Buccaneers WR Antonio Brown Has Found His Groove at the Right Time
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Antonio Brown at the midway point of the 2020 season, all the talk was about his recent off-field issues. While the thought was that he certainly still had some juice in his game, despite a year and some change away from the game, all eyes and ears were on his antics away from the field.
The question was: Would Brown be a contributor or a distraction? So far, he's been much more of the former than the latter. Brown has come alive in Tampa Bay's offense while quarterback Tom Brady has been on a hot streak over the final four games of the regular season.
"We knew it would take some time," offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich said on Thursday. "I think he came in here in great shape, to be honest with you. He got here in great shape. I knew it would be a couple weeks for him to stick his foot in the ground and be moving the way that he wanted to move, especially just learning a few things here and there."
Over the final three weeks before Tampa Bay's Wild Card matchup against Washington, Brown has put together 20 receptions, 266 yards, and four touchdowns. He stands at 43 receptions, 483 yards, and four scores in eight games for the Bucs.
After Mike Evans went down with a knee injury in Week 17, unable to return, Brown put on a show. Before the injury on Tampa Bay's second drive, Brown had two receptions for 28 yards. He looked like a No. 1 wide receiver after Evans' wound, Brown caught nine passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Brady helped Brown obtain a $250,000 performance bonus via shovel passes as the game clock neared its expiration.
Leftwich shared on Thursday that the Buccaneers can line Brown up "wherever we need to put him," a testament to the coaching staff's trust in where Brown's game is at after some time away. Entering the playoffs, it couldn't have come at a better time.
"Now I think he just has an awareness and an understanding of where he needs to be, what's going on, how he can get the ball in his hands from a route standpoint and what he needs to do to get open," said Leftwich. "I just think he's being himself ... what he's come in and done has really been amazing. The way he works is not a surprise to us. [It's] how he got to where he's at right now."
Brown's emergence has come at the right time for the Bucs' offense, and his experience will be depended on in the postseason. With six trips to the playoffs under his belt, Brown has tallied 51 receptions, 837 yards, and four touchdowns when it matters most.
Evans is expected to play against Washington, despite his hyperextended knee. Pair a healthy Evans, dependable playmaker Chris Godwin, and the energized Brown together with Brady's recent display of dominance, and Tampa Bay's passing offense will be tough to slow down in January.
The Wild Card matchup between Tampa Bay and Washington, at FedexField in Landover, Md., is set to kick off Saturday night at 8:15 P.M. ET, on NBC.
