NFL Thread

[meep.meep]

The last episode showed him at the training camp "not practicing" because of what they described as "painful feet."  He is not AWOL by any means.

I can't believe that any team would pay an enormous amount for a player like him and put him through cryo-therapy without close monitoring.

[xaxat]

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

I can't believe that any team would pay an enormous amount for a player like him and put him through cryo-therapy without close monitoring.

It wasn't team monitored. The rumor is that he met one of the teams (not the US) at the Women's World Cup and decided, on his own, to try their cryochamber. 

But wait! There's more.

Report: Antonio Brown won’t play football again if he doesn’t get to wear his helmet of choice

Quote

As PFT has reported, the model of Brown’s specific helmet is among those that can be worn. Apparently, however, that model has sufficiently changed in the past decade to make Brown not interested in wearing it.

He's not going to retire.

The whole city of Pittsburgh is feeling schadenfreude now that he is gone. (I know I am.)

[roamyn]

2 hours ago, xaxat said:

It wasn't team monitored. The rumor is that he met one of the teams (not the US) at the Women's World Cup and decided, on his own, to try their cryochamber. 

But wait! There's more.

Report: Antonio Brown won’t play football again if he doesn’t get to wear his helmet of choice

He's not going to retire.

The whole city of Pittsburgh is feeling schadenfreude now that he is gone. (I know I am.)

Yeah, I hate Pissburgh, but hubby is a huge fan (football season is going to be real interesting in our house this year), and I actually feel relief for the Squealers.

[Sew Sumi]

As a long -suffering Raider fan, I've come to expect this kind of stuff as a matter of course. *sigh*

[BitterApple]

I wonder how Gruden's gonna spin this on Hard Knocks? Their star receiver out indefinitely due to his own stupidity and now refusing to play over a helmet. What an absolute shit show and we're only Week 1 into the preseason.

[merylinkid]

Brown actually filed a grievance over the helmet thing.    Everyone else -- including Brady and Rodgers -- made the switch.   His helmet FAILED safety tests.    After he got blown up by Vontaze Burfict you would think he would want the bestest helmet out there.  

Then the foot thing is just so bizarre.    

The Raiders though might not be so bad off if he does retire.   If he does hold out or retire over the helmet issue they only paid him his signing bonus.   He gets ZILCH salary.  

[Popples]

If Brown retires, do the Steelers have to give the Raiders back the third and fifth-round draft picks?

[Magog]

14 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I wonder how Gruden's gonna spin this on Hard Knocks? Their star receiver out indefinitely due to his own stupidity and now refusing to play over a helmet. What an absolute shit show and we're only Week 1 into the preseason.

I'm sure that Gruden will enjoy that upcoming trainwreck that his sorry Raiders are going to be. He should be use to this by now.

3 hours ago, merylinkid said:

The Raiders though might not be so bad off if he does retire.   If he does hold out or retire over the helmet issue they only paid him his signing bonus.   He gets ZILCH salary.  

How much signing bonus did Antonio Brown get when he signed with the Raiders? 

I seriously doubt that Antonio Brown will be dumb enough to quit over a helmet. But he does somehow quit on the Raiders & the NFL over a helmet, he will not be missed. It will be refreshing not hearing about this fool on ESPN on a daily basis. Its bad enough that they're still slurping over OBJ. With all that constant attention that OBJ is still getting since he got traded to the Browns in the offseason. He better not only led the Browns to the Playoffs, but also help them get a Playoff win.

[merylinkid]

20 hours ago, Magog said:

How much signing bonus did Antonio Brown get when he signed with the Raiders

Only $1 million.   The guy is an idiot if he quits over not wanting to use a helmet that is safer.   

Mike Florio over on PFT (you can love him or hate him but I think he nailed this one), it's the first time anyone told AB no.    He is not reacting well.    The Steelers enabled his diva behavior when it helped the team win.   When it didn't they got rid of him.   Now the Raiders thought it would be awesome to have him help them win.   Until they had to tell him a hard no.   Because this is literally his physical safety on the line, not to mention all the fines the team would face if they looked the other way.   He doesn't like hearing no.   So he is behaving like a 3 year old who is being told no they can't have cookies for dinner.

