Worst Of The Worst: Antonio Brown
February 15th, 2022
How could a guy so talented, a Hall of Fame-like talent, be the worst at his position? Well, former Bucs receiver Antonio Brown found a way.
Over at Football Outsiders, they cobbled together an All-Star team labeled “Keep Choppin’ Wood” because, well, that’s what you ask subpar players to do.
Now no one would suggest Brown is a subpar player. The reason and the problem with Brown making this dubious collection of NFL misfits is his head, as Bryan Knowles explains.
… when we last left our hero Antonio Brown, he was coming off of being named to the 2018 and 2019 Keep Choppin’ Wood Teams, as well as being named to the All-2010s KCW team. He had a quiet 2020 by his standards—he started the year with an eight-game suspension due to burglary and battery charges and accusations of intimidating texts and sexual harassment, so, you know, quiet. But 2021 saw him back in fine form.
In November, the reports came out—Brown’s COVID vaccination card was a forgery, an odd choice of federal crime to commit in a league where, y’know, you could just go unvaccinated and play every week. That news only became public thanks to a former live-in chef of Brown’s, someone whom Brown refused to pay $10,000 he owed—somehow, the second time Brown has refused to pay a personal chef, alongside a list of lawyers, personal assistants, trainers, car detailers, and piranha aquarium installers (… no, really) who all claim or have claimed Brown owes them money. A good lesson there, kids—don’t stiff someone who has information about all the crimes you have been doing!
And that’s not even the reason he made the team! After serving a suspension, Brown returned to the Buccaneers, and, well, things just soured from there. In the middle of Week 17, Brown engaged in a heated argument on the sideline, and then took off his jersey and pads and stormed shirtless into the locker room, flashing peace signs at the crowd as he went.
Then Knowles goes into the fallout from the Jets sideline debacle and Brown’s subsequent release.
Joe thought at the time and still thinks that when Brown bolted to the tunnel at MetLife Stadium after a set of topless jumping jacks in the end zone, there too went the Bucs’ chances to repeat.
Tell Joe the Bucs wouldn’t have beaten the Rams if Brown had his head screwed on straight?
Knowles also noted he believes nothing Brown said about the incident at the Jets-Bucs game. Why? Brown has no credibility, that’s why.
Brown was joined on this notorious list by fellow receivers Henry Ruggs of the Raiders and Laviska Shenault of the Jags.
Here is the video from #Bucs WR Antonio Brown… leaving the field and saying goodbye. pic.twitter.com/EaR0jRqcs3
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 2, 2022
February 15th, 2022 at 3:03 pm
We would’ve won with AB on the team against the Rams
February 15th, 2022 at 3:22 pm
Glad to move on from that guy, he doesn’t care about championships otherwise he would have never done this at the end of a season and contract. He could have easily made the case for a bigger contract this next year once Godwin went down. Dude is a moron and torpedoed any hopes of getting anything more than the Bucs offered this past season.
February 15th, 2022 at 3:25 pm
It certainly would’ve been a different game had Brown played. It’s mostly definitely closer at the half. Bottom line is the bucs couldn’t get key stop when they needed them. Maybe Brown helps keep the score from getting out of hand. In the end the bucs biggest problems that game was on defense
February 15th, 2022 at 3:26 pm
Most
February 15th, 2022 at 3:27 pm
Actually, the worst of the worst are those who want to blame coaches for AB’s behavior……
AB truly has no credibility…he is a repeat offender and deserves no benefit of the doubt….
As for whether or not we beat the Rams with AB…..perhaps…..among several other scenarios…..how about a healthy Chris Godwin….or even Perriman or Grayson…..Tristin Wirfs…..JPP….
We lost…time to move on. Thanks AB for helping us win a SB….that’s about the extent of it.
February 15th, 2022 at 3:30 pm
The sad part, the Bucs still had a better team then the Rams or Bengals and should have repeated. And if that happened, Brady would be going for 3.
