TMZ: Budda Baker says the Cardinals would love to have Antonio Brown

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https://www.tmz.com/2020/02/06/budda-baker-antonio-brown-arizona-cardinals-nfl/

It's an interesting topic of discussion because I think there is a disconnect between what fans think and what players think about other players.

You often see fans say "I don't want X on the team he's a bad locker room presence" etc etc where I think players don't give a crap about any of that.

Players like players that make the team better. Players like players that help them win.

Of course, anyone has to operate within the rules of the team, but stuff that has gone on in the past players don't care about.

I even saw a comment on Twitter to this saying "It might force Larry to retire". What a crock. Larry would be the first guy shaking his hand.

I would sign any player that makes the team better, of course with the obvious caveats that his issues seem to be in the past, any issues with the league are resolved and their contract is structured in such a way you can get out of it if there are further issues.

I have no problem signing good players with past issues. Hell the Pats don't. The Pats signed AB after all his Steelers and Raiders issues. They kept Patrick Chung on the team when police found cocaine in his house (we cut Philon in a nano second for a he said / stripper said he still hasn't been charged with). They signed Gordon after his 95th drugs ban. They claimed Michael Floyd when we cut him. They traded for Talib while he was suspended for PEDs. They signed Kellen Winslow II after a bunch of issues.

What's good for the best dynasty in football is good for anyone else.

If come March AB has been on an apology tour, has resolved his issues with the league and seems to be in a good place I would have no issues signing him to something like 1 year, $10m. No guarantees plus incentives.
 

Cardsfaninlouky

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Would he make the team better? Yes because he's good at football, very good. He's "nuckin futs" though. Couple loose marbles, maybe a couple hands full lol? As soon as he has everyone thinking he's straightened out, bam, he does something nutty again & flips out. No way I would get near the dude if I was SK.
 

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The dude is a scum bag, he has been a cancer everywhere he has been, his former teams and teammates loath him... and that was BEFORE his most recent arrests and allegations.

There is no chance in hell I would consider signing him.
 
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The dude is a scum bag, he has been a cancer everywhere he has been, his former teams and teammates loath him... and that was BEFORE his most recent arrests and allegations.

There is no chance in hell I would consider signing him.

He hasn't though has he.

He had about 8 perfectly good trouble free years with the Steelers before his recent issues.
 

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He hasn't though has he.

He had about 8 perfectly good trouble free years with the Steelers before his recent issues.

He didn't have a perfectly good 8 years, they just tolerated it as best they could and tried to keep the issues under wraps. There are numerous stories about how the team bent over backwards to accommodate him, despite him routinely showing up late and throwing tantrums. Even his college coaches acknowledge how difficult he was to manage.

The dude is as toxic as can be imagined. I would not want him anywhere near our locker room.

I doubt he ever plays another snap in this league.
 
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He didn't have a perfectly good 8 years, they just tolerated it as best they could and tried to keep the issues under wraps. There are numerous stories about how the team bent over backwards to accommodate him, despite him routinely showing up late and throwing tantrums. Even his college coaches acknowledge how difficult he was to manage.

The dude is as toxic as can be imagined. I would not want him anywhere near our locker room.

I doubt he ever plays another snap in this league.

It's true the team let him get away with Diva like behavior because of his production, but you can say thats on them for letting it happen. He was never a locker room issue. All his team mates loved him.

"Brown and the Steelers held down an imperfect but thrilling marriage. Brown had his shortcomings, but he worked hard at practice and made brilliant plays look routine.

The man affectionately known as "A.B." was -- and in many ways still is -- beloved in the Steelers' locker room. The former sixth-round pick was good to teammates, sharing massage therapy with young players or hitting the trendy South Side area of Pittsburgh for fun with his receiver group.

"Everybody could cling to him," said Chris Hubbard, a Steelers offensive lineman from 2013 to 2017 before signing with the Cleveland Browns last offseason. "And he was cool with everybody. People in that locker room love A.B."

Ex-teammates usually start with the same line when discussing Brown: hardest worker they've ever seen.

