New England Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner sat down with ESPN’s Josina Anderson to talk about facing his former team in the Super Bowl.
Browner signed with the Pats during the 2014 offseason, and the three years he spent in Seattle culminated in last year’s Super Bowl victory. Still, he had some advice for his new teammates that will have Seattle fans uttering, “Et tu, Brandon?”
In order to win, Browner encouraged his teammates to target Seattle’s injury-ridden defense, in particular cornerback Richard Sherman and linebacker K.J. Wright.
Those dudes are tough. Watching the game, you can see Sherman was holding that arm like he had a sling on it. But at the end of the day, this is about the Super Bowl. I’m going to tell my teammates: ‘Go hit that elbow, go hit that shoulder. Hit it, try to break it if you can.
You’re going to be my best friend after the game, but at the end of the day, I know you want the Super Bowl just as bad as I do.
While some might criticize Browner as going too far, many of Seattle’s players actually approved of the comments. When The Seattle Times asked Doug Baldwin what he made of Browner’s statements, the Seahawks’ receiver said he wasn’t surprised.
I’d expect that. Everybody wants us to be politically correct, but that’s the truth. Whether you say it out loud or not, that’s legitimately what it is. I’m not surprised by that at all.
Hawks linebacker Bobby Wagner gave a very similar response to Baldwin’s.
I don’t think he meant it in a malicious way or trying to hurt Sherm by any means. It’s just competing. It’s a competitive nature.
I mean, that’s BB. He ain’t gonna go too far, but, shoot … We know him, too. We know him very well. We’re going to go after him, too. It’s going to be a fun game. So tell him Bobby said he’s coming after him.
I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS!
People hate the Patriots — and to a lesser extent the Seahawks — because both organizations play hard-nosed, smash-mouth football, and they’re OBSESSED with winning. The media has used Deflate-Gate to paint the Patriots as cheating scum, but it’s not like the Seahawks are perfect angels.
Am I the only person who remembers when self-proclaimed “best corner in the league” Richard Sherman failed NFL drug tests for performance enhancing drugs? Or maybe the time head coach Pete Carroll may or may not have violated NCAA rules in order to lure recruits to USC?
The last time I checked, baseball teams don’t get fined $750,000 and have a first-round draft pick taken away — a.k.a. the “Spygate” penalty levied against the Patriots — for stealing signs at second base. It’s simply one team trying to gain a competitive advantage and is widely acknowledged as part of the game.
Football players used to be viewed as American heroes; by winning the Super Bowl, teams literally showed how through hard work and absolute dedication to your craft, you can achieve the pinnacle of success. It was the perfect metaphor for the American dream.
Neither the Patriots nor the Seahawks are in the Super Bowl because of any underhanded dealings. They’re there because they are the two best squads in the league, and they are willing to do the little things that great teams need to do to win. Unfortunately, many Americans no longer respect that ferocious desire to succeed at all costs. What does that say about us as a nation?
Since when are we a country intent on monitoring every individual’s choices and actions. As Americans, we have the right to make our own decisions, even if they’re clearly detrimental to our own well-being. I’m not saying that player safety isn’t an important issue. It is, but let’s be honest. Players already know the risks associated with the game they play, and they choose to go out there anyway. Attempting to limit these players in performing to the best of their abilities is not only an insult to an American institution, but also to the nation as a whole.