We’ve got a new twist in the seemingly never-ending Antonio Brown saga. The last we had heard, the NFL had given the Raiders receiver the go-ahead to find a helmet of his usual model that was less than ten years old. The league had told him he would be able to play in it if he could find one less than ten years old, but they apparently changed course and told him the new helmet would still need to be tested, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Brown was able to find “several” of the Schutt AiR Advantage helmets made in the last ten years, but “earlier today, Brown was informed that the helmet failed the test,” Florio writes.
Brown has already reported back to the Raiders, so hopefully this doesn’t cause too much new drama. He had appeared to have gotten over the helmet issue, before this potential loophole came to light. Unfortunately, this doesn’t appear to be the final word on the helmet. The same source told Florio that “we haven’t heard the last of Brown on this issue,” so we should all buckle up. It’s hard to see what his next move would be, although he apparently has at least one more trick up his sleeve. We’ll keep you posted when we find out what it is.
Here’s more from Oakland:
- Speaking of Brown, he at least seems to be headed in the right direction health-wise. Brown appears to be almost over his foot issue, and Raiders coach Jon Gruden said “I think so, yeah,” when asked earlier today if Brown would be a full participant in practice soon, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com. Gruden added that “he took all the reps today in our walkthrough.” Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said “you can tell Antonio’s been studying because he came out and didn’t miss a beat,” and that Brown “was a part of everything we did today.” While the helmet issue doesn’t seem to be going away, it looks like Brown’s frostbitten feet won’t be a story moving forward.
- There’s been a lot of talk about Oakland’s backup quarterbacks this offseason, mostly due to the infamy of Nathan Peterman. Gruden caused quite the uproar a few weeks ago when he heaped praise on Peterman, leading many to believe he had a legitimate shot to become Carr’s primary clipboard holder. That being said, Vic Tafur of The Athletic predicts he’ll end up getting cut in his new 53-man roster projection. Mike Glennon has been impressive during the preseason, so this isn’t too surprising. There’s also a chance the Raiders decide to keep three quarterbacks because of Gruden’s affinity for Peterman. Notably, Tafur also projects veteran receiver Ryan Grant and defensive tackle Justin Ellis, who just got a $15MM extension last offseason, to miss the cut.
- More good injury news for the Raiders, as guard Denzelle Good has been activated off the PUP list and will return to practice, Tafur tweets. “That’s huge for us,” Gruden said. He’s not wrong, as the Raiders are very thin at guard at the moment. Gabe Jackson is currently sidelined with a knee injury and Richie Incognito is suspended for the first two games of the season, so Oakland will be without both of their starting guards in Week 1. Good started three games at guard for the Raiders last season after being claimed off waivers from the Colts. He’ll now presumably join the competition to fill in for Jackson and Incognito. The Raiders are also said to be exploring the trade market for veteran guards.
What a baby. I swear, if a unheralded rookie or journeyman pulled this crap they’d be suspended ASAP. The NFL and AB have a sick YouTube-James Charles type of relationship…
What an idiot I swear, just like everyone else that compares their job to what pro athletes do, if a unheralded roomie or journeyman did the same thing they wouldn’t be suspended they’d be cut… wanna know why? Because they’re replaceable. Only a handful of people on the planet can do what AB does.
He didn’t compare his job to what pro athletes do–he compared the behavior of Brown’s peers (ie other pro athletes) to Brown’s behavior. Can you even read, moron? And no matter how specialized Brown might be, that doesn’t excuse his behavior…except to you, with your acrocephalic head.
Gruden said something nice about Nathan Peterman and people thought he was going to unseat Carr? Why are people and the media so stupid?
No one said anything about unseating him. It was about him becoming Carr’s primary backup
Why don’t they give that fool a bunch of approved helmets he can try out?
He can try them out and if he doesn’t like them he can go retire and go away!
A win win for Everybody!
And what it is with that fool who tells the experts in deep freeze no, don’t need any extra protection for my feet?
I bet he Sue’s THEM for letting him be stupid!
What a world!
I can have a lot to say but I’m gonna way.
We know the Raiders are dysfunctional but it seems some of this absurdity is being created just for the producers of Hard Knocks.
Yep. And with job security for Gruden, he doesn’t care either.
Without Mr. Big Chest and Bell, the Steelers have had the least training camp drama they have had in years…
AND ONE OF THEIR COACHES DIED IN CAMP.
Even the sycophants are running out of excuses for their infantile behavior.
You must mean “The Fool12”.