Antonio Brown may have had high expectations for his career, but I doubt he ever expected to be a Pro Bowl wide receiver and the Pittsburgh Steelers team MVP in his second season. Brown was drafted in the sixth round in 2010, 195th overall, and has solidified himself as the team’s number two receiver behind Mike Wallace. After a quiet rookie year, Brown stepped up when the team needed him most with Hines Ward temporarily lost to injury. He was probably the most consistent offensive player on the Steelers over the course of the season.
Brown pulled in 69 receptions this year for 1,108 yards and two touchdowns, a good enough stat line to earn him a trip to Hawaii, his first Pro Bowl appearance of his short career. “No, I wasn’t surprised [to make the team],” Brown said. “I’m definitely excited. [I'm looking forward to] the excitement, the big play ability, changing the complexion of the game, and making that splash play.” He’ll have plenty of chances to make that play. The Pro Bowl is always an opportunity for the best athletes to show off and have some fun.
While football is known to be the sport with the most grueling practices, that’s usually not the case during what is supposed to be a laid-back, relaxing week on the beaches of Hawaii. “You gotta take it at ease,” Brown said, a never-ending smile on his face, “you don’t have to come out and go 100 miles an hour to go over your fundamentals for the game. You come out, practice smart, keep your mind right, and you’ll be ready for the game this week.”
Brown had a big season, but as is the case with just about every player, he’ll be looking to make improvements. He said, “I’m going to step up on my conditioning, really push my body to get strong, hit the wheel as far as my running, and make sure I’m feeling good in all phases.” On a team with a prolific passing game, he could really turn himself into an impact player with a good offseason. His fellow Steelers teammates voted him the team MVP for his performance this year.
The Pro Bowl kicks off at 7 p.m. tomorrow, live from Aloha Stadium on NBC. Tune in to see Brown and the rest of the AFC and NFC all-star teams compete for conference superiority, most likely having a great time and putting on a great show in the process.
Scottie Graham and Zach Berger contributed to this report.
