2019 Raiders: Khalil Mack Has No Comment

ZMart100

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This is basically the NFL corollary to the saying "If you owe the bank $100 that's your problem. If you owe the bank $100m that's the bank's problem." The Raiders can plead all they want, but AB's contract gives them few options at the moment.
 

Reverend

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Maybe this is some kind of Disney movie scenario where his football powers come from his helmet?
 

Marciano490

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Maybe this is some kind of Disney movie scenario where his football powers come from his helmet?
He should’ve worn it in the cryo chamber then.

I smell Frozen crosssover, with Gruden singing an updated Let It Go.
 

BigSoxFan

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Brown filed yet another grievance to wear the Air Advantage. This is such a selfish act at this point. The NFL is literally telling you it is not safe to wear. Fall in line or don't play. Period.
Pretty tough to lose a PR battle to the NFL. GJGE, Antonio.
 

dcmissle

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Pretty tough to lose a PR battle to the NFL. GJGE, Antonio.
Better than losing a contract battle with the Raiders. It’s Rosenhaus calling these shots, the guy whose previous unhinged client was filmed doing sit-ups in a driveway, Mr. “Next Question.” He knows well that all the crazy needs to be channeled against the League. He’s terrified to get the very first five-day letter.
 

dcmissle

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I heard today through the grapevine that AB's problem with his helmet is that the different Schutt helmets he's tried cuts off his peripheral vision. This fight is literally over an inch of plastic.
That’s worth fighting for is my guess. Just not with your team via preposterous retirement threats and no shows.
 

steveluck7

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I heard today through the grapevine that AB's problem with his helmet is that the different Schutt helmets he's tried cuts off his peripheral vision. This fight is literally over an inch of plastic.
I believe this was Brady's hesitation with the new helmets as well. I can't recall specifics but didn't he start last season (maybe just the preseason) with a newer model and then switch back?
 

Marciano490

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Has any other player confirmed the loss of peripheral vision? I could see that being an issue.
 

RedOctober3829

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I believe this was Brady's hesitation with the new helmets as well. I can't recall specifics but didn't he start last season (maybe just the preseason) with a newer model and then switch back?
He switched back and forth between the Riddell SpeedFlex and his old VSR-4. He wore the SpeedFlex in a couple games as well IIRC but always switched back to the VSR-4.
 

NortheasternPJ

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That’s worth fighting for is my guess. Just not with your team via preposterous retirement threats and no shows.
Would Oakland have any path to recoup his signing bonus if he decides to just retire? The more this goes on it sounds like he's just nuts (CTE?) or doesn't want to play and knows he'll lose this battle and can walk away.
 

DJnVa

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Have him sign a waiver saying he can never sue the NFL for medical reasons down the road if he wants to wear the helmet they deem unsafe.
 

Marciano490

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Have him sign a waiver saying he can never sue the NFL for medical reasons down the road if he wants to wear the helmet they deem unsafe.
You make it sound like the NFL only cares about money and not player safety.
 

Kliq

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Yeah, the last thing the NFL needs is another player doing something horrible, then getting diagnosed with CTE, and the story being that the NFL knowingly put him in a dangerous environment and claiming that he signed a waiver to cover their asses.

AB is an ass, and as corny as it sounds, NFL players should be role models to other football players and programs, and a big star refusing to wear a safer helmet isn't a good look for the game as a whole. One of the biggest barriers to player safety are the players themselves, and football as a sport needs for the NFL stars to be front and center complying to new safety innovations.
 

