“Like, the biggest divas are receivers and corners because they know there’s no help. It’s just them…They don’t rely on anyone else other than the quarterback,” LaVar Arrington once said. Wide receivers carry immense pressure. Their success depends on every component of the offense working perfectly. A clean snap. A solid block. A quick read. A perfectly timed throw. Without all that, a receiver’s work goes unnoticed. No wonder they get frustrated, ending up with the tag of a Diva. How do they cope? We find out with Carmelo Anthony.
DeVonta Smith recently appeared on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony. There, he revealed that Receivers develop unique ways to handle the mental strain. He also recalled his teammate, A.J. Brown, who recently made headlines as he was seen reading “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy. Interestingly, Smith himself listens to gospel music at halftime to reset. Everyone has their own method, but the stress is real. Many see wide receivers as divas, but Smith shed light on why that perception exists. Here’s how he explained it to Carmelo Anthony.
Using the opportunity, Carmelo Anthony asked Smith why receivers have the label of being a “Diva”. Smith broke it down: “We can go out there, cook somebody, and be wide open, but if protection doesn’t hold up, ain’t nobody gonna see that.” Unlike cornerbacks, who operate solo, wide receivers depend entirely on others. If defenders sack the quarterback, no one notices the receiver’s effort. If the offense changes the play, they might lose that golden opportunity forever.
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Melo immediately saw their frustration. “If I’m open on my play, throw the f****** ball!” he said, realizing why receivers bark at the sideline. He agreed with Smith stating, “I would be tight, too! If it’s my play, and say the snap gets f**** up or somebody jumps offside, they’re gonna run a different play after that.” He compared it to legendary wideouts like T.O. and Randy Moss, saying, “I understand why they were the way they were.” These are the guys who torched defenses but also made headlines for sideline rants, trade demands, and locker-room feuds.
After an insightful discussion on the pressures of being an NFL wide receiver, the conversation took another turn. This time toward the league’s level of transparency. Anthony, known for his experience in the business of professional sports, weighed in on whether shows like Hard Knocks expose too much of a team’s inner workings
“That’s just bad management” Carmelo Anthony weighs in on Hard Knocks drama
Hard Knocks gave us an all-access pass into the New York Giants’ offseason. But did they reveal too much? Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony weighed in.
The Giants, a franchise worth over $7 billion, let the cameras roll on everything. The meetings, the tough decisions, the drama. Fans loved it, but did it backfire? Did they hand their rivals a cheat sheet?
Melo didn’t hold back. “That’s just bad management at that point if that’s the case like if you got to I’m f–- out of here. I don’t need from the standpoint of that like that s–- is needed,” he said. While he acknowledged that fans love the insight, he warned that teams must be strategic about what they share. “I think they do a hell of a job with that now it’s up to the team to give them access that they want to give them so some teams say here we need the PR!,” he added.
One of the biggest bombshells? The debate over Saquon Barkley’s future. The cameras revealed everything – discussions, doubts, and ultimately, the decision that drove him to sign with the Eagles. That move changed the course of the season.
Melo, having navigated the chaos of free agency himself, didn’t blame teams for keeping things private. Transparency is great, but at what cost?
So, did the Giants make a mistake, or are they changing the game? Either way, the NFL has never felt this real before.
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