AROUND THE NFL
Bryant just can’t help himself and now, he’s benched by Steelers ... Kizer will start Sunday for Browns ... Garrett concussed ... Newton acts like an idiot — again
Some year, Martavis
Bryant might go through an entire NFL season without voluntarily making himself a distracting presence on his team, by continually making headlines of the wrong kind through delinquent actions. This year is not that year. It’s actually hard to fathom the ways the fourth-year wide receiver again is estranging himself from his Pittsburgh Steelers team and teammates.
He’s not even halfway into his first season back with the Steelers, after the NFL suspended him for all of 2016 without pay for his second major violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy. A year earlier, Bryant sat out the first four games as NFL penance for his first violation.
You’d think this season he’d appreciate his reinstatement by shutting up, keeping his head down, shutting up, working hard at every practice, shutting up, being as productive on the field as possible and, as much as anything, convincing everyone he’s grateful for every moment back. And shutting up.
Nope, other than he still works diligently at every practice, reports say.
To summarize the past couple of weeks, Bryant instead: — went on social media hours after the Steelers’ big win in Kansas City to demand a trade, before deleting the post and denying a report that, earlier in the young season, he indeed had asked the club to be traded; — took to social media, hours after the Steelers’ home-field win over Cincinnati this past Sunday, to childishly state that Pittsburgh’s promising, talented, well-liked rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is “nowhere near better than me,” in response to a fan’s contention to the contrary;
— skipped Monday morning’s mandatory team meeting by claiming he had to see a doctor, when every player knows every NFL doctor is present on Mondays at team HQ;
— on Tuesday gave an interview to ESPN’s Josina
Anderson, half a day after Steelers head coach Mike
Tomlin vowed the club would not trade Bryant, and said, among many selfish things he claimed were not selfish, “If they don’t try to include me more, and continue to do the same thing, then I want out, period.”
— Yesterday told reporters the club has relegated him to scout-team duty this week and won’t play him Sunday night in Detroit, as punishment for his Instagram post Sunday that denigrated Smith-Schuster.
“I’m not going to hide how I feel,” Bryant said yesterday, according to ESPN.com. “What happened, has happened.”
Thing is, Bryant can be an amazing talent on the field.
Despite his substanceabuse issues, despite claims by his reps two years ago that he battles depression and immaturity, and despite his hesitance on the field to make tough catches in certain parts of the field, the 25-year-old has caught 15 touchdown passes in just 28 career games, 12 of which he has started.
That’s superstar-type production, if in a self-caused small sample size.
Long-time Steelers beat writer Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reiterated on Tuesday that Bryant “won’t be released or traded,” and Tomlin again said so.
Still, the NFL’s 2017 trade deadline is next Tuesday afternoon — on Halloween, shortly before trick-or-treating begins.
The Steelers must be asking themselves, What’s the scarier prospect: keeping the loosecanon Bryant for another three months, in possibly the last season for QB Ben
Roethlisberger, or trading this rare talent for next to nothing?
Battery-powered witches might be cackling on porches across North America these days, but the Steelers aren’t laughing.
KIZER AGAIN
Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson is sticking with DeShone Kizer. Which means Kizer will start Sunday against Minnesota in London, England.
Of course, once toe meets leather, Capt. Hook could yank the rookie QB at any time.
“I know what everybody is concerned about -- that I have this quick hook,” said Jackson, who this month has benched Kizer for the second half of his past two starts, and for the entire game in between. “Listen, I think DeShone gets it. I am very honest with DeShone. This is a performance-based business, and there are some things that at the quarterback position are kind of non-negotiable for me. He knows turning the ball over is something that we can’t do. It hurts not just him; it hurts our football team. I think he gets it.”
Oh, he gets it. The hook, that is. If he gets it again on Sunday in London, Cody Kessler would replace him, Jackson said, not Kevin Hogan. Info worth knowing.
GARRETT CONCUSSED:
Cleveland might play the Vikings without No. 1 overall draft pick Myles Garrett. The extraordinary edge rusher entered concussion protocol Tuesday, after revealing such symptoms to team medical personnel. It’s possible Garrett could fly to London.
NEWTON’S LAW
Apparently, Cam Newton has become resentful of the media, as there was no cause for the Carolina Panthers QB to walk out of his weekly news conference on Wednesday.
Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer — a pro’s pro journalist — merely asked the seventh-year passer if the Panthers “have the wherewithal” to gain yards in chunks consistently, week to week. Newton looked skyward, shook his head, rolled his eyes, and said, “Next question.” When there wasn’t a question within three seconds, he said, “Thank you,” and bolted from the interview room.