[xaxat]

Antonio Brown has lost his appeal. I think he was the only one who thought he had a chance of winning. Ball's in your court Mr. Big Chest!

LeBron, on your show, it seemed like AB convinced you that Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin were responsible for the drama in Pittsburgh last year. What do you say now? 

Edited August 12, 2019 by xaxat

[mojoween]

I have no idea who it is, but the Giants have given a new WR number 13.  Odell, it’s like you were never there.

Also D. Jones to T. Jones is going to get old and confusing.  Someone change your name!

[JTMacc99]

On 8/16/2019 at 10:01 PM, mojoween said:

I have no idea who it is, but the Giants have given a new WR number 13.  Odell, it’s like you were never there.

Also D. Jones to T. Jones is going to get old and confusing.  Someone change your name!

Number 13 is Reggie White Jr. undrafted rookie from Monmouth. He’s actually a pretty interesting prospect and has an outside shot to make the team or at least the practice squad.

Not expecting to see a lot of D. Jones to anyone once the season starts, regardless of the fact he’s got something like a 140 passer rating through two preseason games.

Eli and the Giants offense, if healthy enough, isn’t going to be the reason they lose games. It’ll be the defense full of young kids and new guys trying to all get on the same page that’s going to be hard to watch.

[Popples]

Former NFL running back Cedric Benson has died at 36.

[merylinkid]

5 hours ago, Popples said:

Former NFL running back Cedric Benson has died at 36.

Absolutely gutted at this news.   So young.   He had posted to Instagram a picture of his bike yesterday.    

[mojoween]

Mike Mayock is apparently fed up with Antonio Brown, who has not shown up to camp yet because he’s a toddler stamping his feet about the helmet issue.  Mayock said it’s time for Brown to either be all in or all out.

Seems like Mayock is playing the heavy to Gruden’s good guy.

[roamyn]

12 hours ago, mojoween said:

Mike Mayock is apparently fed up with Antonio Brown, who has not shown up to camp yet because he’s a toddler stamping his feet about the helmet issue.  Mayock said it’s time for Brown to either be all in or all out.

Seems like Mayock is playing the heavy to Gruden’s good guy.

He showed he showed up Sunday, but left.  Like you said, Mayock indicated he was mad cause he couldn’t wear his helmet.

Teddy Bridgewater is in danger of losing his back up job, as are Drew Stanton, and Nathan Peterman.  Carolina, OTOH, have two prospects that are struggling, behind Cam, which is not a good sign.  These are just my opinion.

The Cardinals offense they’ve shown, looks really really bland and easy to defend. I wouldn’t be surprised to find them having the #1 draft again next year.  According to Rex Ryan, most coaches want to see Kliff fail.  They don’t like his style of offense for the NFL, they don’t like the fact that he has no NFL experience, and only failure st college level, and they don’t like the way Steve Wilkes was treated by the organizations.

Edited August 19, 2019 by roamyn

[BitterApple]

15 hours ago, mojoween said:

Mike Mayock is apparently fed up with Antonio Brown, who has not shown up to camp yet because he’s a toddler stamping his feet about the helmet issue.  Mayock said it’s time for Brown to either be all in or all out.

Seems like Mayock is playing the heavy to Gruden’s good guy.

Seriously, what is Brown's deal? Even if he can't fully practice, isn't it important to be there for meetings, watching film, etc.? He has his own trainer, so surely he can work out in Oakland just as easily as he could wherever he lives.

I wonder what his teammates think of all this? 

[Danny Franks]

17 hours ago, mojoween said:

Mike Mayock is apparently fed up with Antonio Brown, who has not shown up to camp yet because he’s a toddler stamping his feet about the helmet issue.  Mayock said it’s time for Brown to either be all in or all out.

Seems like Mayock is playing the heavy to Gruden’s good guy.

That whole team is such a clusterfuck.

Someone on deadspin summed up Jon Gruden for me, the other day - "a guy who likes to be seen coaching more than he likes coaching." Mayock is a draft and media guy, and has never managed personnel before this job, the playing roster has an impressive variety of assholes -  Antonio Brown, Vontaze Burfict, Richie Incognito - and somehow the owner who decided to move the team is one of the more respectable people there, thanks to his surprisingly nuanced take on players kneeling during the national anthem and on domestic violence (although giving so much control to Gruden is going to leave him looking more foolish than his haircut does).

