy right now. He’s moving great and it’s allowing him to get better in the run and pass. That’ll continue. George has got a lot of ability.”
It’s safe to say Real Madrid got its money’s worth when Cristiano Ronaldo was acquired for a former world-record transfer fee back in 2009.
The Portuguese superstar, whose illustrious career in the Spanish capital ended Tuesday with confirmation of his lucrative transfer to Juventus, boosted the reputation he established in England with Manchester United by raising his standard to levels that few will ever come close to eclipsing at Real Madrid.
In under a decade, Ronaldo solidified his place as one of the greatest players to ever put on the famous all-white strip.
Toward the end of his Madrid career, Ronaldo’s goalscoring feats often resulted in the club’s revered scoring records falling, as greats such as Alfredo Di Stefano, Raul, Ferenc Puskas, Carlos Santillana, and Hugo Sanchez made way for another legend who will be remembered fondly for decades to come.
Here are seven of Ronaldo’s records that won’t be broken anytime soon:
Most goals, overall: Ronaldo didn’t just break the team’s all-time scoring record, he shattered it. What Raul accomplished in 16 years at Real Madrid, Ronaldo surpassed in just over five full seasons when he scored his 324th goal in October 2015 to break the legendary’s Spanish striker’s club record. By the end of the 2017-18 campaign, Ronaldo tallied an astounding 451 goals across all competitions.
Most goals scored in one season (all competitions): Despite Real Madrid’s lack of silverware, the 2014-15 campaign was one to remember, at least for Ronaldo. He scored a hat-trick on the final day of the season in a 7-3 win over Getafe to bring his total to 61 goals and best his mark from the 2011-12 season by one tally, ending the campaign with a scoring rate of approximately 1.13 goals per game
Most goals in one La Liga season: Ronaldo wrapped up the 2014-15 La Liga campaign in style by scoring three hat-tricks over the final four matches to finish with 48 goals. The total topped his previous record of 46 set one season prior.
Most Champions League goals: The drop-off on Real Madrid’s all-time Champions League goalscoring list is massive. Ronaldo’s penalty conversion against, of all teams, Juventus in the quarter-finals last season brought him to 105 overall in a Real shirt to put him 39 goals clear of Raul’s former record. Karim Benzema is the closest active player with 44 goals.
Most goals scored in one Champions League season: Ronaldo not only holds the record for goals scored in a single Champions League season, he occupies the top three spots. He came close to matching his record this past season with 15 goals, but the 17 he scored in 2013-14 will likely never be matched by another Madridista.
Most goals scored in one Champions League group stage: Ronaldo banged in four goals against Malmo in 2015 to set the mark for goals in the Champions League group stage. He became the first player to reach double figures before ending the opening phase of the tournament, with 11 goals in six matches.
Most career La Liga hat-tricks: It’s no secret that Ronaldo has a tendency to score in bunches. The evidence lies in his club record for domestic hat-tricks, as Ronaldo’s 34 games with at least three goals are 12 more than Di Stefano managed to record during his storied career.
