Will Antonio Brown Become the First 2,000 Yard Receiver in NFL History?
After finishing just 130 yards shy of the single-season mark in receiving yards, Antonio Brown has his sights set on greater things in 2016.
Unguardable, determined, relentless.
Those are just a few words to describe the best wide receiver in all of football today.
You could say business is boomin’ for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown.
It’s only taken six years for Brown to make his mark on the NFL, and then some, tearing the league apart limb by limb. Since the 28-year-old’s breakout campaign in 2013, he’s compiled 375 receptions, 5,031 receiving yards and 35 combined touchdowns.
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His finest season came in 2015, as Brown fell 130 yards shy of Calvin Johnson’s single-season record for receiving yards. His 1,834 yards on 136 catches were still undoubtedly impressive, especially when you consider the fact that the Steelers starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was injured for five contests.
With a healthy Roethlisberger under center, it’s safe to say Brown would’ve shattered both the receiving yardage and reception total marks.
In 2016, though, he’s on track to do more than merely break records: Brown could make unprecedented history.
2,000 yards is in sight for the virtually unguardable wideout. No matter if opposing defenses throw different coverages at him, double-team him, triple-team him, stick their shutdown cornerback on him, nothing seemingly works.
And the proof is in the pudding when it comes to Brown’s unparalleled level of play.
While they’re not without company, the Denver Broncos No. 1 defense and top-fight corner Chris Harris Jr. were absolutely shredded by Brown in their Week 15 meeting with Pittsburgh.
During a 34-27 Steelers comeback victory, the slippery 5-foot-10, 181-pound receiver hauled in 16 receptions on 18 targets that went for 189 yards and two touchdowns, each of them coming against Harris. It had been over two years since he’d allowed a touchdown pass.
Harris later went on to say that Brown was the best at the position in the league.
"“Antonio Brown, definitely,” said Harris. “He’s the only one that got me in the past couple of years so I would definitely have to say him.”"
Harris isn’t alone, either. Another elite corner in the Arizona Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson gushed over No. 84 whilst stating that he’s the hardest receiver to cover.
"“He’s just so quick, (and) he does a great job at changing his aiming point (where I want to hit him) as far as a defensive back,” Peterson said. “He’s always running. He never stops. He’s always running in and out of the huddle and does a great job of trying to wear and tear the defensive back down. Going against him this year, I can see why he has those big games so late in games, because he does a great job with his conditioning and wearing the defensive back down.”"
Regardless of his smaller size, low draft status, or any of the other critics he’s faced early on in his career, it’s obvious that they’ve motivated the Western Michigan product into becoming the superstar he’s recognized as today.
An all-too-important factoid to also remember as the new season approaches is that Brown is a year out from hitting the free agent market. Pittsburgh will be looking to lock up their coveted wideout sooner rather than later, and he won’t want to give the team any reason to not throw oodles of cash his way.
Still, the original question remains: Will Antonio Brown be the first to crack 2,000 receiving yards in 2016?
It’s difficult to say at this point, but between his driven mindset, generational skillset, and the surrounding talent on the Steelers’ offense, I’d say he’s got a better than even shot at making history.
As far as predictions go, only one thing is really certain: Brown is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve greatness, an endeavor few are capable of.
"“Even though I was drafted late [sixth round in 2010], I’ve just been way hungrier than these guys. I’m smarter and I just outworked them… I’m striving to be the best player I can be. Not just physically, but mentally, spiritually and to give it all I got,” Brown said. “If you want to be the best, you can’t take the path of least resistance. Every morning you wake up and your mind tells you it’s too early, and your body tells you you’re a little too sore, but you’ve got to look deep within yourself and know what you want and what you’re striving for.”"