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When the Buffalo Bills host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, they’ll have no shortage of offensive weapons to account for. But, the one that’s putting the most fear in coach Rex Ryan and some Buffalo cornerbacks is Pittsburgh’s star wide receiver Antonio Brown.
During his press conference on Wednesday, Ryan said that Brown was by far the top pass-catcher in the NFL.
“If Antonio Brown isn’t the best receiver, shoot, I don’t know who is.”
And he isn’t lying. Brown can do it all. He’s an elite route runner with ridiculous footwork that allows him to get a quick release off the line of scrimmage while possessing a wide array of moves that can make opposing cornerbacks look downright silly.
Through the Steelers’ first 12 games, Brown leads the NFL in receptions (88) and touchdowns (11) while ranking fourth in receiving yards (1,052) and is tied for second for the most 100-plus yard games (four).
On Monday, cornerback Stephon Gilmore said that he wanted to shadow Brown, as the fifth-year cornerback has primarily lined up at right cornerback throughout his career, with just a small percentage of his coverage snaps coming in the slot or on the left side of the defensive formation.
Fellow Buffalo cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman spoke about Brown’s skill-set and how the respect that he gets can change the perception of a defensive back that can limit the four-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro.
He’s hot right now. I look at it like, you know, if you can stop him, it will make you look good as well. It is a challenge. It’s not easy at all. He does a lot with his routes. He might have a dig route, you might think it’s a dig, but you’ll turn around and he might whip right back out,” Robey-Coleman said.
“That’s the type of stuff he likes to do. Double moves and a lot of option routes and stuff like that. He runs every route in the book. You could tell that he and Ben have a great relationship. If [Brown] isn’t getting the ball, somebody else – I don’t know what other guy – but [Brown] is the main target. That’s who we’re looking to take out of the game.”
The Bills’ secondary will have their hands full as they attempt to defend Brown on Sunday and they’ll undoubtedly need to double or bracket him, especially considering the poor play Buffalo has gotten out of their safeties in the last several weeks.
On a positive note, Ronald Darby is out of the concussion protocol so Corey White and Kevon Seymour won’t see as much playing time as they had over the last two games.
But, no matter how coach Ryan and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman draw up their plans to contain him on the chalkboard, the Bills but even with the second-year cornerback returning to the lineup, they actually need to go out there and execute their coverage assignments – a task easier said than done.