1. Antonio Brown– We are finally at the end of yet another edition of our “Best In The Business” project. I always have fun breaking these guys down and doing the research on my side. Nine players have made their appearance and one remains. Over the years, quarterbacks have claimed the number one spot (Peyton Manning, Tom Brady (twice), Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton), a running back in 2013 (Adrian Peterson) and in 2015, J.J. Watt became the first defensive player to receive the number one spot. We have a new person on top of the list this year and the crazy thing is, he just made his debut on my project back in 2016. Last year, he started my top five and now, he’s the guy. Antonio Brown is my number one player on my ten best players list, the top receiver and the first wide receiver ever to be ranked as the top player in the history of this project. He’s a different breed and I knew he was a great player to begin with, but what I saw from him last year really opened my eyes. He’s in a league of his own right now as the best wide receiver in the league and we wondered who’d take that title after Calvin Johnson decided to retire. You can truly throw the football anywhere in his vicinity and he’s going to come away with it and that shows how much trust Ben Roethlisberger has in him. He does so much for that Steelers offense. He catches the deep passes down the field, he’s one of the best red zone threats in the league, he can make the big catch on the sidelines and keep both feet in bounds and displays some of the best body control I’ve seen from a receiver. He just knows where to be at all times. He’s an aggressive receiver and will jump out of the stadium to go and get the football in mid-air. His presence alone on the field prevents teams from loading up the box to shut down Le’Veon Bell and the Steelers running game. He’s been a very productive player since coming into the league, but last season was the best I’ve ever seen him look and he also proved that he’s the most clutch player in the league that isn’t a quarterback and I have two examples of his clutch factor that stand out to me. The first was a Sunday night game against the Packers last November. Even without Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay put up a fight and the game was close throughout. In double coverage, Ben flung the ball to AB and he made the catch but most importantly stayed in bounds. When I saw him make that catch, I just said to myself, this guy isn’t human. The next is another Sunday night game against Baltimore. He made big catch after big catch and finished that game with 11 receptions and 213 yards to help seal the victory for the Steelers. Even in the playoffs against Jacksonville, he showed up and dominated and we didn’t know if he’d play because he partially tore his calf muscle in week 15 of the regular season, but the way he ran all over a good Jacksonville defense, it made you ask yourself what calf injury? He finished that game with 7 catches, 132 yards and two touchdowns. I also remember a play in that game in the fourth quarter. Jacksonville played man coverage and A.J. Bouye was tasked with defending Antonio. A.J. was jamming him and trying to bump him off the route and Antonio didn’t let that keep him from making the play. He wanted to run the deep fade route, but had to adjust and decided to cut back inside and as I saw that play happen, I asked where was the help over the top? You can’t play him in single coverage, doubling him won’t do much because he can still make the play. I think you really have to triple team him, that really seems like the best way to limit him. He has energizer feet meaning he’s always moving and with the quarterback he plays with who’s known for extending the play and keeping the possession alive, he’s always finding ways to get open. He plays as if he still has something else to prove to people in the league and I can understand that because this is a guy that was passed up by all 32 teams and this is the reason why he wears the number 84. In his own words, “Eight times four is 32. Thirty-two teams looked past me, even the Steelers. So every time I go out there it’s a little added motivation.” He was selected in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft (it’s something about that sixth round that produces the greats I tell ya) with the 195th overall pick. Over the last five seasons, he has averaged 116 receptions, 1,159 yards receiving and ten touchdowns a season and if he continues at that pace, he’ll move his name up into the legendary category of wide receivers. This guy is a superstar and will continue to be an MVP caliber player throughout his career.