Cobi Hamilton, a starting receiver alongside Brown in 2016, said he had multiple talks with Brown about "what s--- he had to go through to be where he is," and how homeless nights as a teen shaped him.

"Stupid competitive -- never takes a day off, he's full speed," Hamilton said. "I know he's not an a--h--- like [media and fans] are portraying him to be. He worked to have those cars."

"Great teammate," said Martavis Bryant, a Steelers receiver from 2014 to 2017. "He showed me his whole game."

That helps explain why many teammates at the Pro Bowl have advocated for Brown's return, with defensive end Cam Heyward saying, "I want him in Pittsburgh with me." But a group of team leaders have privately discussed the situation, preparing for whatever happens with Brown, hoping for fewer distractions in 2019.

Linebacker Bud Dupree said players don't want to pick between Brown and Roethlisberger. Center Maurkice Pouncey likened the duo to brothers who are having issues. Multiple reports claimed Brown's frustration in a midweek walk-through during Week 17 was directed at Roethlisberger.

"I don't like seeing A.B. blamed for all this," one current Steeler said. "To me, he's not the problem."

The problem, according to the player, is that the Steelers' locker room issues play out too publicly, and who fixes it is "above my paygrade."

Those paid to clean up the mess -- Tomlin, general manager Kevin Colbert and team president Art Rooney II -- are sending a blunt message: Production is no longer enough."

https://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburg...ntonio-brown-steelers-drama-its-probably-over

Would you put up with someone being 10 minutes late for meetings if they gave you 1400 yards a year, worked harder than anyone in practice and was loved by his team mates?
 

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He didn't have a perfectly good 8 years, they just tolerated it as best they could and tried to keep the issues under wraps. There are numerous stories about how the team bent over backwards to accommodate him, despite him routinely showing up late and throwing tantrums. Even his college coaches acknowledge how difficult he was to manage.

The dude is as toxic as can be imagined. I would not want him anywhere near our locker room.

I doubt he ever plays another snap in this league.

Yes, this. He was a TERRIBLE locker room presence and teammate; it just got worse in recent years. I would know--I live in the 'Burgh.

In fact, he did a lengthy interview on local sports radio yesterday. There was a lot of "I'm sorry" for this and that and "I still shouldn't have acted that way," without any sort of ownership of the problems. He gets sued because people are "out to get" him because he has fame and money. When asked about the police thing, he brings up a time at FIU he had to run from the police from fear. And, best (or worst) of all, he came across as perfectly lucid and not "crazy." Which means he honestly and for true just believes he's the center of the universe and can do no wrong.
 

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It's true the team let him get away with Diva like behavior because of his production, but you can say thats on them for letting it happen. He was never a locker room issue. All his team mates loved him.

"Brown and the Steelers held down an imperfect but thrilling marriage. Brown had his shortcomings, but he worked hard at practice and made brilliant plays look routine.

The man affectionately known as "A.B." was -- and in many ways still is -- beloved in the Steelers' locker room. The former sixth-round pick was good to teammates, sharing massage therapy with young players or hitting the trendy South Side area of Pittsburgh for fun with his receiver group.

"Everybody could cling to him," said Chris Hubbard, a Steelers offensive lineman from 2013 to 2017 before signing with the Cleveland Browns last offseason. "And he was cool with everybody. People in that locker room love A.B."

Ex-teammates usually start with the same line when discussing Brown: hardest worker they've ever seen.

Cobi Hamilton, a starting receiver alongside Brown in 2016, said he had multiple talks with Brown about "what s--- he had to go through to be where he is," and how homeless nights as a teen shaped him.

"Stupid competitive -- never takes a day off, he's full speed," Hamilton said. "I know he's not an a--h--- like [media and fans] are portraying him to be. He worked to have those cars."

"Great teammate," said Martavis Bryant, a Steelers receiver from 2014 to 2017. "He showed me his whole game."

That helps explain why many teammates at the Pro Bowl have advocated for Brown's return, with defensive end Cam Heyward saying, "I want him in Pittsburgh with me." But a group of team leaders have privately discussed the situation, preparing for whatever happens with Brown, hoping for fewer distractions in 2019.

