By Brandon Simmons
AB Done in Tampa and the League?
Controversy surrounds the way Antonio Brown left the game Sunday. The wide receiver exited the game midway through the 2nd quarter, throwing off his jersey and shoulder pads, and eventually leaving the stadium. The incident happened after Brown reportedly refused to go in the game because of an ankle injury and not feeling 100% about it. After a bunch of back and forth, Brown decided to leave the game and stadium. After the game, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians somehow decided he had enough of AB’s antics and declared he was no longer apart of the team.
When news first broke out about the event, majority of the responses were not favorable to AB. Many people saw this as another frivolous stunt pulled by Browns as his recent history suggests. Remember, this is the same man that is coming off a 3 game suspension for being caught with a fake vaccination card, not too long ago, in addition to a whole plethora of events whether on or off the field. Aside from that, many also believed his frustrations stemmed from him not being able to hit his marks for the season so he can receive his contract incentives for the season. However, when NFL insider Ian Rappaport reported about the alleged riff that happened on the sidelines, the perception changed completely.
There’s really 2 ways to look at this whole ordeal. AB probably could have taken a quieter approach and just left without throwing off his equipment before he got to the locker room. Brown leaving mid game would’ve still made headlines and brought attention to a situation that needed to be address. As for said situation, if this is true, then Arians needs to be looked at. How can you force a player to go into a game when he’s telling you that he is not feeling physically able to perform? One scenarios that would sound right is that Brown was upset about not getting enough targets early on and used his injury as leverage to not go in, but once again, this is all speculatory. Arians has yet to comment on the matter and AB has not been officially released.
It’s hard to say Antonio Brown should be ashamed of himself because you either feel like a broken record saying this or he would have stopped resorting to this type of behavior by now. The most common take that floats around when he does this is something that has to do with his mental health. The only issue with that, is people combine that take with the notion the NFL must do something for helping him but what good is that going to do if he can not help himself. AB must want to get help in making better decisions, whether it’s a mental issue or someone who just needs some guidance. If anything, it starts with the people within his personal network which includes friends, family, associates and others of that nature. There has to have been one person within that group that have offered some type of advice to steer Brown in a more sound direction.
As far as his career, any team that signs him would be kind of stupid to do so. The league witnessed a coach stick his neck out for this guy, who in turn, just proverbially flipped him and the team off by walking out on them while they were losing. Everybody’s defending AB talking about he was only so many yards away from reaching his incentives, but he probably could’ve snatched those numbers up in the 3 games he was suspended. I realize that when it comes to black, outspoken athletes, that sometimes perceptions get funny in the light, and they receive labels they should not. However, AB has taken things a little too far over the years. Live streaming while your coach is having a team meeting, calling the general manager a cracker after getting $30 million from him, and not to mention the things that have happened off the field.
Russ Done in Seattle?
There has been much speculation about the future of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Sunday, a report came out about such speculation surrounding Wilson and Seahawks head coach Pete Caroll. This year the Seahawks are 6-10 and will miss the playoffs for the 2nd time since Wilson was under center. Last offseason, Wilson was involved in a bevy of trade rumors, which included destinations to the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. However, in the offseason before that, the Seahawks signed him to a $100 million extension.
Maybe it is best for both sides to part ways at this point. Wilson has kept this team competitive for the past decade but since their last Super Bowl appearance, they have only touched a conference championship game once, and was blew out in that matchup. While Wilson has put up some legit numbers, there has always been the notion that the offensive line needed to be improved and the defense should be renovated after the Legion of Boom was broken up. Seattle seemed slow into achieving those improvements, thus costing the team some real success. Wilson is a QB capable of competing deep into the playoffs, he just has to find the right setup for him to land at, same way that Matt Stafford stumbled up on the Los Angeles Rams although it was a trade. But if you put Wilson on a team with a solid secondary, and a decent offensive line, he can earn a couple more titles to his resume. As for the Seahawks, it could be time for a refresh all around. If they can get at least a 1st round pick for Russ in a trade, then it would put them in a better position to possibly find his successor or they can wait scope the free agency landscape to find a vet to hold them over while looking for a franchise QB. It would be wonderful if Russ can finish his career with the Seahawks, but it would be just as great if he can attain more success in his career elsewhere.
Is Trey Lance Done Riding the Bench?
San Francisco 49ers started rookie quarterback Trey Lance on Sunday, after QB Jimmy Garoppolo was sidelined due to a thumb injury. The rookie signal caller finished the game throwing 16/23 for 249 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. It was an impressive outing for his start, especially when he produced more passing yards in the 2n half than his first. This certainly does not help Jimmy G’s case of remaining with the Niners as questions continue to surround his future. It can not be taken away that he has helped put this team in playoff positioning or took them to a Super Bowl, but going past this season, when are they going to turn to the young rookie, who is going into his 2nd year. With almost a full professional year under his belt, Lance looks ready to take the reigns, but it won’t happen with the postseason quickly approaching. However, when the offseason comes around, don’t be surprised if the Niners puts the job in Lance’s hands based off of this performance.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for his historic day against the Kansas City Chiefs. The rookie wide receiver torched KC for a whopping 266 yards off of 11 catches and 3 touchdowns. He set the single-game record for receiving yards by a rookie. In addition to that, the Bengals won the game on a last second field goal and clinched the AFC North.
Shut out to the Kansas City Chiefs L. Sneed who sort of costed the Chiefs the game. On 4th and goal, Bengals QB Joe Burrow threw an incomplete pass, which would have gave the Chiefs the ball, but Sneed was called for illegal hands to the face. It resulted in a fresh new set of downs for Cincy, setting them up for the game-winning field goal.
Shout out to Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin for securing his 15th straight winning season. At 9-7, Tomlin will finish another year without a losing record, which is a tough thing to do to say the least.
Speaking of huge accomplishments, congratulations to Ben Roethlisberger for winning what may have been his final home game of his career. Monday, the Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 26-14 in front of a stadium of emotional fans as well as a few former players. Next week, the Steelers will travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens for a chance to get in the playoffs.
Shut out to the faulty railing at the Washington Football Team’s stadium. Sunday, after the WFT’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, a railing by the players tunnel suddenly fell apart and so did a bunch of fans with it. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was a few feet away from the collapse but he wrote a letter to the WFT organization asking them to rectify the situation.
The final weekend of the season has arrived with teams clashing for playoff spots at the last minute, with some hanging on to their hopes by the skin of their teeth. The biggest game of this weekend might be between 2 such squads. The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into Baltimore to face the Ravens in what might be the last game for Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. Both teams have outside chances of making the playoffs so they will be at each other’s throats trying to win this game. In a strange way, it’s the perfect game for Big Ben to go out in with the right amount of intensity and competitiveness. But until then…I’ll holla.