By Brandon Simmons
AB’s Drama is Funny Until it’s Not
Antonio Brown’s drama has been nothing short of Emmy-worthy. The former Pittsburgh Steeler and Oakland Raider has been lighting up headlines for over a year now and has a trail of destruction within the last month. Any little bullshit you think a football player can get caught up in, Brown has been apart of it. It doesn’t help some of it was magnified through HBO Hard Knocks, but these situations alone could make a great sitcom.
Over the last year, Brown has been on a run of antics the NFL has never really seen before. He beefed with his former team and franchise quarterback in the wake of giving him a huge deal. After being traded to the Oakland Raiders, Brown seemed calm until training camp, when he went on a month-long array of shenanigans, which included the infamous helmet-gate. All of that might have ended Saturday, when Brown was released from the Raiders after finding out his contract was voided due to fines, he asked for a release. The Raiders granted him request, only for him to sign with the New England Patriots. There are Netflix shows that couldn’t achieve writing this good.
In the NFL, there’s not really a tolerance for players who are too eccentric or appear to be to be too independent of the team. Just look at some of the guys that Brown was compared to today: Randy Moss and Terell Owens. Despite these two individuals being talented on the most ultimate levels, when teams got tired of their shit, they sent them packing. Moss was waived by the Patriots, even though he helped them get to a Super Bowl a few years prior. The Raiders desperately needed Brown to come in and boost their offense, but they were not willing to pay the price of letting him do things as he felt, which would set a bad example for younger players. In the midst of the release drama, it was reported Brown threatened to punch Raiders GM Mike Mayock in the face. He also recorded a private conversation between him and Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and turned into a Nike commercial.
As entertaining as this has been, it’s a show that will have to come to an end, whether AB wants it to or not. You could only go so long with this type of behavior, and at the age of 31, that end is coming up soon. Bill Belichick does not mess around when it comes to football; it’s pretty much the only thing he’s willing to discuss openly. It’s why people are so keen on the idea that the Patriots will be the end-all to this AB madness. Still, even when dealing with troublesome players, the franchise makes sure it never gets in the way of winning. Look at their dominant win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday. The Patriots beat them 33-3 wihtout even blinking AB’s way. They’ve won without superstars before and AB is as big superstar that this team has received in recent memory. It’s the one place where AB can correct his reputation and possibly revive the rest of his career.
The Only Super Team in the NFL
Realistically, the NFL may never have a “super team” such as the ones that were prevalent in the NBA this last decade. But in the wake of the Antonio Brown situation, it became very clear: The New England Patriots are the only super team in the NFL. The ironic part is that the Patriots rarely delve into the philosophy of being a super team.
The main reason this is a super team, is because this is a super franchise. Everybody seems to be on one accord on how things will run within the organization’s culture, starting from the front office all the way to the special teams unit. And for that reason, it is a team that has constantly enjoyed success in the postseason, as well as the regular season, and has always managed to stay clear of any potential distractions or troubling behaviors. Sure, there was Randy Moss, Aaron Hernandez and Josh Gordon; but the team played through those situations and never let it knock them off of their own goals for success. They don’t have pro bowlers just laying around either. Outside of Tom Brady, their players are rarely mentioned as elite or top tier. There was a small uproar about considering Patriots wide receiver Julian Edeleman as a Hall-of-Famer, despite him being a consistent target for Brady in both the regular season and the playoffs. Head coach Bill Belichick is the game’s evil genius and lives to develop schemes of destroying your best offensive weapon.
The Patriots just seem like a team you can trust for any situation. If you need playoff wins, then they will get that for you; if you need to draft a certain player with mid-level and bottom-tier picks, they can make that happen. The bottom line is they act like they are in the business of winning football, which is how it’s supposed to be. A few former players have expressed that it wasn’t too fun plying there, but nothing could be more fun than playing in a Super Bowl every other year and having opponents fear you off the strength.