Linebacker Bud Dupree said players don't want to pick between Brown and Roethlisberger. Center Maurkice Pouncey likened the duo to brothers who are having issues. Multiple reports claimed Brown's frustration in a midweek walk-through during Week 17 was directed at Roethlisberger.

"I don't like seeing A.B. blamed for all this," one current Steeler said. "To me, he's not the problem."

The problem, according to the player, is that the Steelers' locker room issues play out too publicly, and who fixes it is "above my paygrade."

Those paid to clean up the mess -- Tomlin, general manager Kevin Colbert and team president Art Rooney II -- are sending a blunt message: Production is no longer enough."

https://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburg...ntonio-brown-steelers-drama-its-probably-over

Would you put up with someone being 10 minutes late for meetings if they gave you 1400 yards a year, worked harder than anyone in practice and was loved by his team mates?

Yeah, no. N-O, NO! A lot of players won't say anything public, and the national media ALWAYS wanted to paint it over like it was no big deal. You want to boil it down to him just being late to meetings? Oh my sweet summer child, NO. So far from the truth. People in Pittsburgh would just shake their head at the national media, because they got the real, every day reporting of the situation.

Now, I used to think Tomlin bore a lot of blame for the situation, for not doing more to control him, but now I, like the sports experts around time, hold him up as an exemplar for keeping a lid on AB's biggest batches of cray-cray for so long and eking that production out.

No AB, no way, no how, not this season, not never.
 

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It's true the team let him get away with Diva like behavior because of his production, but you can say thats on them for letting it happen. He was never a locker room issue. All his team mates loved him.

"Brown and the Steelers held down an imperfect but thrilling marriage. Brown had his shortcomings, but he worked hard at practice and made brilliant plays look routine.

The man affectionately known as "A.B." was -- and in many ways still is -- beloved in the Steelers' locker room. The former sixth-round pick was good to teammates, sharing massage therapy with young players or hitting the trendy South Side area of Pittsburgh for fun with his receiver group.

"Everybody could cling to him," said Chris Hubbard, a Steelers offensive lineman from 2013 to 2017 before signing with the Cleveland Browns last offseason. "And he was cool with everybody. People in that locker room love A.B."

Ex-teammates usually start with the same line when discussing Brown: hardest worker they've ever seen.

Cobi Hamilton, a starting receiver alongside Brown in 2016, said he had multiple talks with Brown about "what s--- he had to go through to be where he is," and how homeless nights as a teen shaped him.

"Stupid competitive -- never takes a day off, he's full speed," Hamilton said. "I know he's not an a--h--- like [media and fans] are portraying him to be. He worked to have those cars."

"Great teammate," said Martavis Bryant, a Steelers receiver from 2014 to 2017. "He showed me his whole game."

That helps explain why many teammates at the Pro Bowl have advocated for Brown's return, with defensive end Cam Heyward saying, "I want him in Pittsburgh with me." But a group of team leaders have privately discussed the situation, preparing for whatever happens with Brown, hoping for fewer distractions in 2019.

Linebacker Bud Dupree said players don't want to pick between Brown and Roethlisberger. Center Maurkice Pouncey likened the duo to brothers who are having issues. Multiple reports claimed Brown's frustration in a midweek walk-through during Week 17 was directed at Roethlisberger.

"I don't like seeing A.B. blamed for all this," one current Steeler said. "To me, he's not the problem."

The problem, according to the player, is that the Steelers' locker room issues play out too publicly, and who fixes it is "above my paygrade."

Those paid to clean up the mess -- Tomlin, general manager Kevin Colbert and team president Art Rooney II -- are sending a blunt message: Production is no longer enough."

https://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburg...ntonio-brown-steelers-drama-its-probably-over

Would you put up with someone being 10 minutes late for meetings if they gave you 1400 yards a year, worked harder than anyone in practice and was loved by his team mates?

