Even though the ink is barely dry on Eric Ebron’s 2 year contract with the Steelers, he can’t stop talking about his former team, the Indianapolis Colts.
The back-and-forth between Eric Ebron and the Colts has turned into an off-season soap opera.
While it would be best for everyone to focus on moving on and preparing for the 2020 season, Ebron just can’t seem to let that happen.
Here are a few of the allegations made by the parties:
1. Ebron: “Andrew Luck made the Colts relevant”
“Andrew Luck made the Colts relevant” says Eric Ebron who caught 13 TDs in 16 games with Luck and 14 TDs in 67 games without Luck… #PotCallingTheKettleBlack pic.twitter.com/LpxDqfK3xN
— Luke Diamond (@ForTheCOLTure) April 14, 2020
This is Ebron’s latest effort to stir the pot.
Ebron is a 6 year veteran of the NFL, 4 years with the Lions and 2 years with the Colts.
His best season was 2018 when he made the Pro Bowl largely due to his 13 TD catches from Andrew Luck who roared back into action after being on IR for all of 2017.
Some would argue that a NFL TE should catch the ball in any situation from any NFL QB.
Ebron is known for his drops too, so much so that there is a YouTube parody song about it from his time with the Lions.
It is called “Bringing Down the Lions.”
The lyrics say he has “arms made of rubber” when the “ball hits you in the number.”
2. Colts Beat Writer: Ebron quit on them last season
Perhaps Ebron is still seething over this statement made by longtime Indy writer Bob Kravitz on a Pittsburgh radio show last month.
Colts insider @bkravitz on Eric Ebron: "The good thing is he is a red zone threat, without any question. The bad thing is he drops a lot of balls. The other downside is the reason the Colts let him go is because they felt he quit on them this season."
— The Fan Morning Show (@FanMorningShow) March 24, 2020
Kravitz went on to say:
“I remember asking Chris Ballard the GM, ‘What are you going to do with Eric Ebron?’ and he looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘Yeah, we’re done with him. We’re moving on.’ So, if you get him in the right frame of mind, he’s a very productive guy. But he’s a little bit mercurial I guess is the word I would use.”
Ebron played 11 games in 2019 before bowing out with an ankle injury.
He ended the season with 4 TD receptions from Jacoby Brissett.
The Colts finished a disappointing 2019 at 7-9 and 3rd in the AFC South.
3. Ebron: Colts wanted him to play injured
Not surprisingly, Ebron immediately refuted Kravitz’s remarks on social media:
“Never quit (on) an injury I (had) been playing with since August,” Ebron wrote. “Ask Ballard the truth. He wanted me to play hurt and I wasn’t … I was limping into football games, limping out of practice JUST TO PRACTICE! … I gave Indy my all, always will.”
No one from the Colts publicly commented on Ebron’s accusation.
If the offseason drags on, we can expect more banter from Eric Ebron.
The Pittsburgh Steelers know the personality they are getting, and Ebron is very excited to be teammates with Ben Roethlisberger.
With Ebron’s injured ankle fully healed, his performance will be the ultimate statement.
To add to the drama, the Steelers are playing the AFC South this season.
That means he will be pitted against his former team.
Both sides will have plenty to prove in that game.
In the meantime, it’s hard to say when and how this soap opera will end.
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