Cover / Artwork » Raiders receiver Antonio Brown wants to wear the helmet

His insistence on getting his way has become one of the strangest off-field stories in recent memory Black Zach Gentry Jersey , if not ever.Here’s an interesting question about the situation: Did the Steelers know that the helmet fight was coming?Although Brown’s helmet isn’t one of the 11 models that as of this year are banned from use by NFL players, Brown’s helmet simply couldn’t be certified for use again because it’s now more than 10 years old. Last year, it wasn’t. It’s fair to wonder whether someone at some point within the Steelers organization became aware that 2018 was the last year that Brown could wear his helmet of choice.Given that the Steelers knew Brown’s proclivities and eccentricities as well as anyone, it’s possible that they sensed the coming storm. Avoiding this potential distraction to their 2019 preseason preparations may have been one of the factors in the team’s decision to move on from Brown.Yes, the perception is that Brown broke up with the Steelers. That he wanted out and got out. But the Steelers may have wanted him out, opting to let him think he was getting his way because the broader objective was just to get him away from the organization.The next question becomes whether the Raiders knew anything about this potential helmet issue before trading for Brown. Although they can’t be surprised that he’s behaving in a manner similar to the way he behaved in Pittsburgh, whether they welcomed Brown to town knowing that the helmet situation could become a thing is interesting Rod Woodson Jersey , to say the least.Given the stunning nature of Brown’s stubborn refusal to bend to collectively-bargained rules, it’s safe to assume the Raiders didn’t realize this was coming. And while the Steelers, if they knew about the looming helmet issue, may not have expected such an explosion over it, they’re probably not surprised — and they’re probably very happy that he’s currently someone else’s headache. Starting several years ago and ramping up more recently, PFT has proposed a simple approach to improving officiating: Add an eighth member to each officiating crew, who would sit in a booth at the stadium Dan McCullers Jersey , watch all available network camera angles, and communicate with the referee in real time, as part of the first look at a play and not the official replay process. Coincidentally, someone with far more ability and standing had the same idea long before we did.Ed Bouchette of the explains that the late Dan Rooney articulated a similar approach long ago.“Rooney told me when replay was in its infancy as a means to ‘get the calls right’ that his suggestion was a simple one: Add a member to each officiating crew and put him upstairs in a booth so he can watch the game on a TV screen and also view replays.“He would have the same authority as the officials on the field to call penalties, but most importantly for other purposes. He could discuss a called penalty with the rest of the crew if it were obvious to him it was not a penalty. They do that now at times when a flag is thrown —聽the officials huddle, and then decide there was no penalty.”Bouchette added via text message that he doesn’t know whether Dan Rooney ever officially proposed this approach. Regardless of whether he did, the time for seriously considering it has come.Everyone at home now sees in high definition and on crisp Roosevelt Nix Jersey , clear flat screens that which the officials never see, but for the formal replay-review process. The league needs to have an official who is watching what the rest of us are watching, bridging that gap and intervening immediately to fix mistakes before they become official rulings on the field.The fact that someone who had a key role in hiring the current Commissioner suggested this approach should get the current Commissioner to at least take a look at it, especially since the current Commissioner has a serious problem when it comes to the quality of officiating. This is the simplest, easiest way to improve the process.