Ben Roethlisberger warns Antonio Brown about Josh Norman’s ‘mind games’

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In addition to being one of the best defensive backs in football last season, Josh Norman also had one of the biggest mouths. On Monday night, Norman will kick things off with his new team by trying to cover Antonio Brown.

Ben Roethlisberger has seen how Norman can get into an opponent’s head, and the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback plans to warn Brown about that.

“The big thing for both — they might try to play mind games with each other — I’ll talk to my guy and make sure he keeps a level head and just plays football,” Roethlisberger said this week, via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Ultimately, Roethlisberger believes Brown can win the matchup against Norman if Big Ben does his job.

“AB is one of the best in the business, and so is Josh, so I think it’s a prime-time matchup,” he said. “Everyone will tune in to see that matchup. I think it’ll come down to if AB’s quarterback is good enough to get him the ball when he needs to.”

Norman has a lot to prove this season, as many believe he was a product of a dominant Carolina Panthers defense last year and a front seven that got after the quarterback. In addition, we know one star receiver who is very familiar with Norman’s ability to get under your skin. If Brown can ignore all that, there’s no reason he shouldn’t get the best of Norman.

H/T Pro Football Talk

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Antonio Allen Is Back

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Antonio Allen was drafted by the Jets in the 7th round of the 2012 NFL draft. He was developing nicely at safety and showed some real promise, starting 18 games here. He was moved to cornerback by Rex Ryan during the last year of the RyanIdzik regime and the kid did everything that was asked of him.  He missed last season with a torn achilles and then signed with the Texans in March, but was recently released.

Antonio Allen, whom the Jets just re-signed, gives them a second backup safety. Gilchrist currently has no listed backup. Miles behind Pryor

— Darryl Slater (@DarrylSlater) September 6, 2016

The move to bring Allen back makes a lot of sense. He provides depth at safety which is where he belongs.

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Antonio Brown, Steelers agree to restructured contract

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has agreed to a restructured contract with the team, according to multiple reports.

A source told NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo that the new deal still runs through the 2017 season. However, some of the money Brown was set to earn next season has been tacked onto his contract for this year. Brown’s salary for the 2016 season was originally $ 6.25 million, but another $ 4 million has been pushed forward, so he’ll earn over $ 10 million this upcoming season.

While Brown had made it clear that he wants a new contract, he chose not to hold out of training camp and instead trusted that the Steelers would take care of him. For now, the restructure is a temporary fix.

Brown will not want to play out the final year of his contract in 2017 without a new deal, and NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport is reporting the Steelers have promised him he will get a new long-term contract next offseason. Brown is widely considered to be the best wide receiver in football, but he has yet to cash in on a big contract like Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, A.J. Green and Julio Jones have.

The good news for Brown is he can supplement his income with crazy side bets with Brandon Marshall. That should help him put food on the table this year.

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Colts contract helps Antonio Cromartie make child support payment, avoid arrest

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One day after signing a one-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts, Antonio Cromartie made good on an outstanding child support debt and was able to avoid a potential arrest.

According to TMZ Sports, Cromartie was behind on child support payments for his first child. The cornerback was ordered to pay $ 4,000 per month beginning in Jan. 2016 for his oldest child and hadn’t paid. He even missed a court date in Florida last week according to TMZ, leading a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest on Tuesday.

But Cromartie came through with a payment to the mother of the child on Tuesday to settle the dispute and have the warrant withdrawn.

Cromartie’s one-year deal was for $ 3 million, with $ 250,000 guaranteed. He needs to make the team’s roster to receive the rest of the money, but all the injuries the Colts are dealing with should help his efforts.

Cromartie has at least 12 children, but you shouldn’t mock him about that because we saw what his reaction was like last time.

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Jimmy Butler claims he’s a better wideout than Demaryius Thomas, Antonio Brown

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Jimmy Butler is already the face of the Chicago Bulls, but he may have delusions about starring for the Chicago Bears as well.

In an interview with Mark Schwarz of ESPN on Saturday, Butler tried to claim that he’s a better wide receiver than All-Pros Demaryius Thomas and Antonio Brown and that he would be getting franchise tagged if he wasn’t competing for USA Basketball at the Rio Games this summer. Many of Butler’s Olympic teammates didn’t feel quite the same way.

Jimmy Butler says he"d be a better WR than AB and Demaryius Thomas, gets roasted by all of Team USA https://t.co/fOIZ3DjxnH

— BALLUPNBA (@BallUpNBA) August 21, 2016

While Butler’s generous estimation of his own football talents may have been a little tongue-in-cheek, it seems he would at least have the physical tools to survive in the NFL. The two-time All-Star stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 220 pounds. For reference, Brown is listed at 5-foot-10, 181 pounds while Thomas clocks in at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds. Butler also posted a max vert of 39 inches at the NBA Draft Combine in 2011.

Still, there are many more skills (efficient route running, speed/lateral movement, pass-catching ability, etc.) that go into being an elite wide receiver than just pure physical gifts. As such, Butler, who just signed a max contract with the Bulls last summer, is probably better off staying in his lane on the hardwood. But hey, maybe he still has a chance at starring in Invincible 2 with his buddy Mark Wahlberg.

Image Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

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Report: Antonio Brown unlikely to get new contract before season

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While Antonio Brown has chosen not to hold out from Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, he has made it quite clear he wants a new contract before the season begins. The more time that passes, the less likely he is to get it.

Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported Tuesday that Brown and the Steelers have made no progress toward a new deal. La Canfora takes it a step further, predicting that Brown could be out of luck.

Nothing going on with Steelers and Antonio Brown on his contract. Not talking and super unlikely Steelers would entertain new deal now

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) August 9, 2016

Brown has hauled in 265 passes over the past two seasons, which is an NFL record for number of catches in a two-year span. His base salary for 2016 is $ 6.25 million, meaning he will make less than half of what guys like Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, A.J. Green and Julio Jones are getting.

The Steelers also have Brown under contract for next season at $ 8.7 million in base salary, which is still a bargain. He’d be far more likely to hold out next summer if the team still has not given him an extension.

For now, Brown may be stuck. It sounds like he has a better chance of making extra cash in side bets with Brandon Marshall than he does from his current employer.

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Report: Steelers, Antonio Brown have discussed new contract

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The Pittsburgh Steelers and wide receiver Antonio Brown have reportedly discussed a new contract.

Brown, who is making just $ 6.25 million despite an NFL-record 265 catches over the last two seasons, has reportedly been the subject of contract discussions between agent Drew Rosenhaus and general manager Kevin Colbert, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Brown said Sunday that he wanted a new contract, though he wouldn’t hold out over it.

“You have to take care of your guys,” Brown said. “If a guy underperforms, you get rid of him. If a guy overperforms, you take care of him.”

Brown emphasized that the Steelers have been “first class” to him, so things don’t sound like they’re going to get ugly.

The star receiver said last week that he felt confident about Pittsburgh renegotiating his deal. It sounds like there is a willingness to do just that.

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