joe dokes

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I heard today through the grapevine that AB's problem with his helmet is that the different Schutt helmets he's tried cuts off his peripheral vision. This fight is literally over an inch of plastic.
Its Peter King, and not a different Schutt helmet but a Vicis that Edelman and 200 others wear:
Peripheral vision.
Using a light to shine through the mask of the helmet and reflect onto a tool measuring the field of view, the Schutt helmet had a horizontal field of view of 210 degrees wide. The Vicis helmet had a 236-degree-wide field of view. The 26-degree improvement was a vision increase of 12 percent. The vertical vision was 40 degrees north to south in the Schutt model, 47 degrees north to south in the Vicis helmet—better by 18 percent in the newer helmet.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/08/19/kyler-murray-cardinals-antonio-brown-raiders-fmia-nfl-peter-king/
 

djbayko

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With reduced field of vision, there are two issues which come to mind - competitive edge and safety.
  1. Competitive edge should be a wash because everyone's using the same helmet. Antonio might be viewing it as especially important in his role, as the ball carrier everyone is trying to bring down, and necessary to allow him to compete at an elite level. But he's not the only RB/QB dealing with this problem.
  2. Second, safety. If you don't see that person coming from your left, your more likely to be taken down violently and unexpectedly, increasing your likelihood of injury. This is a very valid concern IMO, but it makes you wonder why the 1,589 other players (or at least the skill position players with job security) are just going along with the change without making a fuss. Perhaps some have done so but quietly through the proper channels?
I'm not sure which are Antonio's primary concern(s) deep down inside, but I'd be shocked if it isn't #2 - safety - that he's raising in his grievances. In fact, I'd bet that's the only reason the NFL has cooperated as much as they have on this topic.
 

dcmissle

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I'm so glad he's Someone Else's Problem now. Incredibly talented, but it's almost impossible to be that self-motivated and driven without being maniacally self-absorbed.
With guys like Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald notable outliers.

That plus the bust rate in the first round keeps me happy with the Patriots’ usual approach — though Pitts routinely finds gems in lower grounds.

It’s like toddler training — you have to come a bit stern and you have to come early. Otherwise, they are running the house.

So far as I can tell, AB has basically run the house.
 

bosockboy

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With guys like Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald notable outliers.

That plus the bust rate in the first round keeps me happy with the Patriots’ usual approach — though Pitts routinely finds gems in lower grounds.

It’s like toddler training — you have to come a bit stern and you have to come early. Otherwise, they are running the house.

So far as I can tell, AB has basically run the house.
I think Mayock drew the line on Sunday. If this affects anything regular season he’s getting a 5 day letter.
 

johnmd20

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With guys like Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald notable outliers.

That plus the bust rate in the first round keeps me happy with the Patriots’ usual approach — though Pitts routinely finds gems in lower grounds.

It’s like toddler training — you have to come a bit stern and you have to come early. Otherwise, they are running the house.

So far as I can tell, AB has basically run the house.
D'andre Hopkins and Julio Jones seem to show up and crush it without too much drama. Cooks, Woods, Thielen, Thomas, Diggs, Adams, Evans, Hilton, Allen, etc are also performers who don't do this insanity dance. Right now, it's really Odell Beckham and Antonio Brown who are the outliers, not the rest of the league.
 

KiltedFool

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I'm not as fluent in most of those names, how many of those guys are or were considered incredible athletic talents coming out of college? That's the big thing about AB, he wasn't that big, wasn't that fast, but he basically created himself through work. He wasn't considered anything special, being a 6th round pick. If Brady didn't exist you could talk about "best 6th rounder since" whatever.
 

johnmd20

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Hard Knocks Episode 3 was much better. That was actually a solid episode of TV. Frank Caliendo was so bad, it was amazing. Darren Waller's story is solid. And Derek Carr is one of the league charismatic QBs in history.

What's up Arizona? What's up Cardinals?
 

dcmissle

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I'm not as fluent in most of those names, how many of those guys are or were considered incredible athletic talents coming out of college? That's the big thing about AB, he wasn't that big, wasn't that fast, but he basically created himself through work. He wasn't considered anything special, being a 6th round pick. If Brady didn't exist you could talk about "best 6th rounder since" whatever.
Most of the fellows in his list were drafted in rounds after the first. Some of them represent amazing bargains — e.g., Hilton in the 3rd, Diggs in the 5th, Thielen undrafted. If any of them had the attitude, they had to check it at the door.

