Brown Calls T.O. Comparison Disrespectful ... To T.O.
A.J. Brown has solidified himself as one of the NFL’s top young wide receivers. And his evolution has prompted some to compare him to stars of the past.
But A.J. just wants to be A.J. Nobody else.
Pro Football Focus recently compared Brown to Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens, who is third all-time in league history in both receiving yards (15,943) and receiving touchdowns (153).
Brown responded with a series of tweets and said it’s disrespectful to compare him to a legend this early on in his NFL career. Owens, of course, offered some thoughts of his own and said, Keep doing your thang homie!! Feel ya!! TO is TO.”
Asked about the exchange during a Friday press conference, Brown further elaborated on the comparison and said that while he watched and admired Owens growing up, he would like to run his own race.
“The way TO used to play, you can’t play like that no more. They're gonna throw flags all day long,” Brown said with a laugh. “I definitely reached out to him and told him that I meant no disrespect by what I was saying. It could have come off as disrespectful, but I was just telling him I want to be my own person.
“... I haven't even done anything yet. I haven't scratched the surface yet. So, it’s disrespectful to him. Let him have all of his accolades and let me do my thing.”
Despite missing two games with a knee injury early in the season, the 2019 second-round pick out of Ole Miss has done enough in his second season to draw the national attention that he has. On pace for a 1,000-yard season, Brown currently leads the Titans in receiving yards (837) and touchdowns (nine).
There have been plenty of highlights along the way too. Brown has scored a handful of long touchdowns this season, including a 73-yard touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in October and a 69-yard score against the Indianapolis Colts a few weeks ago. Against the Ravens in November, he broke tackles and evaded multiple defenders en route to the end zone. And in a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars this past Sunday, his one-handed, 53-yard touchdown grab on a flea flicker had many in awe.
This all follows a rookie season in which the Ole Miss product led the Titans in every major receiving category with 52 catches for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns (nine total). He also led all rookie receivers in receiving yards and total touchdowns. He ranked fifth among rookies in receptions. He ranked second to Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Willims in receiving averaged with 20.2 yards per catch.
Even before the 2020 season began, there was a good amount of build up for what would be in store for Brown in year two. A six-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro, Chad Johnson predicted Brown would have a 1,500-yard season. Johnson attended the Titans’ Week 13 contest against the Cleveland Browns at Nissan Stadium, donning Brown’s No. 11 jersey.
While Brown appreciates the praise from stars of old, he said he won’t get caught up in it.
“It’s easy to get caught up into all of that stuff,” he said. “I am a football player at the end of the day. A tweet or something like that is not going to excite me. I appreciate it, but that’s now what I do. I love to play football. That’s what I do.”
And that mindset has worked well for him so far as he continues to forge his own stardom.
