A Few Words About the Martavis Bryant Situation
Commentary by PalmerSucks
September 4, 2015
As an original waver of the pom-poms for Stillers WR Martavis Bryant, I was especially dismayed to hear the news of his 4-game suspension related to substance abuse (presumably marijuana). From all indications Bryant was headed towards a monster year, looking unstoppable in most of his pre-season action. Now it seems, the only man who can stop Martavis Bryant is Bryant himself.
For the Stillers, this couldn’t come at a worse time, especially given the news that Tom Brady will be in uniform for the season opener. The new and scheme-transitioning Stiller defense looks as if it needs all the help it can get from the high-powered Stiller offense – whose horsepower has been cut in half with the absences of Bell and Bryant.
Football aside for a moment, the whole situation has me a bit perplexed. Apparently the Stillers knew of Bryant’s coming suspension as early as last spring, and reacted by drafting Bryant-clone Sammie Coates. But if that’s their solution to the problem, then I’m afraid Bryant isn’t the only one showing some bad judgment here.
For one thing, Coates isn’t close to being the player Bryant is right now and nobody should expect him to be. Anyone who thinks he can just step in and replace Bryant probably has been smoking some good ganja himself. But beyond that, this speaks to a management problem. Apparently, Bryant is too dense to realize he shouldn’t be toking up even after seeing one of his teammates get suspended for doing it. And as much as he should know better, for whatever reason he doesn’t, so it’s up to team executives to make sure he does.
Some employees don’t need guidance, others do; it’s up to management to know the difference, and act accordingly. Some time ago I wrote up a “substitute teacher” column about Mike Tomlin and how sometimes it doesn’t appear the discipline is too high on the list. Bryant joins a list of Blount and Bell as Stillers who’ve made the all-Marley team. Once is coincidence, twice is a trend – so what does that say about three times?
Unlike the Stillers, Bryant apparently had no idea a suspension was headed his way which leaves me scratching my head. Again, he must’ve thought he was doing nothing wrong, which to me is as much an indictment of the Stillers as it is Bryant. Since finding out he’s apologized and vowed to become a better Martavis, but the damage has been done.
Bryant teased us with his great ability last Saturday, er uh, lighting it up for nearly 150 yards in just one half. The question is, why was he getting reps when Heyward-Bey or Coates could’ve used the work? Are the Stillers showcasing Bryant for potential trade value? It makes no sense.
My understanding is that Bryant hangs in some social circles not exactly conducive to clean living (such as Wiz Khalifa’s posse). He needs to be told that he’s free to do whatever he wants, but not free to assume he’ll be free of consequences.
The Stillers have hinted that Bryant has “issues” that go beyond just smoking dope, and the P-G reported that Bryant’s mother has moved to Pittsburgh to offer guidance. (Maybe this is something that should’ve been done without having to wait for him to endure a suspension first.) The last thing the Stillers need is to have another Josh Gordon, or worse yet, Chris Henry on their hands.
But let’s return to the playing field. Many have pointed out the effect that losing Bryant will have on Antonio Brown. Teams can now double or even triple Brown if they want, taking their chances with a lesser wide receiver and an aging Heath Miller. And while that’s true, that’s only part of what losing Bryant means to the offense. Consider:
Losing Bryant turns Wheaton from outstanding to mediocre: Markus Wheaton was deadly as a number-three receiver last season, as both the Colts and Ravens can attest. He’s nothing special at number two, however. Wheaton often torches nickel backs, especially on deep sideline routes. He doesn’t fare as well against more-skilled base defenders however.
Losing Bryant hurts the run game, too: The fear of a true deep threat makes safeties think twice about pinching up into the box. Now they can do as they please. Expect to see plenty of New England safeties playing up next week.
Bryant is a game-changer, and not having him on the field changes the whole game. I actually wanted Brady to play week one even without Bell, because I was confident the Stillers could engage New England in a shoot-out. Now I’m not so sure. It would have been fun to see Bryant abuse the Patriots’ newly mediocre secondary, and sadly that won’t be happening now.
For all the drama about Brady, in the end the Stillers will be the ones sitting out their stars (and don’t the Patriots always seem to cop these kind of cheap unearned breaks). As much as that bites, that’s a smaller issue than making sure Bryant stays clean and in uniform for the long term. The next offense would cost him nearly an entire season, and send him down the Gordon path.
Rap god and Stillers fan Snoop Dogg, who knows a thing or two about weed and Pittsburgh football, Tweeted that if you’re going to let Brady off, you might as well excuse all the “homies” for lighting up. I don’t know about that, but if I were Bell and Bryant, I’d be on the phone to my lawyer. Maybe they could find some legal loophole and find a way to play in the opener, too.
Or let’s apply some Patriots reasoning here. Sure, the league says that Le’veon Bell and Martavis Bryant can’t play next week, but they didn’t say anything about these two new pickups, “Hugh Jass” and “Tits McJuggies” (whose replica jerseys I would certainly buy). (If you doubt it, then maybe, like Tommy B. says, you need to read the rule book.) I’d love to see the Stillers run these guys on the field anyway, under new names and numbers, just to flip off the judge that let Brady walk.
But seriously, the Stillers are going to have to do some real strategizing to meet the upcoming challenge next week. I’ll be back before the game with a pre-look.
ADDENDUM: The Stillers did at least one thing right this pre-season, stumbling on a trade thanks to injuries for top-notch kicker Josh Scobee and landing Jordan Berry, whose punts have been outstanding (let’s hope they have the good sense to keep him from the waiver wire, where about 15 other teams are waiting to see his name). Scobee not only brings field-goal accuracy, he’s also tops in touchback percentage. Meanwhile, Berry’s boomers have pinned back returners consistently. Both are more than just legs – they’re invaluable field-position aids to a defense that needs all the help it can get.
Comments? Email ‘em to PalmerSucks@Stillers.com