One (I) could see during the one game he played his chemistry was off…it was just all about him which is not even close to the Pats way. He could really play but the team dynamics are way more important and he would never fit and then the last bit about allegedly threatening a new accuser…that’s was what supposedly set off Kraft, the massage aficionado, to can his arse.

Again: the metoo thing sometimes really gets overplayed. Why do they always come back for more…pretty simple it seems…$$$.

taysom hill & bridgewater in the thunderdome are what I’m most curious about this weekend–rare that a real chance for ingenuity pops up in the nfl. how often will payton simultaneously deploy two qbs? one has to think that the saints will attack a piss poor secondary–the hawks have allowed exactly 58 less passing yards than the Fins, 575 in 2 games to be precise, but can they neutralize the seattle d-line with trickery, the mesh, kamara, and two running threat qb’s? might be a dud, but I’m staying tuned.

I wish the mahomes vs jackson contest wasn’t on at noon (packer fan here). here’s hoping it will require watching on replay.

About f’g time we got a trash thread. I thought we would be seeing the Rise and Fall of the Antonio Brown Empire with nary a chance to comment.

There was enough AB trash last week to fill a dumpster, and well, I was and am pissed about not posting it then. So I’ll post some of it now. Letting it molder for a week means it has composted itself down a bit, so you’re not getting the full 2 weeks’ worth.

Fact is, Brown wanted to go to New England all along. That much is clear from how he got out of Oakland. I think he never wanted to play a down for the Raiders. He knew, at least from the time he blew off the final, with-playoff-implications game of the Steelers, he was not going to go to New England. The Steelers refused to trade with the Pats, period.

Turn back the clock about 15 years, to when the Iggles were coming off the Super Bowl loss to the Pats (thank you, Andy Reid’s clock management). At that time, Terrell Owens (T.O. to all of you) was a standout WR for the Iggles and, to his credit, had played and played hard despite serious injury going into the game. But he wanted to go to Dallas – maybe so he could take a dump on The Star, I dunno.

Brown’s agent Rosenhaus also represented T.O. T.O. held out, put on a spectacle – holding a press conference while doing situps in his driveway, going on about how he felt disrespected, etc. – all during training camp. At some point the Eagles had enough of his crap and let him go to the Cowboys. Rosenhaus took out his playbook and he and AB ran on the Raiders the same play he and T.O. ran on the Eagles. Frankly, if I ran the Raiders I would have looked hard at putting AB on IR for mental issues and let him sit there all season. But, I’m sure the dollars weighed more heavily in their calculus.

Where did he get the idea? It seems obvious Rosenhaus watches Star Trek. From Amok Time, when Spock goes into rut and battles Kirk to the death on Vulcan:

MCCOY: Have the transporter room stand by to beam up the landing party. (ends communication) As strange as it may seem, Mister Spock, you’re in command now. Any orders?
SPOCK: Yes. I’ll follow you up in a few minutes. You will instruct Mister Chekov to plot a course for the nearest Starbase where I must surrender myself to the authorities. (the sound of a transporter off screen) T’Pring. Explain.
T’PRING*: Specify.
SPOCK: Why the challenge, and why you chose my captain as your champion.
T’PRING: Stonn* wanted me, I wanted him.
SPOCK: I see no logic in preferring Stonn over me.
T’PRING: You have become much known among our people, Spock. Almost a legend. And as the years went by, I came to know that I did not want to be the consort of a legend. But by the laws of our people, I could only divorce you by the kal-if-fee. There was also Stonn, who wanted very much to be my consort, and I wanted him. If your Captain were victor, he would not want me, and so I would have Stonn. If you were victor you would free me because I had dared to challenge, and again I would have Stonn. But if you did not free me, it would be the same. For you would be gone, and I would have your name and your property, and Stonn would still be there.
SPOCK: Logical. Flawlessly logical.
T’PRING: I am honoured.
SPOCK: Stonn. She is yours. After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true. Spock here. Stand by to beam up. Live long, T’Pau, and prosper.

– T’Pring was Spock’s wife. In applying this saga to the AB story, AB is T’Pring, and just as connivingly bitchy.
– Stonn, the goofy-looking Vulcan in the show who never said anything, is Belichick. Just as goofy-looking and never says anything.
– Spock would be the Raiders and Kirk, the Steelers. Noteworthy that some commentators have been opining that, looking at the AB (and LeVeon Bell) situation in retrospect they think Tomlin should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. It was Kirk’s nobility, in accepting a fight to the death with his friend Spock, that allowed the entire situation to be resolved. (You could easily make an argument for either team being Spock or Kirk, because for T’Pring’s scheme to work she needed two chumps to fight to the death over her, when she wanted neither.)
– “by the laws of our people, I could only divorce you by the kal-if-fee.” winds up being “under the collective bargaining agreement it was only by being an egregious malefactor and disruptor could AB get himself cut loose from the Raiders (and the Steelers) so he could be with the one he wanted, and who wanted him.
– And, as is so often true “having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting.”

Me, I was having a hard time yesterday afternoon wiping laughter’s tears from my eyes and trying to avoid hyperventilating from laughing too hard, when the news came down that AB was gone.

I have little doubt that the League’s attorney’s calling the artist’s attorneys within an hour of being notified that AB and his crew (and his attorney – WTF is that guy thinking?) were circulating pictures of the artist’s kids and threatening and defaming her made the Pats’ decision E-A-S-Y. Moreover, it turns out the press reports kinda underplay the harassment he laid on the artist while she was muraling. Not only did he walk into the room with nothing but a washcloth over his unit, but he had sex with another woman while the artist was painting. Apparently in the same room, too.

