Human highlight reels
Brown and Green are two of the best in the NFL at the toe-tapping, foot-dragging catches along the sidelines, feats that seemingly belong in Cirque de Soleil because of their difficulty and stunning improbability. And they will be displaying their talents on the same field at Paul Brown Stadium, where the Steelers are 16-3, although Brown might not play because of an injury.
But you might have to go back a long way, even to Santonio Holmes’ game-winning catch in Super Bowl XLIII, to find a more incredible reception than the one Brown made against the Packers in which he planted his left foot at the boundary marker and dragged his right behind him.
“I coached Jerry Rice, Irving Fryar, Cris Carter, Art Monk, you put them all together they’d all agree it’s a pleasure to watch Antonio Brown,” said “Monday Night Football” analyst Jon Gruden, a former Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach. “This guy’s a double-jointed freak. He sleeps in a Roman chair. He wakes up in the middle of the night and does 150 crunches.
“I wish you guys in Pittsburgh would put together a video of the top-20 greatest catches by Antonio Brown. I’d buy it and give it to my kids.”
Brown and Green are prime examples of what has seemingly become a weekly occurrence in the NFL — even in college football. Wide receivers have elevated and refined their craft with those sideline catches, with bodies outstretched, toes tight-roping the sidelines as though they are a Wallenda.
The naked eye is awed. Only replay does it justice.
“I just think that over time, there are significant people who set the standard for doing something and others mimic it,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “I know in that particular case on our football team, Antonio’s talent on the sideline has raised the bar for all of our wideouts. They all mimic it in preparation. Plays like that have really kind of become commonplace on our practice field because of the standard that he sets, not only because of his talents, but his work.”
Roethlisberger said receivers have had to elevate their craft because defensive backs are more athletic and better than ever.
“So the windows are getting smaller,” said Roethlisberger, who has 10 touchdown passes in the past three games. “You have to be able to put balls on the sideline, therefore receivers’ work has to get that much better on the sideline. We say A.B. is the best in the world on the sideline and he has to be because defenders are all over him.”