Edited August 19, 2019 by Danny Franks

[xaxat]

I don't think Brown is crazy. It's just that he has no sense of shame and will do anything that advances his own selfish self interests. I think the helmet thing is a combination of an excuse to skip training camp and a means to be the star of Hard Knocks. (I don't watch the show, so I don't know how effective the latter was.)

In the end, I think he will be there for week one (he can't afford to miss paychecks) and will probably put in a good performance.

I would love to hear the trash talk opposing DBs will be throwing AB's way, trying to get into his head. (heh)

[Fukui San]

I think Brown also does genuinely prefer the old helmet. Other players were said to as well, though none have threatened to sit out due to the issue.

When helmets were first introduced to hockey, it was at first optional and eventually mandatory, but they grandfathered in players who wanted to go helmetless for their careers. So there was a point where only a few old guys were still playing without helmets. I looked up that Craig McTavish was the last helmetless player in 1997. The helmet rule went into effect in 1979, so that's a 18 year grandfather clause!

The NFL is being more aggressive, and good for them. It remains to be seen exactly how committed Brown is to this stance..

[topanga]

On 8/18/2019 at 10:50 AM, Popples said:

Former NFL running back Cedric Benson has died at 36.

How sad. He used to be one of my husband's favorite running backs. 

[roamyn]

5 hours ago, Fukui San said:

I think Brown also does genuinely prefer the old helmet. Other players were said to as well, though none have threatened to sit out due to the issue.

When helmets were first introduced to hockey, it was at first optional and eventually mandatory, but they grandfathered in players who wanted to go helmetless for their careers. So there was a point where only a few old guys were still playing without helmets. I looked up that Craig McTavish was the last helmetless player in 1997. The helmet rule went into effect in 1979, so that's a 18 year grandfather clause!

The NFL is being more aggressive, and good for them. It remains to be seen exactly how committed Brown is to this stance..

The players were warned five years before that this was happening in 2018.

32 players, including AB Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, were given a one years grandfather.

AB has to be THE MAN on his team.  Hence his hissyfit when JuJu was chosen Steelers player of the year.  He always has to make a grand entrance at the start of camp, because he wants all eyes on him all the time.  He’s also apparently addicted to IG and doesn’t pay attention during meetings because he’s checking out his IG acct (and his bank balance I guess).

I’m sure Ben was part of the issue the last few years with all his trash talk abt his teammates, but nothing on the level of AB.

Edited August 19, 2019 by roamyn

[xaxat]

32 minutes ago, roamyn said:

I’m sure Ben was part of the issue the last few years with all his trash talk abt his teammates,

I listen to his radio interviews and always thought that was exaggerated. Yes, he did criticize the route running of James Washington and he dumped blame on an incompletion onto AB's route. But I don't remember hearing any trash talk.

It's like how the media treated the statements of the offensive linemen with respect to LeVeon Bell. Everybody was aghast that they would criticize another player's contract status. But what didn't get a lot of coverage was the fact that Bell lied to them, said he was going to show up and let them originally defend him in the press. Then they realized what happened, got pissed and went public.

[mojoween]

Welp, I have made it to that point...either play, or don’t, AB, but I am now beyond over caring about you, your helmet, and your feet.

[merylinkid]

23 hours ago, roamyn said:

they don’t like the fact that he has no NFL experience, and only failure st college leve

How in the Wide Wide World of Sports he got one of only 32 head coaching jobs I do not know.   I know they were all looking for the next Sean McVay next year, but Kingsbury is not anything remotely like McVay except in skin color.   He's going to get Kyler Murray killed out there with his horrible offense.    

[mojoween]

Holy hell it’s like a carousel of annoyances and now it’s Odell’s turn again.  

[JTMacc99]

1 minute ago, mojoween said:

Holy hell it’s like a carousel of annoyances and now it’s Odell’s turn again.  

I gotta be honest, he's made it VERY easy not to miss him.