And the artist, to her credit, wants none of AB’s money. I suspect she’d likely feel like she had to wash with laundry soap after touching it.

Thing is, AB brought his sh*t to NE, tried to pull the same kind of stunts he had in both Pgh and Oakland and Bill and Kraft had enough of it. They are not into “high maintenance”. That by cutting him now they would avoid having to ratify his conduct with $5 million of their money (a partial payment of the signing bonus was due Monday) was just a cherry on top. They got out of this for under $200k, about the amount they’d generate with popcorn sales on a gameday, I’d guess.

This jackass pissed away $30 million in NFL cash, and who-knows-how-much in endorsement money, in 13 days. That has to be some kind of record.

What was more interesting, to me was ESPN’s telephone interview with Ryan Clark, former Steeler and longtime teammate of AB, an hour or two after the cut announcement. What came through, despite Clark’s very polite and mannerly language, was that AB had been behaving the way he did in Oakland and NE for a long, long time. That his behavior was a reflection of his upbringing. And that he’d started off small with his misconduct and progressed from screwing over teammates on little things and standing up charities to worse over time. And it was clear from the way the Clark interview ended that he wouldn’t be taking calls from AB, that he was done with him.

As we should be, too.

Do you think I’m enjoying this? Press 1 for yes.

My Stillers are in a world of hurt. Back in 76, Bradshaw went down with a bad injury 5 games into the season (and they were 1-4 at the time). The defense had a meeting where it was stated, in so many words, that if they wanted to win it was up to the defense. Over the remaining 9 games (14 game season then), the Steelers’ D proved itself the Best Ever. They allowed 28 points in 9 games. They picked up the team and carried them and a backup QB all the way to the AFC Championship. They lost that year to Oakland, largely because both Rocky Bleier and Franco Harris were hurt and hobbled from the Divisional Game the week before. I don’t see this D doing anything remotely similar (setting aside the limitations caused by rules changes in the intervening years). It would be nice to dream it possible, but I don’t see it. I’d be ecstatic to come out of this weekend 1-2 and go 500 for the year. The big question, assuming Rudolph survives, is what happens next year. Ben will be pushing 38 by the time training camp opens, and his injury was basically non-contact. He has maybe 1 or 2 years left and what he does is rely on experience rather than athletic skill and, as Eli has just shown, a good opponent’s game plan can turn the benefit of experience into the taste of ashes.
I am one of the people not offended by the Giants having chosen Jones at #6. From all I’ve heard, this kid has a lot of the same upside and character as did young Eli (without the bitchy don’t wanna play in San Diego bullshit). He shows up, studies hard, learns fast (Duke don’t produce dummies) and has enough athleticism to do ok or better. I think it a benefit to him that he gets his first start on the road.

The Iggles look ok, though the injuries to 2 WR and others is going to hurt. More of a concern is that Wentz starts games slowly, making every game a catchup affair. It will be interesting to see whether the Iggles can top the Kitties. The last time these two teams played in Philly was the time a blizzard descended and left like 2 feet of snow on the Linc, making for one of the most entertaining games in a long time. It was like watching kids playing in the back yard. No one went for the FG, either, because there was no way to kick effectively. Go for it on 4th and go for the 2 pointer. There will be no snow in Philly this weekend.

I am waiting for the Football Gods to wreak something on the Owboys. I don’t know what, yet, but it will be interesting.

Chefs-Ravens looks like an interesting game, which means it won’t be on TV for me.

The Pats will roll. Without AB. There was a line in the book Cinderella Man that sums up the Patriot Way: “It was the kind of town where people who made waves tended to disappear beneath them.”

My prediction for AB is along these lines: First up, Commissioner’s Exempt List. His lawyer will fire him for non-paid bills. He will grieve the signing bonus and lose. His crew will turn on him. He will have more crap come out in the Florida sex assault lawsuit. Rosenhaus will drop him, claiming (no one will believe him) AB deceived him, too. There will be an arrest for something he has not yet done. He will lose in the other pending litigation. Bankruptcy is possible. After a year or so on the Exempt List, some team will take a flyer on him but it will be a league-minimum contract, possibly with incentives. But, having been dealing with all the other shit (and unable to find a trainer who will put up with him) he won’t have been working out and will, moreover, be pushing 34. Slow, gimpy (from the frostbite) and out of shape, he will be unceremoniously cut. He winds up living in a trailer park.

Poor Tennessee.

I’m concerned about AB. Outside of the sexual assault claims, his behavior has been pretty erratic. Between getting into arguments with Ben Roethlisberger last season, getting frostbite from his cryo tank, reporting to camp late, and getting into arguments with Oakland’s GM prior to his release, he reminds me a bit of the late Chris Henry. At the risk of speculating, I wonder if he is suffering from CTE.

Who would tolerate such abhorrent behavior? It’s not like he’s nominated for the Supreme Court, though.

Best. Philly. Trash. Ever: “we was catchin’ them, unlike Agholor”
https://www.tmz.com/2019/09/23/nelson-agholor-dragged-philly-hero-hilarious-local-news-soundbite/
In this case, the “them” they was catchin’ were … children being tossed from the second floor of a burning building.
Never say Philly people don’t live, eat, sleep and define their lives by and through their fandom.