Trent Brown Liked a Post Suggesting the Patriots Should Go After Brady or Jimmy G to Replace Mac Jones
It's possible that there is nothing in this life more important to a man than the faith he puts in a friend or brother. That the fraternal bond that exists between men is sacred. Perhaps even more so than romantic love or even the one between himself and his parents or even his children.
And the betrayal of that trust is the most painful thing a man can endure. As such, it's a trope that goes back as far as storytelling itself. The very first story of humanity is Cain slaying Abel. The founding myth of Rome is the twins Romulus and Remus, and the latter dying at the former's hands in a dispute over whose version of the city was the nice neighborhood. Caesar's "Et tu Brute" is the one of the most famous quotes in the Western world, used by people who have no classical education to sound like they know things (I raise my hand). And in Dante's The Inferno, Hell is a series of concentric circles. The worse your sins in life, the deeper in and the worse your punishment. So for example, the outermost circle is just for misdemeanors like being a pagan, but not that bad a guy. The next few are the sins you committed before work this morning, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath and the like. And in the center of it all is reserved for treachery. The people who betrayed a trust. Mutineers, traitors and the like. And in very epicenter, frozen in a lake with his eyes open so he can see what he's done, is the worst betrayer of them all, Judas.
I mention this because there is perhaps no relationship in American society more dependent on that bond of trust than between a quarterback and his left tackle. They represent the most literal definition of someone having your back. It's symbiotic relationship. One cannot function without the other. As such, a QB needs to know - not just believe, but know - that he can put his full measure of faith in his LT, and that faith will be rewarded.
And it would appear Mac Jones doesn't have that right now.
In addition to everything else he's dealing with this season, coaching chaos - plays not getting in on time, constantly playing a game of Beat the Game Clock just to avoid a Delay of Game penalty, and at least once a game not avoiding one, shotgun snaps on 1st & goal from the 1, draw plays on 3rd & 15, not being given the chance to throw a Hail Mary at the end of regulation in a tie game, just to name a few things - it seems he can't trust Trent Brown. Because after ESPN's NFL account posted this innocuous post:
A notion that Brown is all in favor of:
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Look, I'm not one to follow a lot of athlete's social media accounts. I especially don't comb through the posts of major media outlets checking to see who liked what or who posted what. There aren't enough hours in one lifetime for that. But I certainly appreciate the people who do. Because they're like cyber anthropologists who discover truths about the people we study that the rest of us miss.
And in this instance, I can't interpret the data any other way than Brown actively chose to hit the like button. It was a conscious decision. He could've said nothing, kept his thoughts to himself. But opted instead to proactively sign his name to this idea like the disclaimer at the end of a campaign commerical. "My name is Trent Brown, and I approve this message." Even when simply leaving the button alone would've meant he was keeping it in house. Meaning the house where he lives. Strictly between him, his god, and the women on his sex tattoo:
Maybe Brown deserves the benefit of a doubt. After all, I'm Captain Fat Thumbs myself. I've scrolled back and found likes I didn't mean to like and even a blocked account or two I never meant to block. And his thumbs are bigger than almost any human alive. So it's not unreasonable to assume this could just have been a mistake.
But then again, he's hardly the most prolific social media user. He's had his IG account since 2012 and has all of seven posts on there. And of all the posts he could've accidentally put his stamp of approval on, one suggesting bringing back the QB he won a ring with in 2018 is a little too on the nose to chalk up to just a whoopsies!
And if I'm the Patriots (God willing, some day I will be), I'm not letting this situation go unaddressed. I need to know that the guy I'm entrusting to protect my franchise QB is as invested in his protection as I am. Especially when that 2018 season represents this One Hit Wonder's One Hit. I'm not going to continue to let him live off that one like he's Len and that's his "Steal My Sunshine" if he's undermining the guy running my huddle. Extra especially since Brown is currently has the sixth most penalties among all tackles, has allowed the third most sacks, is 60th in pass blocking efficiency, and is Pro Football Focus's 50th highest graded tackle (63rd in run blocking).
If I don't get a straight answer as to why my left tackle is publicly lusting after two quarterbacks who are under contract to other teams while we're chasing a playoff spot, I'd rather just release him and take my chances with someone off my 53-man who is as invested in my quarterback's future as I am. This is not what it's supposed to mean in football when you talk about a "Blind Side."