That article was written while he was still on the Steelers and the team was still, even in the text itself, trying to cover for Brown's behavior and appease his fragile ego. Since that charade ended his former teammates have become a bit more open about how horrible he was to be around.

Even ignoring what the Steelers did their best to keep quiet; over the last year the dude has made it abundantly clear that he is an absolute scum bag, he does not give even half a squirt about anything but himself. He will deliberately be a problem at if he feels the least bit unappreciated or even challenged.

Honestly, I don't think he even wants to play football. He only bothers with the act so he has enough money and clout to treat other people like garbage.
 
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That article was written while he was still on the Steelers and the team was still, even in the text itself, trying to cover for Brown's behavior and appease his fragile ego. Since that charade ended his former teammates have become a bit more open about how horrible he was to be around.

Even ignoring what the Steelers did their best to keep quiet; over the last year the dude has made it abundantly clear that he is an absolute scum bag, he does not give even half a squirt about anything but himself. He will deliberately be a problem at if he feels the least bit unappreciated or even challenged.

Honestly, I don't think he even wants to play football. He only bothers with the act so he has enough money and clout to treat other people like garbage.

Look I'm not defending Brown's recent behavior. He has done some crazy poo and as he currently is I wouldn't touch him with a barge pole.

But also I think this rewriting of history is out of order. Saying "His team mates only said that because he was still with the team" is BS. They had the option to say nothing, or be quoted anonymously. They didn't say nice things about him for the hell of it when they had the option of no comment. Plus several former team mates with other teams or out of the league commented on on AB while he was with the Steelers and since saying similar things.

Mike Mitchell for example said,

"People can say what they want and they will... but @AB84 one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. Model for work ethic discipline and consistency. Is he flawed yes but aren’t we all. How many have been to his house how many have had him over. Know the man not just the hair and #"

Troy Palamalu said "Antonio was a teammate of mine at Pittsburgh, definitely love him as an individual, as a person"

His team mates by and large genuinely loved him, had no issues and admired his ability and work ethic. They are also annual playoff contenders so he wasn't "toxic" or "cancer".

What he has done recently definitely needs to be resolved and he needs to get his head back on straight. If that happens I would have no issues with him signing. He makes us instantly better. He also knows Kyler well through Marquise.

Just the same way that Richie Incognito was mental for a period, threatened to cut the head off a corpse, threatened funeral home employees with a gun, was committed to a mental hospital, was arrested numerous times and then got his crap back together and had a great season last year while being a great team mate and no issue for the Raiders.
 

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Sure. Let’s risk a mere 10m on this guy. Tell you what , Budda. We’ll sign him and if he goes crazy then you pay him.

I like Kliff to much to do that to him.
 

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When he says the Cardinals he means some of his team mates or the organization?
 

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Nope. Not going to happen. Not even worth discussing. Must have been a slow sports day for TMZ...
 

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A year or more ago, of course.. but now, no way. Even if he isn't a distraction and on his best behavior, the media circus would be enough of a distraction imo.
 

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HELLLL NOOOO!!!

Did anyone see his interview on ESPN on Super Sunday? Omg he’s wacko! He never apologized or admitted fault & also seemed under the influence of drugs or alcohol or have bad symptoms of brain injury. Imo guys like him have to hit rock bottom to turn their life around. Sad but true.
 

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https://www.tmz.com/2020/02/06/budda-baker-antonio-brown-arizona-cardinals-nfl/

It's an interesting topic of discussion because I think there is a disconnect between what fans think and what players think about other players.

You often see fans say "I don't want X on the team he's a bad locker room presence" etc etc where I think players don't give a crap about any of that.

Players like players that make the team better. Players like players that help them win.

Of course, anyone has to operate within the rules of the team, but stuff that has gone on in the past players don't care about.
This thread title and TMZ's headline are wildly misleading to the content of the interview. Budda didn't go out of his way to say he wanted AB, he simply didn't disrespect a guy he's probably never met in real life. Which is the diplomatic way to do things. You don't run your mouth about someone and then find out they're coming to work with you, especially when you work in the same industry.

