Getty Antonio Brown talked to the media on Wednesday before the Super Bowl about his knee injury.
Antonio Brown finally opened up about his journey back to the field after limited participation in practice on Wednesday for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of Super Bowl LV.
Brown, who sustained a knee injury in the Jan. 17 Divisional Round game at New Orleans, expressed gratitude on Wednesday that he is getting ready for the Super Bowl per The Athletic’s Greg Auman.
Antonio Brown reiterates that he’s “extremely grateful” to have the chance to be preparing for a Super Bowl with his Bucs teammates.
The star wide receiver ironically used a Kansas City Chiefs-like analogy when describing his injury status as the Bucs will face the Chiefs for a second time this season. Brown said the “arrow is pointing up as the week continues to unfold” per Auman.
Antonio Brown, on his knee and recovery: “The arrow is pointing up as the week continues to unfold.”
Brown didn’t give a yes-or-no answer on whether or not he will play, but he didn’t seem too concerned either per Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams. He said, “I’m just focused on preparation for the game. I’m not worried too much with what all that entails.”
Brown didn’t practice last week during the Super Bowl bye week, but Bucs head coach Bruce Arians said on Monday that Brown did some work on Thursday last week. Arians then said on Tuesday that Brown was “still not ready to go” after participating in a team walkthrough.
On Wednesday, Arians that the swelling in Brown’s knee will still need to be observed per WTSP’s Grace Remington.
Bruce Arians says Antonio Brown, Jordan Whitehead and Lavonte David were all limited in practice today. Will check on AB’s knee swelling. Whitehead had a non-contact jersey on “but was flying around looking pretty good.” #GoBucs #SuperBowl
Bucs’ Here and Now
Arians also said he wants the injured players to forthcoming about their condition to avoid further injury though only one game remains per NFL Network’s Sara Walsh. She noted that Arians said the injured players, including Brown, participated in half of the practice.
The latest on Antonio Brown and the @Buccaneers. #gobucs
Brown remained focused on the game when questions about next season came up per Auman. The former Pro Bowler will become a free agent in March but called it a “disservice” to talk about that instead of the Super Bowl.
Antonio Brown continues to say he would be doing a “disservice” to his teammates to talk about anything but the Super Bowl ahead. Not talking about whether he wants to return in 2021, the process that led to his return, just the game ahead.
Regardless of whether Brown plays, he remains a key part of the offense but not the sole go-to receiver. The Bucs have Pro Bowl-caliber pass catchers in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rob Gronkowski. Scotty Miller caught a 39-yard touchdown pass in the NFC Championship, and Cameron Brate had a touchdown catch in that game — both have made big plays in the passing game throughout the season.
A four-time All-Pro, Brown said he embraces a smaller role per Buccaneers.com’s Scott Smith.
WR Antonio Brown on filling a smaller role in Tampa Bay: “Just being humble, making the most of my opportunities and channeling my emotions. I came here excited and grateful for any opportunity I could get, whether it’s two plays or 20 plays.”
Brown ironically played a small role in his first Super Bowl in 2011 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a rookie, Brown caught a pass for a yard, which capped a rookie campaign of 16 catches for 167 yards. He emerged as a star in the following seasons but off-field trouble led to his exit from Pittsburgh in 2019.
After a couple of failed stops in Oakland and New England in 2019, Brown joined the Bucs as a free agent in October and scored four touchdowns in the final eight games of the regulars season and added another against Washington in the Wild Card round.
While Brown didn’t discuss his past mistakes openly, he does hope people’s perception of him will change per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
#GoBucs WR Antonio Brown on what he wants his legacy to be: “A guy that was persistent, a guy that never gave up, no matter the odds, no matter the hate, no matter the scrutiny, no matter what I went through.”
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