(Image credit: Vincent Carchietta/USA Today Sports)
Written by: Nicholas Mullick
Ok, so that was one of the weirdest games that I have ever watched ever. Normally I would strictly go into detail on the Jets side of this game. I decided that I would change it up for this week and talk about the Buccaneers side especially with the whole Antonio Brown Meltdown.
Antonio Brown has been one of the most controversial players in NFL history as shown with his entire career being a locker room distraction. I have been a firm believer that everybody deserves a second chance. Even though this was technically Antonio Brown's 3rd chance in the NFL as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. It was starting to pay off as he was a strong contributor from them last season especially in winning Superbowl 55. It was going well and I was planning to make an article at the end of this season talking about the “Unlikely Comeback of Antonio Brown’’ as I earlier had predicted Tampa in the Super Bowl during the preseason. I thought he had finally gotten his issues on and off the football field taken care of. But then the whole Covid-19 Vaccination Card fiasco occured where allegations came out that Brown used a fake vaccination card thus not being vaccinated from Covid-19. He basically lied to the team and also didn't help when the Buccaneers basically bragged about being 100% vaccinated. So he put the organization and himself in a bad light with this and Antonio Brown got a three-game suspension.
I thought he would learn from his mistakes and keep his eyes on the prize of getting another superbowl ring. But then this game happened against the New York Jets and oh boy.
In the third quarter of this game, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were down against the New York Jets who had a 24-10 lead. Antonio Brown had a meltdown where he took his jersey and shoulder pads off and threw his Gloves and Shirt into the crowd in the game. Brown then ran from the sidelines on the field into the locker room during the game. To make it worse the security for Metlife Stadium were preparing to tackle Antonio Brown as they thought it was a fan but then they realized it was a player. As a result of this Bruce Arians immediately stated that he was “no longer a Buc” and soon enough he was officially released from the Buccaneers.
After this incident, I don’t see how Antonio Brown comes back from this one. Antonio Brown has burned way too many bridges here. He has burned a bridge with many teams in the NFL, Head Coach Bruce Arians, and even Tom Brady who stuck his neck out plus begged for the Buccaneers to bring him into the Buccaneers roster. I even wonder if Antonio Brown will even be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Statistically, he should be, but with all the controversy surrounding him, I doubt he does. He will not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer that is for sure. But this is another fall from grace from Antonio Brown to a guy who was coming back from his earlier controversies, was a big contributor to a Buccaneers Superbowl win, had the future in his hands for another Super Bowl ring, to be out of a job plus potentially being out of the league.
I hate that this happened as Antonio Brown is one of the best receivers that I have ever seen in my life. It is clear that Antonio Brown absolutely needs to get help. I wish Antonio Brown the best and I hope that he gets that help because if not then things are only going to get worse for him and his family.
The New York Jets had a hard-fighting battle with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but lost this game 28-24. There were players on the Jets that impressed and disappointed in this matchup and I will list 5 each in this article.
1. Player Who Impressed - QB Zach Wilson
Zach Wilson did a fantastic job handling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. Zach Wilson threw for 234 passing yards and threw a touchdown to WR Braxton Berrios (We will get to him later) What impressed me was the fact that Wilson did not throw an interception in this game. That impressed me and WIlson made some excellent throws. Wilson should continue his momentum and finish strong next week against the Buffalo Bills
2. Player Who Disappointed - WR Keelan Cole
Cole was not terrible in this game and even had a 21-yard reception but he was not good in this game at all. He was struggling with his route running and was sloppy with his feet. Cole even had trouble catching the football which could have given the Jets a huge first down on two different occasions. Cole has to improve if he wants another contract with the New York Jets.
3. Player Who Impressed - WR Braxton Berrios
Berrios has been fantastic this season both on special teams and on offense. I again was amazed how much Berrios improved overall as a player as this guy definitely improved the way he ran routes and catches the football. He had a rushing and receiving touchdown. Although he did fumble the football Berrios did the best he could and had more positives than negatives. Joe Douglas would be a fool if he decided to not re-sign Braxton Berrios to another contract extension.
4. Player Who Disappointed - OL Dan Feeney
Yikes, Dan Feeney was not good in this game. He was a liability as both a pass and run blocker. He needed to come up big when the Jets decided to go for it on a 4th-and-2 and Feeney missed the block completely resulting in a turnover via downs. It is not looking good for Dan Feeney and I'd be shocked if the Jets decided to re-sign him to another contract.
5. Player Who Impressed - DT Folorunso Fatukasi
The hidden gem of the New York Jets once again shows how valuable he is as he once again shows how strong of a player he is. Especially in the running game as he made 4 tackles two of them being for big losses. Fatukasi was often being blocked by two people when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had to run the football in his direction. Fatukasi is another player the Jets would be regretting if they let go as his contract expires this season.
6. Player Who Disappointed - OL Chuma Edoga
George Fant in the middle of this game injured his knee and did not return for the season. This stinks because Fant has been excellent this season. So Chuma Edoga had an opportunity to impress and regain a position on the o-line. But the same problems excluding durability came back for Edoga as he continued to struggle. He was sloppy with his hand techniques and foot quickness all game. Edoga needs to impress if he wants to keep a spot on the roster.
7. Player Who Impressed - CB Brandon Echols
Another strong performance for CB Brandon Echols. He did an excellent job in coverage and even had a nice interception in this game for a 30-yard return. He also had a few pass deflections in this game as well. Echols was smooth with his footwork and was cleaner with his tackles.
8. Player Who Disappointed - DT/EDGE John Franklin-Myers
John Franklin-Myers ever since signing that extension has continued to struggle. He once again did not do anything in this matchup. He did nothing when stopping the run and was a liability as a pass rusher often getting dominated by the o-line.
9. Player Who Impressed - S Michael Carter
Carter was all over the place. He had an impact in coverage, as a pass rusher, and is a run stopper. Carter provided a ton of pressure to the quarterback and even sacked Tom Brady once in this matchup. Carter has a ton of potential and hopefully continues to get better and better.
10. Player Who Disappointed - P Braden Mann
I use to like Braden Mann and he had a ton of potential especially with how well he performed during his rookie season. However ever since Mann suffered his knee injury earlier in the season Mann has not been the same player. Mann whiffed on a few punts and even had an ugly one at the end of the game which led to the Buccaneers scoring their late touchdown to win the game. Mann did not have a good posture as well when he was making kicks. I won't be shocked if there is a battle involving punters during the preseason next year.