Dear Braylon

Submitted by Section 1 on

Shut up.

You were a very good player, on a good team. If you had a good time while you were at Michigan, you can thank your dad and decades of Michigan tradition. If you came out of Michigan a better person, you can thank Lloyd Carr for that.

When and if you have something thoughtful, something important, to say, by all means I encourage you to use your public position to do so.

But lately, you seem to be turning into some weird hybridized version of Chad Johnson Ocho Cinco Johnson, which is not a good thing. Is there something about being a wideout for the Bengals and/or the Jets that robs people of their cognitive abilities?

Braylon: Plaxico Burress, Andre Rison; those guys are not exactly career models. They went to Michigan STATE. You want some career models? Try Tom Harmon, Charles Woodson, Desmond Howard. Or more recently, Jake Long and Chad Henne. Tom Brady may not be a pefect role model, Braylon, but the bad news for you is that Brady is looking real good next to you.

Memo
To: Lloyd Carr, Stan Edwards
From: Me
Re: Braylon
Uh, do you suppose that both of you might want to have just a word or two with Braylon, maybe about the subjects of player-introductions for next week's playoff game?

jsquigg

January 4th, 2010 at 12:54 PM ^

Wow.
Chad Ochocinco is at least funny and good natured.
Braylon gets a +1 from me for getting on Lebron's "bad side," but he and David Harris and Jay Feely need to stop adding to Rod's problems.

jsquigg

January 4th, 2010 at 6:26 PM ^

Jay Feely has been outwardly vocal against the way Rodriguez is running the program, and David Harris (who I went to Middle School with) mentioned his high school (Ottawa Hills) instead of Michigan. I'm not losing sleep over any of it because they will be the first to say they backed Rodriguez when things turn around.

PaulVB

January 4th, 2010 at 12:54 PM ^

I think the money he's given and scholarship he's endowed to the University speak more than just a one line thing on a football introduction.

michman999

January 4th, 2010 at 6:19 PM ^

I understand the analogy is a bit of a stretch, howeva...shall we all renounce our citizenship because we harbor differences with the ideology of our elected leaders? C'mon Braylon, if you have issues with RR, sit down with the guy, illuminate him to your perspective, do it privately without embarassing yourself, RR or most importantly, UM and its alumni. The fact that you chose express yourself so publicly suggests a greater agenda is afoot. What would you have RR do? Braylon, let the man recruit and let the man coach his team - his team. And, me thinks, for the majority of us, still our team!

WanderingWolve

January 4th, 2010 at 12:59 PM ^

Freep posts this shocking article: http://www.freep.com/article/20100104/SPORTS06/100104001/1054/sports06/…
Technically Braylon did play for "Lloyd Carr's Michigan." He was a great WR for us and could be one of the best in the NFL but dude needs to hold on to the ball!
Re: Freep article, why does this have to be a shot at RR? Oh yeah, cuz he's the pariah of Michigan and all that is wrong with football. I mean just look at how 14 of his players put on ski masks and beat up some engineering student unprovoked. Oh, wait a minute...

CRex

January 4th, 2010 at 1:00 PM ^

You know maybe, just maybe, Braylon said what he said out of respect to Lloyld Carr. A lot of Lloyld's players loved him and were unhappy how many of the alums dragged him through the mud before firing him.

I know a few who felt that Lloyd had done the U a big favor by staying on and were furious over names like "Osama Bin Lloyden" and others that various alums/fans trotted out.

Why does everyone have a stick off up their ass over this? If someone had said "Bo's University of Michigan" we'd likely all have cheered.

Braylon has said nothing but good things about the U, for giving his father a chance to play here and giving him a scholarship as well. He's repaid us with scholarships and support, if he wants to publically thank his HC, what's the problem?

Section 1

January 4th, 2010 at 1:13 PM ^

Look, Braylon has the "right" to say whatever he wants. If he wanted to criticize Rich Rodriguez, he can do that in much more important ways than an admittedly silly player-intro on tv. If he wanted to praise Lloyd Carr, there's a thousand ways to do that, too, other than this "method." (And there was assuredly no "method" to this madness.)

This was, and is, all about Braylon. Braylon's alma mater. Braylon's scholarship. Braylon's number. Braylon's image. Braylon's Sunday Night appearance.

