It’s fitting for the Antonio Brown saga in Oakland, that even when Jon Gruden thought he was offering the last word, there were more words. Also, two key ones.
With the Raiders winning in their first game after releasing the high-maintenance wideout, Gruden was hoping he could finally move past the hourly drama.
“What happened here the last couple days may have been, you know, big news to some, but there were no distractions,” Gruden said, via Josh Schrock of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “I think you could tell that tonight, our team was ready to roll.
“I’m never going to bring it up again. That incident, whatever you call it, had nothing to do with our team’s focus or preparation. That’s it. End of story.”
But wait, there’s more. With Antonio Brown, there’s always more.
Asked later if the Raiders surprised people by beating the Broncos without Brown (though they barely practiced with him), Gruden offered a final volley, or a warning shot to Bill Belichick.
“As much as people talk about it, I mean, my god,” Gruden said. “Man, I feel like someone smashed me in my temple on the side of the head. Get over it, man. It’s over. You know? We were good in the preseason without him. We’re going to be fine without him. And we wish him the best.
“You know, we gave it a shot. Now New England gets their turn. Good luck to them. I can’t deal with it anymore.”
Whenever Brown runs his course with the Patriots, we can only hope Belichick offers as eloquent a benediction.