Somewhere in the back of my head when my Giants news feed pops up a headline that says "OBJ lands another jab at the Giants..." I'm starting to think terrible things like "He can't suffer his annual season ending injury fast enough" and other things that I don't really mean but at least would make him shut his mouth.

[Danny Franks]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

Holy hell it’s like a carousel of annoyances and now it’s Odell’s turn again.  

Better or worse than Mayfield opening his dumb mouth and shitting on a rookie QB before he's had the chance to even play any games?

[mojoween]

2 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Better or worse than Mayfield opening his dumb mouth and shitting on a rookie QB before he's had the chance to even play any games?

Oh my land I am over the pair of them.  Baker needs to keep the Giants out his mouth.

[JTMacc99]

1 hour ago, Danny Franks said:

Better or worse than Mayfield opening his dumb mouth and shitting on a rookie QB before he's had the chance to even play any games?

In his defense, he did say this about it when asked about his comments about Jones: "This is not what I said... just so we're clear. I also said I was surprised I got drafted No. 1. Then was talking about the flaws in evaluating QBs. Where I brought up winning being important. Reporters and media will do anything to come up with a click-bait story. Heard nothing but good things and wish nothing but the best for Daniel."

I kinda-sorta believe him here. Jones being picked "too high" was the common cry when it happened, so why wouldn't somebody like Mayfield echo it as part of a train of thought. He should quickly learn to be careful about how he talks about other players, because I think his mild disrespect here got turned into a big stupid story.

Beckham, on the other hand, is relentlessly expressing his displeasure at how getting traded made him feel. 

[roamyn]

2 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Better or worse than Mayfield opening his dumb mouth and shitting on a rookie QB before he's had the chance to even play any games?

I have to agree w/ you here.

Daniel Jones seems to be doing ok in pre season, but Baker has no cause to talk abt any QB.  He’s only a sophomore player, and despite setting the rookie record in a shorter amt of games, has no history of NFL experience that makes him an expert.

I groaned when I saw the headlines.  What in the ever loving H do the Giants have in common with the Browns?

[mojoween]

The one thing I did see is that no one brought up Daniel Jones during the interview, Baker brought him up unprompted when Daniel was on a nearby TV.  So Baker can walk it back all he wants, but he still was taking about a rookie for no good reason.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

Oh my land I am over the pair of them.

Seriously.  I've never cared about the Browns one way or the other, but I'm starting to hope for a spectacular offensive failure thanks to those two clowns.

I'm amused by how Eli-like Jones is in his reaction to all the questions about Mayfield's comment.

[xaxat]

I hope the reporter releases the tape of the interview. 

[merylinkid]

The expectations are the Browns will actually be good this year.   However, a meaningful game has yet to be played.   Please remember all the years that the Redskins "won" the off-season.   Once games that count starts being played, reality may shut these 2 up right quick.   

[mojoween]

It’s Dallas’s turn on the carousel today!

Will Cain carping that Jerry Jones’s “Zeke who?” joke was lighthearted and we all need to get over it is what bullies say.

If Zeke didn’t like it, who are you to tell him how to feel?  Personally I also think Jerry was an asshole for saying it and Jerry declaring that he has earned the right to say it also makes him an asshole.

Sure, he defended Zeke to the hills when he was in trouble and suspended but that doesn’t mean Zeke needs to roll over and take whatever he gives for the rest of his life.  Keep your business shit in the boardroom and out of the media.

[JTMacc99]

15 hours ago, roamyn said:

What in the ever loving H do the Giants have in common with the Browns?

It is all about Beckham, who tends to make things all about him, and Mayfield getting a bit caught up in it with his new star.  

OBJ feels very, VERY, insulted that he got traded. There is a whole bunch of "I'm so amazing on the football field, that the only way a team could possibly trade me is because they don't like me personally" in his head and heart. Because of that, he just can't stop taking shots at the Giants. 

It's a whole lot like when somebody is dating somebody they think probably doesn't deserve to be with them, and then gets dumped by that person with the explanation, "I think I can do better."