It was a punk thing to do. Punk, and childish, and cheap and creepy. If Braylon had guts (which I suppose he does), he'd now do a lengthy interview explaining his cryptic comment. Be specific, Braylon. Make yourself clear. Otherwise, why say anything at all? Of course if Braylon had any brains (which I am beginning to doubt), he'd have nothing more to say at all. Because this has all been a very big and very bad mistake on his part. Braylon needs to choose. Be clear, or not. Be smart, or not.

Section 1

January 4th, 2010 at 1:25 PM ^

This is precisely the kind of thing that Lloyd Carr avoided at all costs. Lloyd had only a little use for the media, and virtually no use at all for obtuse one-liners. He made himself clear, or he said nothing. Most often, "nothing" worked just fine.

Even about Braylon's own bad behavior, Carr resisted practically every opportunity to go public.

You're welcome, Braylon.

Bando Calrissian

January 4th, 2010 at 4:15 PM ^

"Carr resisted practically every opportunity to go public."

Uh, what? Do you not remember the umpteen press conferences circa 2002-3 where Lloyd very loudly talked about him and Braylon "not being on the same page?" Braylon was one of the few players Lloyd WAS vocal about, because Lloyd knew Braylon needed the wakeup call. And if you look at Braylon's last two seasons, he was right. Braylon rose to the occasion.

Can we quit ragging on Lloyd Carr already? Is there anything for which we won't lay blame squarely at his feet?

jmblue

January 4th, 2010 at 4:22 PM ^

There was only one press conference in which Lloyd called out Braylon, and it was practically a throwaway line: "Braylon and I are not on the same page right now." The press took that line and went nuts. Carr later clarified that it just had to do with Braylon being late to a couple of team meetings.

Bando Calrissian

January 4th, 2010 at 4:30 PM ^

It wasn't just a couple team meetings. Remember when Braylon showed up to Media/Fan Day with the huge afro? He was pretty vocal about wanting the #1 jersey, the fact he was Stan Edwards' son, was acting like a prima donna, not showing effort on the field or in practice, and Lloyd dropped a couple lines in the press about it beyond that one press conference. And later talked quite a bit about it in interviews.

The long and short of it is that Lloyd was not silent about Braylon's behavior, and was in fact MORE vocal about it than most any player under his tenure. And Braylon got the message.

jmblue

January 4th, 2010 at 4:35 PM ^

There is no evidence that Lloyd was miffed by his hairstyle (he didn't mind Dhani Jones's) or the other things he said. The only time he publicly called him out was when Braylon was (according to Carr) regularly being late to team meetings. What Carr said wasn't particularly unusual; he gave the "not on the same page" line for other players, and sometimes would pointedly refuse to discuss certain players during a press conference. The media just made a bigger deal about the Braylon "controversy" than others.

Section 1

January 4th, 2010 at 4:29 PM ^

I've never been a Lloyd Carr critic. I wasn't a critic when he was coaching, and I'm not a critic now!

I didn't initiate a national controversy revolving around the name of Lloyd Carr; Braylon Edwards did that!

My point is that if Lloyd Carr is some kind of model for Braylon Edwards, Braylon's not doing much to live up to it. Seems to me that what Braylon could use right now is some of Coach Carr's discipline.

Carr talked about Braylon the way he did 2002-2003 because he was asked about it; he's the coach; he speaks for the Michigan team; Braylon wasn't playing as much, and wasn't playing up to his potential; pretty much all acknolwedged by Braylon later on.

Braylon's not on the current Michigan team; he doesn't speak for the current Michgian team. And as for snarky, oblique, one-line insults aimed at Rich Rodriguez, Braylon Edwards really should just shut the fuck up. This isn't Braylon Edwards' first foray into stupidity, and I suspect it won't be his last. Braylon is a superior football player. For what it's worth (not much) I'm grateful that, having become a very wealthy and successful NFL player, that Braylon has endowed an athletic scholarship. That's all good.

But this business from Sunday night is inexcusable. There is no good explanation for it. I suppose that's the task for any Braylon Edwards fanboy -- tell us exactly what good purpose was served by the comment?

jamiemac

January 4th, 2010 at 1:02 PM ^

This might be the lamest faux controversy some of you have ever freaked out on.

You look great with those rabbit ears, though.

Its a player into, big fucking deal.

