NFL 2019 Season Thread

[PwrdOn]

Didn't say Kaepernick did anything wrong (I absolutely disagree with his reasons for kneeling but I applaud the fact that if he's going to protest he's going to do it peacefully and no amount of kneeling will make me stop watching the NFL) but the fact of the matter is that he would be a nuclear distraction to any team that signed him. Ticket holders would revolt and the coaches would get a million Kaepernick questions a week. All for a guy who would only play if the starter got hurt. Same with Tim Tebow as I've argued before. Tebow was actually a player who would draw fans but it was way distracting to the point coaches didn't want to deal with it. Thus he was out of the league quickly whereas if he'd been the same skill level without the fanatical obsession that network TV and fans had over him he'd have lingered for many more years as as a backup QB and maybe could have become a serviceable starter.

Point is that Antonio Brown and Tyreek Hill are All Pro level receivers whereas Kaepernick was a gimmick QB whose gimmick was no longer very effective and Tebow was a project QB. Teams will put up with all kinds of misery and distraction if you are just that good, as Brown and Hill are, and will kick you to curb if your a mediocre and a distraction as Kaepernick and Tebow were.

Kaepernick is only considered a distraction because there is a certain contingent of fans for whom shallow identity politics outweighs any concerns about football, or indeed basic human decency, and the team owners just so happen to agree with their views and are all too happy to appease them. On the other hand, owners and fans are at best indifferent toward victims of domestic violence, and often outright hostile, and so they have no problem with giving the likes of Tyreek Hill chance after chance.

And besides, the entire sport of football is nothing more than a distraction from the drudgery of every day life. All of the drama and scandal that surrounds the sport is at least as big of a draw as the games themselves, if not more, and certainly will engage the average fan a lot more than indecipherable mumbo jumbo about Spider 2 Y Banana or what have you. Remember that sports media is largely just the promotional arm of the league, if the NFL wanted all the distractions to go away, they could just cut off access to the press and force them to publish puff pieces about how great everything is. But the league has realized over the years that controversy creates cash, and that having all of these supposed distractions enhances their product rather than detracting from it, as long as it's all silly stuff like domestic violence and drug abuse that no one really cares about, not anything that seriously upsets the apple cart like what Kaepernick was doing.

[Gray Lensman]

Part of the distraction is going to be the press. Just like with Tim Tebow, no reporter is going to be able to stick to any line of questioning without trying to ask about Kaep at every opportunity.

"Coach, your team is about to play in the Superbowl, has a chance to rewrite several entries in the record books, and several of your players have incredibly inspirational stories behind them. Your offense has set a record for points, and your defense is said to be the second coming of the 1985 Bears. With all that in mind, what about Colin Kaepernick?"

"Next question."

"What about Colin Kaepernick?"

"Anyone asking about the backup QB will be ejected from this press conference, and I have the assurance of the Commissioner that there will be no sanctions for doing so. Next question."

"What about Colin Kaepernick?"

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Part of the distraction is going to be the press. Just like with Tim Tebow, no reporter is going to be able to stick to any line of questioning without trying to ask about Kaep at every opportunity.

"Coach, your team is about to play in the Superbowl, has a chance to rewrite several entries in the record books, and several of your players have incredibly inspirational stories behind them. Your offense has set a record for points, and your defense is said to be the second coming of the 1985 Bears. With all that in mind, what about Colin Kaepernick?"

"Next question."

"What about Colin Kaepernick?"

"Anyone asking about the backup QB will be ejected from this press conference, and I have the assurance of the Commissioner that there will be no sanctions for doing so. Next question."

"What about Colin Kaepernick?"

A good coach ala a Belichick can shut it down quick... "We feel Colin helps our team and we always look for good players. This is about the team . I'll take a question that isn't about Colin next..."

[Jackmando7]

Antonio Brown wants to be released from the Oakland Raiders.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...rs-release-me/

I am tempted to buy an #84 Raiders Jersey, it's practically guaranteed to become a collectors item.

[worstblogever]

Remind me to point at laugh at whomever drafted Antonio Brown in my Fantasy League.

[The Big G]

I've been a Raider fan all my life and I thought I've seen it all....

Clearly I haven't this is nuts....'

Its almost hour to hour now....

[C_Miller]

And it's official. Antonio Brown has been released!

[Jackmando7]

And it's official. Antonio Brown has been released!

Maybe he will resign with the Steelers =p

I am LMFAO right now

[SUPERECWFAN1]

So again anyone wanna debate and tell me Antonio Brown is misunderstood and he isn't a locker room cancer ? I'm waiting again...

[Jackmando7]

So again anyone wanna debate and tell me Antonio Brown is misunderstood and he isn't a locker room cancer ? I'm waiting again...

Ben made him do it.

" It's 5 o'clock somewhere." ~~Steelers GM Kevin Colbert

You guys remember "How Raiders GM Mike Mayock fleeced Steelers to land Antonio Brown " ???

(In all honesty, they needed to do this. But, as a Steelers fan I am LMAO right now. But, I think we're truly witnessing a mentally ill person have a meltdown.)

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Ben made him do it.

I'm sure he will tweet that nonsense .


Here is my take....



Antonio Brown was happy to be out of Pittsburgh and getting a huge contract. He was so happy to get that big pay day ahead and be on a different team due to issues with Rothlisberger. Its clear Ben Rothlisberger is the offensive leader of that team. He dictates where the ball goes etc...and Brown was happy awhile. But as Rothlisberger pointed out , once he called Brown out ala a boss would (and I have had my boss get after me for blunders as well) Brown got pissed. I'M A SUPERSTAR WR , #1 on the team ! Ben shouldn't do this to me. That grew into an anger where he demanded out and was happy.