There are exceptions, Jones probably the most notable. Rejecting Belichick’s advice, Dimitroff traded 5 picks to move up for him. Worked out great, but I take the Belichick side of that argument generally.

Relatedly, your team consistently finds really solid WR value in lower rounds.
 

joe dokes

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Derek Carr, to me, comes off as a cocky guy covering up his own insecurities, based perhaps on the nonsense story about his crying last year.
I got the sense of insecurity, too. But it seemed that part of it was trying to be leader-y for the cameras. Another part of it struck me as him sensing that his team might suck or that Gruden is full of shit and just trying to overcompensate for his dread. He can't be thrilled that the new guy who is supposed to be a cornerstone for the offense seems barely present. But he can't show it, either.
 

cornwalls@6

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Caught up on all three episodes of hard knocks that have aired to date. Overall impression is that they are a train wreck waiting to happen. There is absolutely talent on the roster, but Gruden's schtick seems really tired, forced, and tone-deaf in terms of relating or getting through to a pro football player in 2019. As mentioned above, Carr seems inauthentic, and does not seem like a team leader. A couple of the rookies(the safety, Abram in particular) come across as inordinately cocky and mouthy with the coaches, for guys that haven't done anything in the league yet, and, no surprise, AB is a petulant child whom no one ever said no to, and who just keeps getting more and more impossible to deal with as a result. Lastly, Mayock(who I actually liked as a broadcaster) seems like the one adult in the room. And occasionally(could be reading more into this than is actually there) gives off a vibe like he wishes he had a do-over on taking the job. Of course, this could be an overreaction to a TV show, but it feels like this thing could get sideways in a hurry............... Knock wood if you're with me!!
 

Van Everyman

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Frank Caliendo was so bad, it was amazing.
Really? I'm not really one for impressionists but his Chuck (and Chuckie) was spot on. Also pulling for Waller, seems like a really solid guy.

I spent a lot of the show trying to figure out whether they all hate AB or actually like him. The amount of schtick going on in front of the cameras makes me wonder how they get anything done in training camp. Gruden seemed to spend almost the entire game joking around with his players and shooting the breeze.
 

johnmd20

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Really? I'm not really one for impressionists but his Chuck (and Chuckie) was spot on. Also pulling for Waller, seems like a really solid guy.

I spent a lot of the show trying to figure out whether they all hate AB or actually like him. The amount of schtick going on in front of the cameras makes me wonder how they get anything done in training camp. Gruden seemed to spend almost the entire game joking around with his players and shooting the breeze.
It's a week of footage in one hour. So obviously they have their "filming" times and then much more practice time. But, yes, the cameras definitely bring out the shtick. And I say Caliendo was bad as a compliment. He's supposed to be ridiculous and he was and it was amazing, as I said. Sorry that wasn't clear.
 

Van Everyman

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Ah, gotcha -- as in:

25690

FWIW, I also loved the "Does anyone even know who Madden is anymore?" That was an LOL.

Apparently teams also have approval for final cut -- so it would appear that any actual discussion about AB being a PITA didn't make the cut. I still found the amount of joking on the sideline during the game itself to be striking -- it's quite a contrast to the scenes we've seen in A Football Life and DYJ over the years.
 

cgori

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The Raiders are playing the Packers in Winnipeg. There was an issue with the CFL goalposts (not sure exactly what) so they are treating it as an 80 yard field with no kickoffs, drives start at the 25. The “end zone “ starts at the marked 10 yard markers on the field, but the goal posts are beyond the field end zone line, so field goals are 10 yards longer. It’s weird.
 
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The Raiders are playing the Packers in Winnipeg. There was an issue with the CFL goalposts (not sure exactly what) so they are treating it as an 80 yard field with no kickoffs, drives start at the 25. The “end zone “ starts at the marked 10 yard markers on the field, but the goal posts are beyond the field end zone line, so field goals are 10 yards longer. It’s weird.
Not a huge deal, but what an embarrassment. Get yer shit together, 345 Park Ave. Jesus.