Contract Dak
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott put on a show Sunday; but it was probably more of a work evaluation. The 4th year signal-caller led the Cowboys to a 35-17 home-opening win over the New York Giants. Prescott shined in the spotlight with a dominant performance of 405 yards on 23/32 passing and 4 touchdowns. The guy who was criticized last season for his throwing abilities, put up huge numbers in the air that left the Giants defense shook. Some might say it was the genius of new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore; then there are those who would credit the dirt-level competitiveness displayed by New York as a whole football team. However, only one man can be credited for that accomplish.
If the NBA can have Hoodie Melo, then the NFL should be able to have Contract Dak. Prescott has been involved in his own contract negotiations with the Cowboys and he has been reportedly looking for the big bag, something north of $30 million per year. The longer he waits for it, probably makes him more anxious by the minute to break the bank. Not only has he seen a couple of his teammates – linebacker Jalen Smith and running back Ezekiel Elliot – get their money, but 2 of his quarterback peers – Philadelphia Eagle Carson Wentz and Los Angeles Ram Jared Goff – have gotten their new contracts. Dak is a 4th round phenom who was able to win the starting job his rookie and make the postseason 2 out of his first 3 seasons in the league. He’s never had a losing record in any of his seasons and never thrown less than 20 touchdowns, even when he did not have Zeke or wide receiver Amari Cooper. Dak feels like that should be enough to warrant a pay bump and keep him around to see how much he can really go in. But until then, we just might keep getting performances like this all season until he signs on a dotted line.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson for throwing touchdowns and shots at his detractors. Sunday, Jackson went 17/20 for 324 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 59-10 win over the Miami Dolphins. In the postgame, Jackson took a shot at critics who suggested he could not play QB at the pro level by saying, “Not bad for a running back.” It was the Dolphins but 5 touchdowns thrown on any team is not bad at all.
Shut out to the Miami Dolphins for not wanting to be Dolphins after one game. After they took this blowout loss to the Ravens, it was reported several Dolphins players tried to get their agents to find ways to get them off of the team. Usually, I’m all for players trying to get control of their playing destinies – particularly in the NBA – but this seemed just a little too reactionary. I believe they should at east give it a couple of games, especially with a new head coach. The Dolphins may very well be trying to tank for a franchise QB but at least be competitive up until Week 5.
Shout out to Annie Apple, mother of New Orleans Saints cornerback, Eli Apple, and her knack for the pullup. Monday, during the Saints’ matchup against the Houston Texans, a fan tweeted that the cornerback should request a release or his ankles would be in danger. Mrs. Apple replied that the challenge has been met and she could be met in Garage 5. Fans need to learn that despite most of these athletes going to these white institutions, their families did not enroll with them. There are some cousins that could be earning some bread cracking heads so tread lightly.
Shut out to anybody criticizing Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence for not signing that kid’s autograph. Lawrence was walking out of the stadium after the game, when a kid wearing a Giants jersey tried to get his autograph. Lawrence walks past the kid and proceeds to say, “Get the right jersey son.” And he probably had a point. Yes, the kid could have just been a casual football fan, who happens to like the Giants; or he could have been a decoy for his clout-chasing parents to set up some type of quick prank. Lawrence saw that Giants jersey and wanted no parts of any potential smoke. There’s been so much going on with celebrities and dangerous fan interactions, it makes sense for him to keep it moving.
Week 1 was good with a couple of close games, but Week 2 should turn up the heat a little more. The Minnesota Vikings will be on the road to face the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings defense held the Atlanta Falcons to only 12 points in Week 1 and look to bust up Aaron Rodgers and the Packers just as bad, or worse. The Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints will be in L.A. in the wake of their controversial no-call conference championship. The Saints escaped their home opener against the Texans with a game winning field goal and could still be hyped off that emoitional win, but still thinking about the emotional loss back in January. They would love nothing more than to give the Rams an early season loss on Los Angeles’ home field. But until then…I’ll holla.