Legendary Raiders coach John Madden once said, “The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else.”
Issue
Hopefully, when the Antonio Brown era ends in Oakland, Madden’s saying will still hold true. I hope that Brown will be remembered as a champion. These offseason antics could serve as nothing but a blip on the Raidar (Raiders’ radar, if you will). Maybe Brown is just hungry for a title and angry with how things transpired. Maybe Brown’s handling needs work.
Question
What if, bear with me, Brown is just a horrendous people-person? His frustration with the Pittsburgh Steelers could be what drives this potentially misconstrued anger.
Sure, Brown finally snapped last season as his frustration with the Steelers peaked. Brown showed that he might not fit the criteria of having good “football character” as Mike Mayock has claimed to be searching for in potential draft picks.
Optics
Perhaps, fans could view Brown’s excessive heart as “bad football character.” In the era where almost the entire population uses Twitter, it is quite difficult to be heard. Brown’s seething tweets, especially towards JuJu Smith-Schuster, met criticism from analysts and fans alike.
Maybe, just maybe, these tweets show Brown’s heart. He clearly feels unrelenting passion for the game and for success, and standings don’t exist in May. Brown cannot measure his success without regular season games, so he could be searching for other ways to prove his success to himself.
Theory
Author C. Joybell C. might understand what Brown is going through: “I am my own biggest critic. Before anyone else has criticized me, I have already criticized myself.” Some are harder on themselves than others, but the second half of the quote can be more helpful in this situation: “But for the rest of my life, I am going to be with me, and I don’t want to spend my life with someone who is always critical. So, I am going to stop being my own critic. It’s high time that I accept all the great things about me.”
It has been a frustrating year for Brown, there is no denying that. As his frustration grew, the quantity of his outbursts followed suit. Due to this, many label him a “diva” and a quitter. Brown catches scrutiny far and wide for his outbursts. However, what if Brown simply wears his heart on his sleeve?
If Brown can take his anger, heart, and frustration and funnel it into productive, beneficial energy during the offseason, he is in for a monster season. Moreover, if Brown is having a monster season, the Raiders could too.
