NFL power rankings: Post-preseason 32-team breakdown before Week 1
By Peter Panacy
Gosh, the whole story between the Oakland Raiders, All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown and helmet grievances has gotten old, hasn’t it?
In fairness to the Raiders, they’ve handled the Brown drama about as well as they could have. But it doesn’t change the fact Brown’s issues have become the focus of a team trying to gain momentum before it’s eventual move to Las Vegas.
And it all but erased what was a pretty impressive win over the Packers north of the border in Week 3 of the NFL preseason.
While Brown is going to draw all the attention early on, for either good or bad reasons, the real focus should be on quarterback Derek Carr and whether or not he can return to his previous Pro Bowl-level of play.
If so, and especially if Brown winds up being the impact playmaker Oakland hopes he can be, helmet issues will soon be forgotten.