Like one of those bad colds that seem to last all year long, Antonio Brown comes up yet again. The former Steeler, Raider, Patriot, wide out has signed a 1-year deal with the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Is anyone surprised? Brown is incredibly talented. He was one of the top wide receivers in the league for a number of years. Then we went on a very public tirade about his time in Pittsburgh and then threw a fit when he was traded to Oakland. He then signed with the Patriots and played one game. He then was accused of sexual harassment, (among other things) and was then cut and suspended for 8 games.
This week, he inked a deal with Tampa to play with Tom Brady again. Tom had a taste of AB in New England, even throwing him a TD pass. That was in the no nonsense Bill Belichick locker room. Now that Brady has what he wants in a coach that “let’s them have fun” he pushed to sign the troubled wide out.
Brady got what he wanted, and Brown is coming to town. Talent wise, this is a good, cheap move. AB is incredibly talented and can do some incredible things. Personnel wise, this move is troubling. Tampa just began hitting their stride, and bringing in a guy that has tried to systematically destroy 2 locker rooms in the past threatens to bring it down. On a team with a multitude of weapons, adding another with the “me me me” personality of Brown, could anger others. Just like any project, too many big personalities can be explosive.
All that being said, Brown has a habit of being in one day and out the next. Maybe this is a 2-3 week experiment that coach Bruce Arians and Tom Brady agreed on. As far as I see it, this either ends with Brown being cut shortly after being signed, or with him ripping this new locker room dynamic apart and ruining what they were trying to build in Tampa.