On NFL Kickoff, the New England Patriots Win Again

Unless you’re a huge supporter of the Pittsburgh Steelers, or among the hardest of hardcore football fans, the name Antonio Brown likely didn’t mean all that much to you before this summer. Sure, even a casual sports fan would know that Brown has been one of the best wide receivers in the NFL over the past decade; since entering the league in 2010, Brown has made seven Pro Bowls, and been an All-Pro selection on four different occasions.

But Antonio Brown, who spent the first nine years of his career in Pittsburgh, probably hasn’t been ingrained in your brain for weeks, as he almost certainly has since NFL training camps started in July.

In fact, it’s hard to summon someone who’s overshadowed America’s most popular sporting institution quite like Brown has in 2019.

Just in case you’ve spent your summer doing more productive things than paying mind to the NFL, or lingering around the Twitter freakout-sphere, here’s a quick rundown of the surreal Antonio Brown story. After the Steelers traded Brown, who clashed with Ben Roethlisberger and was benched in the 2018 season finale, to the Oakland Raiders for a third and fifth round draft picks in March, Brown proceeded to:

Apologies if we missed another dozen or two twists.

All week long, as Brown’s days with the Raiders seemed numbered, pundits joked that Bill Belichick was waiting behind the bushes, ready to sign Brown. Maybe Brown’s plan, all along, was to engineer his firing from the Raiders and ink a deal with New England. Maybe the Pats were the only team willing to risk adding Brown.

But New England didn’t take on much risk. Belichick can just cut Brown if Brown drives him mad. Belichick, however, has a history of getting talented but mercurial players to buy into the Patriot Way. Most notably, in 2007 wide receiver Randy Moss had a monster season for a New England team that finished 16-0 (but lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl). Last season, the Patriots won the Super Bowl, their sixth. And Brady just added arguably the game’s most explosive receiver to this offense.

As the NFL kicks off its 100th season on Sunday, so many teams have hope. Remember, for instance, when the revitalized Cleveland Browns were the biggest story going into the season? With the shotgun marriage of Antonio Brown and the New England Patriots, that charming tale was just upended.

Let’s face it. At this pace, Tom Brady will be winning Super Bowls until he’s 60.