February 15th, 2022 at 3:30 pm
“We would’ve won with AB on the team against the Rams”
I keep hearing this and have to disagree. AB, for the last two seasons, was a PART-TIME player. He simply could not be relied upon. Had our back-ups stepped up, we wouldn’t even be talking about this guy. IMO, of course.
February 15th, 2022 at 3:30 pm
BA could not keep his ego in check.
just a few weeks or more and we would most likely be SB champs.
the guy is an a$$ clown, don’t get me wrong. but much like a psycho chic thats great in “other” ways…..you tolerate UNTIL you can replace him.
February 15th, 2022 at 3:33 pm
Try as I might, I can only wonder what would have happened if Arians handled this differently. We would’ve won with AB on the team against the Rams.
February 15th, 2022 at 3:36 pm
AB has only ever cared about AB.
I applaud the FO/BA from canning his ass, after all the off-field issues & quitting on the team & refusing to go back in vs the Jets.
He sure didn’t look “too injured” to re-enter the game…As he was jumping jack flash shirtless across the Jets endzone – cheering the Jets fans on.
February 15th, 2022 at 3:36 pm
I was reading the interview with Mike Evans. Even when Mike was trying to get him back in the game and calm him down he never said anything to Mike about his ankle or anything else. Just refused to get back in with him when their turn came up to get on the field.
February 15th, 2022 at 3:43 pm
Back-ups don’t usually step up which is why they are back-ups. Vita Vea is also a part time player. I always felt the team looked very different with AB on the field. The Bucs didn’t have a WR outside of Mike Evans that’s worth a darn and I think it impacted their ability to win that game. That being said, losing Tristan Wirfs was probably a much bigger issue.
February 15th, 2022 at 3:48 pm
“there too went the Bucs’ chances to repeat.“
Perhaps. You can certainly make an argument for it. But I think if you had to pin down a moment where the Bucs’ chances at repeating plummeted, I would point to the Saints game, where we lost Godwin for the year and Fournette for the rest of the regular season. Or Wirfs getting hurt and coming back in during the Wild Card Round. Or Todd Bowles not double covering Cooper Kupp on the final drive of the Divisional Round. THEN I would place AB not being on the team.
Interesting thing was that AB was spotted at the Super Bowl with another guy who has mental issues, Kanye West, while wearing the Super Bowl ring that Tom Brady was nice enough to give to him before AB stabbed him in the back. We would’ve won the SB without AB in 2020 I just thought it was funny he was brandishing his only ring from a team he hates and didn’t contribute a whole lot to that season.
February 15th, 2022 at 3:50 pm
Didn’t AB play against the Rams early in the season?
How’d that go?
February 15th, 2022 at 3:54 pm
I hear AB’s surgery went well…..
February 15th, 2022 at 3:59 pm
Maybe AB had an interview to go to
February 15th, 2022 at 4:01 pm
“I guess he’s an entertainer now.” – Future hall of fame WR Mike Evans…😂😂
February 15th, 2022 at 4:02 pm
It sucks it ended like that, but when you sign a loser like AB, you knew it was going to blow up, when was the only question. I doubt we ever see him in the nfl again.
February 15th, 2022 at 4:09 pm
D-Rome- I think the question on many Bucs fans minds is, where was Scotty Miller? Tyler Johnson?
Between the two of them, you would’ve thought they could pick up the slack. These guys were expected to be “heir apparent”.
And, we still won a bunch of games without him.
AB is unquestionably HOF talent and he didn’t get there overnight. He’s not irreplaceable though.
February 15th, 2022 at 4:18 pm
In retrospect cutting him after vaccine card fiasco couldve help save bucs season. More time to replace him
February 15th, 2022 at 4:20 pm
If Brown had his head screwed on straight he’d be a 40 million dollar talent or more. And the Bucs never would have had a shot at having him on the team. We were lucky to squeeze that cactus for all the juice he had in him for the Super Bowl last year.
