By Brad Gelber / Billswire.usatoday.com
Less than 24-hours after the Buffalo Bills reportedly got close to trading for Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, I am still trying to process all that has gone on.
When the news first broke late Thursday night, it was surreal. The arguably best wide receiver in the NFL was going to play in Buffalo?
Quickly the feeling went from euphoria to uneasiness. What was this move going to cost? Will Brown even want to come here? But most importantly, what would he do to this team especially quarterback Josh Allen?
I know there are plenty of complex layers that led to the fallout of Antonio Brown’s time in Pittsburgh, but it wasn’t hard to be concerned that if the wide receiver was displeased with a Hall of Famer in QB Ben Roethlisberger, it probably wouldn’t take long for him to grow impatient with a second-year QB in Josh Allen.
Once it was determined that Brown would not be coming to Buffalo, whether it be due to the city itself, the reputation of the franchise, the financial implications, or a mixture of all three, I of course initially felt disappointed. The Bills had missed out on acquiring a premiere talent, at a position of need, but then oddly, I felt a sense of relief.
Perhaps the relief came from sour grapes. Maybe I just convinced myself that since the Bills got so close, but once again walked away empty handed, that it was easier to just pretend like it was all for the best. Or, maybe, there was more to it.
We’ve listened to Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane preach for two years now about, “trusting the process.” At times it has become painful to a degree, especially when they say things like “culture trumps strategy,” or that they look for blue-collar guys that understand what it means to play in Buffalo, because it can feel contrived. Whether you agree with it fully or not though, it’s been a consistent message throughout… that is until now.
This move to acquire Antonio Brown spit in the face of almost everything they claim to stand for. It felt as though even the unshakeable, robot-like McDermott and Beane, became enamored with the shiny toy in the store window.
Just last week at the NFL Combine, McDermott and Beane spoke about how they don’t buy into necessarily having a “number one receiver” and days later they are trying to acquire the definition of a number one.
According to the Buffalo News, “the Bills saw Brown as an exceptional, one-of-a-kind talent that they felt obligated to pursue,” but was it really worth possibly jeopardizing what they had set out to build?
In the end, none of us know how it would have worked out. Brown could have arrived and fallen in line with the team. Maybe he would have continued to be his explosive self on the field and also help Josh Allen and his supporting cast grow. Perhaps the Bills would have won and become a perennial contender. More likely than not though, a tiger doesn’t change his stripes, especially at this stage of his career.
There are plenty who will disagree with me. At the end of the day, many look at talent as the ultimate indicator and Brown would have brought that hands down. But there’s something to be said about building things the way you intended, especially if it’s what you believe is the right way to do it… and not being swayed, no matter what.