Antonio Brown is the headline of the NFL News following Week 2. Here is a look at the latest news and notes:
Things Getting Tumultuous In Pittsburgh?
It is getting a little uncomfortable in Steeler nation right now. Le’Veon Bell is still absent from the team, holding out for either a new contract or a trade and now they may be having issues with Pro-Bowl wide receiver Antonio Brown.
On Twitter, Brown had responded to a former team employee insinuating that they should trade him if they didn’t think he was as valuable without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. To make matters worse, after he was visibly frustrated with the coaching staff during the Steelers loss to the Chiefs Sunday, Brown was a no-show for practice on Monday.
On Tuesday, though, Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told reporters that his client does not want to be traded and that the tweet was just banter with someone he knew, not a direct plea for a trade. Rosenhaus also told reporters that Brown was tending to personal matters on Monday, which is the reason for his absence. Still, with the Steelers off to an 0-1-1 start, it is something worth monitoring as the season progresses.
Huge Trade Nets Patriots A Possible Number One Receiver
Josh Gordon is an unbelievable talent, likely a number one receiver on most teams depth charts. The only problem is he can’t get out of his own way. Whether it has been for off-field issues (mostly substance abuse issues) or injuries, he has only played in a fraction of the games since being drafted.
Still, the talent is undeniable, and if there is any team that has the coaching, infrastructure and veteran leadership to sustain such a volatile acquisition, it is the New England Patriots. It also helps that they really didn’t have to give up that much.
In return for Gordon, the Cleveland Browns will receive a fifth-round pick. Even at that, if Gordon is unable to play in 10 games for the Patriots this season, the Browns also have to send a 7th round pick back to New England. There were some concerns of a hamstring injury for Gordon, but an MRI came back clean and he may very well be on the field for the Patriots this weekend.
Rough Weekend For Kickers
It was not the best weekend for kickers in the NFL, and for two of them, they are now on the unemployment line as a result. On Monday, the Cleveland Browns waived kicker Zane Gonzalez while the Minnesota Vikings waived Daniel Carson.
For Gonzalez, he missed an extra point and two field goals in the Browns’ week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The final score of that game was 21-18. Additionally, in week 1, he had a game-winning field goal blocked against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a game that ultimately ended in a tie. Sadly, if those field goals were made, we might be talking about an undefeated team two weeks in for a team that went winless all of last year.
As frustrated as Browns’ fans are, Vikings fans might be even more frustrated. In Sunday’s 29 to 29 tie to the Green Bay Packers, Vikings’ kicker Daniel Carson missed three field goals, including what would have been a game winning field goal from just 35 yards out as time expired. For the Vikings, though, they have already found their replacement. Minnesota went out and signed Dan Bailey to a one-year contract. Bailey is the second most accurate kicker in NFL history and will hopefully ease the mind of coaches, players and fans if Minnesota finds themselves in a similar position.
Carson Wentz To Start Week 3
Nine months after tearing his ACL, the Philadelphia Eagles will once again turn to Carson Wentz at quarterback this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts. Wentz was playing at a MVP-caliber level last year before getting injured. After his injury, backup Nick Foles led the Eagles to their first franchise Super Bowl win, earning a Super Bowl MVP along the way.
Despite that, Foles has had just a modest start to this season and with the Eagles 1-1, they will look to Wentz to reclaim some of last year’s magic. It is interesting to note that he was just cleared for contact and the Eagles are already throwing him into the starter’s role, but with Alshon Jeffery and Mike Wallace out, the Eagles feel they need all the offensive weapons they can get.
Pat Mahomes Taking NFL By Storm
Pat Mahomes is in just his second year in the NFL, and his first year as a full-time starter, but he is proving that he belongs in this league. In fact, on Sunday, he made his way into the record books. Mahomes threw for 6 touchdowns on Sunday in the Chiefs’ 42-37 win over the Steelers and now has 10 touchdown passes in the first two weeks of the season, breaking an NFL record that was previously held by Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Charlie Johnson.
In fact, Mahomes has the Chiefs playing really well and are currently 2-0 after scoring 80 points in their first two games. This is despite the fact that they have one of the worst defenses in the league. While Mahomes will likely not be able to sustain this type of production, with weapons like Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and Sammy Watkins, he is going to be plenty dangerous moving forward.
