Getty Antonio Brown scored two touchdowns in the past two games.
Antonio Brown has delivered what a Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant coach expected, based on their years together in Pittsburgh.
Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and Brown played for the Steelers in the early 2010s before Leftwich, a backup quarterback, retired from the game and went into coaching. Leftwich compared their time in Pittsburgh to what he sees in Brown now during Wednesday’s press conference according to Jenna Laine of ESPN via Twitter.
Brown developed his role in the past two games with his first two touchdowns of the season. That included a 46-yard touchdown catch to beat the Atlanta Falcons 31-27 in Week 15. He and Bucs face the Falcons again on Sunday in the regular season finale.
Leftwich spoke highly of Brown from day one in October as the former Pro Bowl and all-pro receiver joined the team via free agency amid lingering off-field issues. Leftwich’s respect for Brown goes back to Brown’s pre-NFL draft days according to NBC Sports’ Mike Florio.
“I remember first meeting him, and before he even got drafted (by the Steelers I told) him he can have the opportunity to be the best in the world,” Leftwich said according to Florio in an October press conference. “He laughed at me just because of who we were working out with. I was throwing to a bunch of different wide receivers that were already Pro Bowlers (and) that were established in this league. Here, this little kid comes in working out three times a day (and) running fast and catching everything.”
Brown caught more than 100 passes, 1,000 yards, and eight or more touchdowns in each of his final six seasons with the Steelers. He left Pittsburgh as off-field trouble followed him to brief stints with the then-Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots in 2019.
Brown played one game in 2019 with Bucs quarterback Tom Brady in New England before the Patriots released him due to off-field trouble. Despite Bucs head coach Bruce Arians initially not wanting Brown in Tampa, Arians changed his mind as the former Brady teammate signed a one-year contract with the Bucs in October.
Since joining the Bucs, Brown tallied 347 yards on 34 catches in seven games. The Bucs went 4-3 in that span, including their current three-game winning streak.
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