14 hours ago, Bastet said:

I'm amused by how Eli-like Jones is in his reaction to all the questions about Mayfield's comment

Yep. I've said this since the beginning, of the three quarterbacks drafted in 2004, Eli was by far the best choice for the Giants simply because he had the right personality to deal with the NY media market. Jones is cut from the same cloth as Eli when it comes to this stuff.

Around the time of the draft, I heard two things on Sirius NFL radio that made me okay with the pick. (I came around to being okay with the pick much earlier than most.)  I heard an actual interview with Jones, and I got the feeling that he had an excellent chance of dealing with the NY market, provided that he didn't stink on the field. He was smart and funny and seemed very even-keeled.

And then I heard Gil Brandt talk about him. Brandt, who I often think is a little nuts to be honest, really liked Jones as a prospect. Much more than the average media guy. What he said was that Jones had benefited from excellent coaching from the guy at Duke who worked with both Peyton and Eli. And then he said, Jones reminds him more of Peyton coming out of college than of Eli. And then he tossed in, "But Peyton was the hardest working person ever to play the game, and who knows if Jones is willing to work that hard." Having watched the kid a bit through the off-season and preseason, I see what Brandt is talking about. He doesn't look like Eli on the field. 

[BitterApple]

It's amazing all this trash talking is coming from players/owners on teams that haven't done jack shit in years. Maybe they need to step away from the junior high drama and focus on football for a change?

Edited August 21, 2019 by BitterApple

[JTMacc99]

2 hours ago, BitterApple said:

It's amazing all this trash talking is coming from players/owners on teams that haven't done jack shit in years. Maybe they need to step away from the junior high drama and focus on football for a change?

Right?!

For what it’s worth, I’m pretty pleased that the Giants have responded with, “we’ve got enough to worry about here.”

[mojoween]

This doesn’t have anything to do with anything and is also INCREDIBLY shallow, but I have just now today for the very first time seen Le’Veon Bell without a helmet and yes.  More of that.

[xaxat]

A while ago I wrote that Steeler fans were feeling schadenfreude about AB and the Raiders. About that.

Quote

HBO has announced the viewership for the third episode of this year’s Hard Knocks, and one line from the press release resonates most loudly: The ratings for Tuesday night’s show in Pittsburgh outpaced the national average by more than three times. 

[catlover79]

Quote of the week:

"We need a kicker that can put the ball between the two yellow poles.” - Freddie Kitchens, Cleveland Browns head coach

[Popples]

Andrew Luck is retiring from the NFL. Such a shame his career was riddled with injuries that he couldn't really reach his potential.

[AimingforYoko]

33 minutes ago, Popples said:

Andrew Luck is retiring from the NFL. Such a shame his career was riddled with injuries that he couldn't really reach his potential.

Daaaaamn. Talk about snakebit. 

[roamyn]

37 minutes ago, Popples said:

Andrew Luck is retiring from the NFL. Such a shame his career was riddled with injuries that he couldn't really reach his potential.

Why did he wait until just before the season started, tho?

I hope that he’s okay.  The timing just seems shocking, and I imagine frustrating for Colts fans.

[Fukui San]

From tweets of media folks I've seen, it seems that this has been brewing through this offseason and not something that just happened all of a sudden.

It Sucked 4 Luck to be drafted into the Colts in a time when an absolute dolt was GM and the offensive system seemed to be built to maximize the number of hits on him. If the current regime was in place at the beginning of his career, things could have been much different for him.

[mojoween]

That shoulder surgery seems to have really messed him up, and now the calf.

The timing is so weird, I mean the Colts were PLAYING when Schefty tweeted it out.  And then Luck was booed by classy Indy fans when he left the field.

[Jx223]

Andrew Luck retiring is surprising news. But it looks like the injuries took on a toll on him physically and mentally. I wish him the best. And I wish Jacoby Brissett well as the Colts new starter. I like him and hope he will continue to grow and improve in the QB role.

Edited August 25, 2019 by Jx223

[Danny Franks]

Man, that sucks. But it's better for his long term health if he doesn't keep trying to grit it out. I don't think the Colts have served him well in his time there, and I really don't care about how this might screw up their plans.

[Fukui San]

I'd like to pitch the reality show: "Retired: Luck and Gronk do America".