He in video clips is all smiles in Oakland when he arrives. He's happy because he just signed a big contract deal and feels he's out of Ben's shadow and the real #1 guy now. He's the boss on offense and doesn't have to answer to Ben or anyone.

He froze his foot by accident and as he sit and watched ...he soon came to a scary realization. He was playing for a terrible team. The Raiders are a terrible ran franchise and Derek Carr is no Ben Rothlisberger. Its here where Brown started to think , oh I'm sooo fucked. I am so fucking fucked. People will look at me only as a sole reason this team loses and I can't be responsible.

So Brown plotted his scheme to get out of Oakland. He needed an exit strategy and realized the way out was conduct. So he went MORE ABSURD with things after the helmet rules. Then saw that the team was still gonna stand by him and he was like ****...he then went crazy with the GM and did social media. All to push the Raiders ...to push them . Finally he literally told them according to a report if they fined him he wouldn't play on Monday. That he literally was telling he wouldn't play as the team did what he wanted.

Now he will get to sign with a team after 4pm. And Brown gets control over where he goes and whether that team is a winner or not.

[Hiromi]

Meanwhile in non cancerous prima donna WR news Julio Jones and the Falcons just agreed to a 3 year 66 million fully guaranteed deal with 64 million up front

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Kaepernick is only considered a distraction because there is a certain contingent of fans for whom shallow identity politics outweighs any concerns about football, or indeed basic human decency, and the team owners just so happen to agree with their views and are all too happy to appease them. On the other hand, owners and fans are at best indifferent toward victims of domestic violence, and often outright hostile, and so they have no problem with giving the likes of Tyreek Hill chance after chance.

And besides, the entire sport of football is nothing more than a distraction from the drudgery of every day life. All of the drama and scandal that surrounds the sport is at least as big of a draw as the games themselves, if not more, and certainly will engage the average fan a lot more than indecipherable mumbo jumbo about Spider 2 Y Banana or what have you. Remember that sports media is largely just the promotional arm of the league, if the NFL wanted all the distractions to go away, they could just cut off access to the press and force them to publish puff pieces about how great everything is. But the league has realized over the years that controversy creates cash, and that having all of these supposed distractions enhances their product rather than detracting from it, as long as it's all silly stuff like domestic violence and drug abuse that no one really cares about, not anything that seriously upsets the apple cart like what Kaepernick was doing.

Here's the deal, teams ability to tolerate you being a distraction is correlated to your ability.

If Cam Newton did the exact same thing Kaepernick did, there is no doubt he would be on a team right now. If Bryan Hoyer or Jacoby Brissett did what Kaep did, they'd be out as well. I'm not even sure the team owners agree, they just don't value him enough for the issue some fans have with him. Also it's worth noting, Seattle tried to work a deal with him and couldn't get it done, he was working with the Ravens as well and then his girlfriend called the owner a slave master which killed that.

Kaep is good enough to be in the NFL, he's just not good enough to be the headache he causes for teams. I'm saying that as someone who agrees 100% on Kaeps positions politically. Nobody wants the drama around your team to be about the 2nd string QB who is maybe kinda a fill in starter. As a Pats fan, I'll put up with anything for Brady, I would not for Stidham, or Hoyer, or even Jimmy G when he was here.

[Zero Hunter]

I'm sure he will tweet that nonsense .


Here is my take....



Antonio Brown was happy to be out of Pittsburgh and getting a huge contract. He was so happy to get that big pay day ahead and be on a different team due to issues with Rothlisberger. Its clear Ben Rothlisberger is the offensive leader of that team. He dictates where the ball goes etc...and Brown was happy awhile. But as Rothlisberger pointed out , once he called Brown out ala a boss would (and I have had my boss get after me for blunders as well) Brown got pissed. I'M A SUPERSTAR WR , #1 on the team ! Ben shouldn't do this to me. That grew into an anger where he demanded out and was happy.

He in video clips is all smiles in Oakland when he arrives. He's happy because he just signed a big contract deal and feels he's out of Ben's shadow and the real #1 guy now. He's the boss on offense and doesn't have to answer to Ben or anyone.

He froze his foot by accident and as he sit and watched ...he soon came to a scary realization. He was playing for a terrible team. The Raiders are a terrible ran franchise and Derek Carr is no Ben Rothlisberger. Its here where Brown started to think , oh I'm sooo fucked. I am so fucking fucked. People will look at me only as a sole reason this team loses and I can't be responsible.

So Brown plotted his scheme to get out of Oakland. He needed an exit strategy and realized the way out was conduct. So he went MORE ABSURD with things after the helmet rules. Then saw that the team was still gonna stand by him and he was like ****...he then went crazy with the GM and did social media. All to push the Raiders ...to push them . Finally he literally told them according to a report if they fined him he wouldn't play on Monday. That he literally was telling he wouldn't play as the team did what he wanted.

Now he will get to sign with a team after 4pm. And Brown gets control over where he goes and whether that team is a winner or not.

I think your giving Brown way to much credit here. I think he did not have some master plan and it is just all his insane ego and the fact he really does not want to play football anymore. The stupid thing is all he had to do was wait until Monday to throw his fit and he would have gotten his guaranteed money no matter what. After how happy the Steelers were to get rid of him and now all the nonsense with the Raiders I am not even sure any team is going to want to take a chance on picking him up this season regardless of how talented he is. He is right on the line of "is he really worth having on the team" right now.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Brown's said in the past he doesn't really need football. I honestly think he doesn't really want to play and doesn't give a **** but the money involved is too alluring so he's self sabotaging himself.