I have no problem signing good players with past issues. Hell the Pats don't. The Pats signed AB after all his Steelers and Raiders issues. They kept Patrick Chung on the team when police found cocaine in his house (we cut Philon in a nano second for a he said / stripper said he still hasn't been charged with). They signed Gordon after his 95th drugs ban. They claimed Michael Floyd when we cut him. They traded for Talib while he was suspended for PEDs. They signed Kellen Winslow II after a bunch of issues.

What's good for the best dynasty in football is good for anyone else.
It would serve you well to watch the Aaron Hernandez special on Netflix. There's a very important distinguishing factor about the Patriots organization and their operations - it's a zero tolerance policy on anything outside of the locker room. Come in, do your job, and any outside nonsense does not filter onto the field. It's very rigid, they have let go of players that do not immediately buy into the Patriot Way, and they have the rings to back it up. Plus, it leads to actual winning and production.

Most other teams don't have strong enough personalities at coach/QB alongside actual production to back it up. So the organization takes risks on occasional players with character issues because the rest of the team is 100% laced up.

AB on a team where the head coach is extremely green, the team hasn't won in years, rosters a bunch of guys who haven't even sniffed the playoffs much less the Super Bowl, with a young QB who doesn't love to be vocal is a recipe for disaster.
 

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This thread title and TMZ's headline are wildly misleading to the content of the interview. Budda didn't go out of his way to say he wanted AB, he simply didn't disrespect a guy he's probably never met in real life. Which is the diplomatic way to do things. You don't run your mouth about someone and then find out they're coming to work with you, especially when you work in the same industry.


It would serve you well to watch the Aaron Hernandez special on Netflix. There's a very important distinguishing factor about the Patriots organization and their operations - it's a zero tolerance policy on anything outside of the locker room. Come in, do your job, and any outside nonsense does not filter onto the field. It's very rigid, they have let go of players that do not immediately buy into the Patriot Way, and they have the rings to back it up. Plus, it leads to actual winning and production.

Most other teams don't have strong enough personalities at coach/QB alongside actual production to back it up. So the organization takes risks on occasional players with character issues because the rest of the team is 100% laced up.

AB on a team where the head coach is extremely green, the team hasn't won in years, rosters a bunch of guys who haven't even sniffed the playoffs much less the Super Bowl, with a young QB who doesn't love to be vocal is a recipe for disaster.
To be fair, he seems to be really tight-wit with Kyler. Ravens are really the only logical choice I could see taking a stab at him.
 

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To be fair, he seems to be really tight-wit with Kyler. Ravens are really the only logical choice I could see taking a stab at him.
Budda, or AB? If it's AB, I had no clue they had ever met or interacted.
 

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AB is not a bad guy, AB is crazy and you cannot fix crazy... especially being in the spotlight playing a contact sport
 

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Id take AB....assuming he wants a "prove I'm ok and ready to be an NFL player again" type deal....meaning maybe vet minimum...or the lowest amount of guaranteed money possible based on his years of service.

If he comes in an acts like a wacko he's gone and we move on. If he comes in a is productive, we make the playoffs.

All it takes is a team that won't put up with his nonsense, and that is incredibly easy if you aren't on the hook for a bunch of money. If the Raiders didnt owe him any money, they would have dropped him after the first missed practice in "helmet gate". The Pats did owe him money and still dropped him pretty quick.
 

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Id take AB....assuming he wants a "prove I'm ok and ready to be an NFL player again" type deal....meaning maybe vet minimum...or the lowest amount of guaranteed money possible based on his years of service.

If he comes in an acts like a wacko he's gone and we move on. If he comes in a is productive, we make the playoffs.

All it takes is a team that won't put up with his nonsense, and that is incredibly easy if you aren't on the hook for a bunch of money. If the Raiders didnt owe him any money, they would have dropped him after the first missed practice in "helmet gate". The Pats did owe him money and still dropped him pretty quick.

Then the Pats and the Saints to a degree all gave him a chance with zero tolerance and we saw how that turned out :)
 

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