February 15th, 2022 at 4:23 pm
Antonio Brown is a talented loser who thinks rules don’t apply to him.
Don’t blame BA. BA never wanted him. He knew brown was a POS since their Pittsburg days. Look how AB reacted. Fook him forevermore.
February 15th, 2022 at 4:24 pm
Joe Montana says Jimmy Garropolo should stay in San Francisco, doesn’t like what he’s seen in 2021 first-rounder Trey Lance:
“The overwhelming expectation is the 49ers will trade Jimmy Garoppolo and hand the keys to the offense to 2021 No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance. Montana wouldn’t pull the trigger on that strategy though. He told the Ringer’s Kevin Clark on an episode of Slow News Day that he’d keep Garoppolo because he doesn’t like what he’s seen from Lance.”
February 15th, 2022 at 5:08 pm
Montana didn’t see much of an NFL starter in Steve Young either…
February 15th, 2022 at 5:11 pm
@Robert, you are so far off base, as usual. Blaming BA? BA did his job kicking Brown to the curb. Brown was pissed at the Glaziers for wanting his incentives garunteed and getting shot down. Get back in JW’s jock and leave the conjecture to the informed.
February 15th, 2022 at 5:40 pm
I don’t blame the coaches for AB’s behavior. I blame the coaches and FO not knowing what they got into and for not handling it better.
February 15th, 2022 at 5:43 pm
yes AB’s surgery went well as per dr. andrews 🙂
February 15th, 2022 at 5:48 pm
A picture is worth a thousand words.
February 15th, 2022 at 5:51 pm
Let’s add BA and Bowles as coaches to the military toys. BA for not once but twice going off on a player during a game and Bowles because he is a freaking loser, selfish ahole. If only BA failed his last covid test, Brady and AB would still be playing. Oh and by the way Edward’s produced a fake vax card to and there is NO evidence AB got it for him or persuaded Edward’s in any way.
February 15th, 2022 at 5:51 pm
Misfits
February 15th, 2022 at 6:26 pm
AB aka Maddog Murdoch was never the same after he took that hit from Vontaze Burfict.
It’s sad more than anything else.
February 15th, 2022 at 6:42 pm
Truly an ethical dilemma. Would you rather have him on your team and beat the Rams, or have it played out the way it did and be rid of this giant douchecanoe?
February 15th, 2022 at 6:59 pm
Such a selfish low life, a pathetic loathsome pos.
February 15th, 2022 at 7:51 pm
Turned out to be Antonio BrownEye after all. Sure wish Arians could have refrained from the “get off my lawn” routine though. I agree with Joe…that helped sink the season and turned Brady off the Bucs a bit. Great talent…radioactive wherever he has been and goes from here.
February 15th, 2022 at 7:58 pm
He would’ve acted up in the playoffs if week 17 didn’t happen if we had chris we would’ve won
February 15th, 2022 at 9:08 pm
Brady did that too
February 15th, 2022 at 9:10 pm
head
February 15th, 2022 at 9:10 pm
d
February 15th, 2022 at 9:21 pm
Joe, that video will bring laughter forever, just can’t help chuckling at it every time, wondering WTF! ROFLMAO
February 15th, 2022 at 10:13 pm
Joe Montana thinks Brady should keep playing for the Bucs, and Jimmy G should be the QB of the 49ers because Trey Lance sucks. Steve Young loves Trey Lance.
Joe and Steve will forever be at odds. Montana was the far greater QB, and the smarter guy. Nothing has changed.
As for Antonio Brown. Brady placing so much faith in him, in NE and in TB, was costly. That whole mess blowing up, plus all the other internal struggles, plus neverending hostility from the NFL (officials etc) that did not want him and the Bucs to repeat all added to his decision to exit.
February 16th, 2022 at 9:39 am
Woulda won with Godwin too.