Tag Archive for: Antonio Brown

Patriot Games: Wide receiver Antonio Brown signs with New England

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Antonio Brown is headed to the New England Patriots.

One year, up to $15 million. That’s all it took for Antonio Brown to sign the dotted line with the New England Patriots. According to multiple media reports, Brown is headed to New England. He joins the likes of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. This is the last thing that most NFL fans want to hear, but as has been the case most years, the Patriots are playing chess while the rest of the National Football League is playing checkers.

Antonio Brown’s deal is one year in length and worth up to $15 million. It includes a $9 million signing bonus.

Brown, a Miami native, went to Miami Norland High School. He has had a successful NFL career overall, but within the last year, he has really taken a negative turn.

Antonio Brown joins a solid receiving unit

Brown joins the likes of Josh Gordon, Phillip Dorsett, and Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman in what is a stacked wide receiving group. This is a low-risk, high-reward move for New England. If Brown can regain his old form, he would be an additional weapon for Tom Brady to throw to. With only a one-year, $15 million commitment, the signing does not break the bank. If he causes as much trouble in New England as he did in Oakland, the Patriots will have no problem cutting him. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has not been afraid to let go of players who have caused a problem.

I have no idea what the depth chart is going to look like and how many snaps Brown will get. I do think that he will have a chance to get a ton of targets maybe not initially, but as the season goes on. He has so much talent and I definitely see him succeeding in New England. They know how to put players in  positions that accentuate the positives of their game.  Adding Brown to the mix will make it difficult for defenses to key on one specific receiver in the New England offense.

New England was already one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. If Antonio Brown can get back to what he was in Pittsburgh, this clears the path for New England to repeat as champions once again

Crashing from Grace: Antonio Brown is his own worst enemy

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Antonio Brown is not making things easy on himself.

A  lot can change in a year. Just ask Antonio Brown. The National Football League superstar was once at the pinnacle of his profession. Once the best wide receiver in the game, it appeared that nothing could take him down. however, in the last year he has become his own worst enemy.

As I’m writing this, many are still trying to figure out the details of Brown’s suspension from the Oakland Raiders. Although this is big news, it is just the tip of the iceberg. This is something that has been manifesting for the past year now. If anything, his departure from the Pittsburgh Steelers sort of set the Antonio Brown train wreck into motion.  On March 10, the Raiders acquired him from the Steelers for a third and fifth-round pick. Following the deal, they reworked his contract. a three-year deal with a maximum of $54.125 million, it was certainly a healthy investment from Oakland.

It’s fair to call it a healthy investment because of the stuff that proceeded before the deal. Calling out JuJu Smith-Schuster for fumbling was, to put it lightly, a bad move. Sharing a locker room video on Facebook live following the Steelers victory was also not ideal either. He did apologize for it, so I have to give credit where it is due. For every step forward he may have taken, he always took two steps back. He was benched last December before Pittsburgh’s game against Cincinnati for a dispute with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

I hate to say it, because I’m not a fan of big Ben, but Roethlisberger looks the best out of anybody following the Steelers drama. He still sits from his perch as the team’s starting quarterback.

Anyway, I digress.

Brown’s tenure in Oakland, for how short it has been to this point, has been eventful so far. From freezing his feet in a cryo- chamber to having a dispute over helmets, he has certainly made for good television. If anything, he may have been the most interesting part of this season of Hard Knocks. The dispute on Thursday with general manager Mike Mayock is just the tip of the iceberg to all the things that have led before it. It’s a shame that his legacy is being tarnished by his actions. He’s a very good wide receiver, and the numbers certainly don’t lie.

1,000 total yards in six straight seasons, 74 career touchdowns, and seven Pro Bowls. Those are just some of the accolades he has accumulated in his career. With so much talent, he is now throwing it all away. He was once feared by cornerbacks. Now, he is being feared by the entire National Football League because you never know what is going to happen next. The undoing of Antonio Brown is one of the most fascinating things I have seen. It’s not fascinating like exciting, it’s fascinating like “Wow, I can’t believe he self-destructed that quickly.” It’s sad really, and one of the more shocking stories in all of football.

Who knows what will happen next in this saga? As Antonio Brown has taught us, expect the unexpected.