Vance McDonald was asked how the Steelers offense not only could withstand the offseason departures of former All-Pros Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell but also excel.
“Because we have to,” the veteran tight end deadpanned, then paused.
“That sounded really good if I just left it at that.”
It was an acknowledgment that talk is cheap when it comes to replacing production that equated to 3,243 yards from scrimmage and 26 touchdowns during the past two seasons.
The caveat, of course, is that Bell’s stats are for 2017 because he did not play last season. Still, now that he’s officially gone — coupled with the less-expected trade of Antonio Brown — it puts a lot of pressure on the likes of McDonald, James Conner, Xavier Grimble, James Washington, Donte Moncrief and others.
Bucky Brooks: Steelers better without Brown & Bell (via @StillCurtain) https://t.co/DS1H3gIMOl #Steelers #SteelersNation #HereWeGo
— People's Champ (@mrjasoncbell) May 27, 2019
“Great players are great players,” McDonald said of Bell and Brown, “but at the end of the day, it’s 11 guys taking care of their job. And if we do that, I think we have the guys who don’t necessarily have ‘Brown’ and ‘Bell’ on the back of their jerseys but, man, you can play the position and you can do what you’re asked to do, we can make the plays that we need to get done.”
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