Cant we try to not freak out about small things and celebrate the hoops doing getting a win over osu.

that way eleventy billion times more important to me as a fan than what somebody who played for michigan five years said in a player into. jeebus

Md23Rewls

January 4th, 2010 at 1:14 PM ^

After providing me with the oppurtunity to watch something as great as Braylonfest, Braylon would have to kill like 16 puppies while urinating on an American flag for me to dislike him enough to write a letter. And even then, I'd probably come up with a less lame way of expressing that emotion than a letter he will never read.

big gay heart

January 4th, 2010 at 1:15 PM ^

Let's talk Michigan Men.

The fact that this absurd notion of the "Michigan Man" has been so thoroughly pushed by every idiot to wear a jersey or take a class in AA is wholly to blame for this.

Michigan is an enormous institution full of every type of person you could imagine. It's not a family or some exclusive club. So, really, what individual people think is moot. But, the people talking aren't aware of that. Case in point: Bray Bray. You're gone homie, stay gone.

So, Bray Bray is unhappy. Wah. Next to Marlin Jackson, Braylon was the most overhyped M player (during their playing career) in the past 15 years. He made some incredible catches, sure, but he also killed 7 billion drives by dropping routine passes.

I think he should go give himself a couple five hour energy drink enemas, let his cats shit all over pictures of Bron Bron and worry about something other than being a petty dickhole on national television.

STW P. Brabbs

January 4th, 2010 at 1:40 PM ^

You provocative bastard, you. Look at you, with your majestic e-slaughter of Michigan's sacred cows! You could provoke Buddha!

I'm sure someone is going to sign you to a big contract to write provocative things soon. Just look at that mysteriously provocative title to your presumably ruthlessly irreverent blog - big things await, Big Gay. Big things.

jmblue

January 4th, 2010 at 3:42 PM ^

Okay, so despite the fact that Braylon holds both the single-season and career school records for receptions and yards, and the Big Ten record for receiving TDs, and that he won the Biletnikoff Award (for the nation's best wide receiver) his senior year, he was actually overhyped?

When another U-M receiver racks up 97 catches for 1,330 yards in a season (which Braylon did in a year when he had a true freshman at QB), maybe that argument will start to hold a drop of water. He may or may not be a weird person, but the guy could ball.

jb5O4

January 4th, 2010 at 1:20 PM ^

Jesus, stop getting all bent out of shape on this. He isn't taking a cheap shot on Rodriguez. He's a great player with alot of passion for Michigan.

PurpleStuff

January 4th, 2010 at 2:13 PM ^

Note that I am saying the title of this in the exasperated voice of the rich brother with the slicked back hair in "She's the One" after he finds out that Cameron Diaz, the girl he just proposed to and his brother's ex girlfriend, used to be a hooker.

The only reason for Braylon to try to differentiate himself from the current coaching staff (and the nearly two centuries that the University of Michigan did just fine without employing Lloyd Carr) was to take a cheap shot at the current coaches. At best it was an "I told you so" to fans who weren't all that happy with Carr's on the job performance.

Let's not forget that Lloyd Carr's Michigan went 1-6 against Jim Tressel and in his last eight years (the time after Gary Moeller's players left campus) he did not win a major bowl game and did not have the program in a position to win one any time soon.

Coach Carr is a great man who did a lot for this university, and if Braylon wanted to honor him he could have done so in a thousand other ways instead of making idiotic comments like these. The only point of his comments was to suggest that he and his teammates are somehow different/better than the guys currently coaching/playing for Michigan. My guess is that coach Rodriguez's resume will look a whole lot better than his predecessors after 7-8 years in the two categories I mentioned above. Hopefully Braylon will be back on the bandwagon by then.

Section 1

January 4th, 2010 at 5:52 PM ^

a writer ought to ask him: "Braylon, it's been said that your intro-line last Sunday night wasn't intended to mean anything about Rich Rodriguez's tenure as head coach, you just wanted to honor Lloyd Carr is that right?" [Answer: ______. Sounds of laughter in media room.]

"Uh, just one follow up, Braylon; Michigan's AD Bill Martin says that he's 'All In for Rich Rodriguez.' Are you likewise all in for Rich Rodriguez?" [Answer: ______.]

Section 1

January 4th, 2010 at 2:02 PM ^

or "Most Read" or "Most E-mailed" story on the Freep.com right now. That's a routine occurrence. Trashtalk about Michigan is just about the best-selling thing on the site. Better than hard news about the city; better than breaking news about international incidents or natural disasters; better even than Controversialist Drew Sharpton writing about the Lions.