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| Antonio Brown takes one to the house in Tennessee, Sept 19 2010 |
For a franchise that has experienced the level of success that the Pittsburgh Steelers have in the NFL, it takes not only immense scouting and development of players, but also a knack for finding talent where the other teams may not be looking. The Steelers have a storied history of finding "diamonds in the rough", players from smaller football programs who tend to fall under the radar whether it be for size, speed, or the system in which they played. Many of these players have gone on to Hall of Fame or Pro Bowl-caliber careers.
In 2010, the Steelers were coming off a season in which they failed to defend their Super Bowl XLIII crown. Despite a late surge that allowed the team to fight to a 9-7 record, they failed to make the playoffs for the first time under Head Coach Mike Tomlin. Media speculation was that the team had gotten old by NFL standards, and possibly the window of opportunity to win another championship had closed. As the offseason progressed, the team made a startling move by trading troubled starting WR Santonio Holmes to the New York Jets, leaving behind a major hole in the offense. The team was heading towards the 2010 NFL Draft with one of the key pieces to its Super Bowl XLIII roster gone, and essentially nobody to take the place of a player once considered a hero to Steeler Nation. The team would surely need to utilize their 1st Round pick to secure a WR, and the city was abuzz with potential draft picks for the Steelers. Names such as Demaryius Thomas of Georgia Tech, Dez Bryant of Oklahoma State, and Arrelious Benn of Illinois were all rumored to be within reach with the #18 overall pick. When the Steelers made their selection, all three of those players were still on the board. When the Steelers selected C Maurkice Pouncey, the collective football community questioned whether Pittsburgh had squandered its chance to fill the shoes of their departed WR.
Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin knew better.
Pouncey went on to a Pro Bowl rookie season, setting the bar for all future rookie Offensive Linemen to exceed. The Steelers reached into their magic hats and pulled a "Dynamic" draft off in the later rounds.
A "Dynamic Duo", that is.
In the 3rd Round, the team selected WR Emmanuel Sanders of SMU. A great value pick, Sanders has quickly shown that he belongs in the NFL.
As the rounds flew by, the Steelers knew they still needed help at WR. A total of 14 Wide Receivers had come off the board since the Sanders pick, and many of those had been players the Steelers had publicly scouted. The field was getting thin, but Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin had one more ace up their sleeves.
At the 195th overall pick, deep in Round 6 of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Steelers made what could go down as one of the best selections of the Draft. A player who would go on to provide a few of the key moments in a drive to an 8th AFC Championship, including an amazing catch that may forever haunt the Baltimore Ravens franchise.
WR Antonio Brown has sealed his place in the hallowed halls of Pittsburgh Steelers lore in just one season.
Central Michigan University may not be considered a "football factory", but the school has given the NFL many quality players over the years. Playing in the MAC, many of its games are not seen by anyone outside of the State of Michigan. The up-tempo style of the MAC is perfect for breeding NFL receivers - a fact that the Steelers brass knew on that fateful day in April 2010. Antonio Brown was a "diamond in the rough", and the Steelers had stolen him in Round 6.
The 2010 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers began with a rough and tumble game vs. the upstart Atlanta Falcons in hot, sweaty Heinz Field. The Steelers fought fatigue and the pounding sun, coming out victorious in OT, 15-9. Brown didn't play that day, but sub-par Special Teams play that helped set the tone for Week 2. It would only take a few minutes for Antonio Brown to introduce himself to Steeler Nation.
In Week 2, the Steelers traveled to hostile Tennessee to renew an old rivalry. On the opening kickoff, Brown was back deep with RB Mewelde Moore to await the kick. Moore fielded the kickoff, then pitched the ball on a reverse to Brown, who let his speed and elusiveness do the rest. Roughly 5 seconds later - 89 yards later technically - rookie Antonio Brown was standing in the endzone. The Steelers never looked back, springboarding to a 19-11 victory in a game that saw the Steelers offense provide only 4 FG.
The kickoff return in Tennessee was the highlight of the first 4 games of the season, which were played without QB Ben Roethlisberger. While the Steelers offense found its way, Brown honed his skills in practice. The Steelers began the slow creep towards another AFC North title, and in December the team began to rely heavily on its new "Dynamic Duo" WR tandem. While Brown had a few highlights sprinkled into the rest of the regular season, it was when the stakes were the highest that he truly began to shine.
The AFC Divisional round saw the hated Baltimore Ravens invade Heinz Field. The game was as expected, a slug-fest between two teams who have a true hatred for each other. As usual, the rivalry created tense moments for fans of both teams and came down to big plays.
Antonio Brown made the biggest play of the season for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With less than 2:00 left in a tied game, Roethlisberger launched a hard spiral down the sideline. The ball traveled over 50 yards in the air, flying over the entire vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense. Brown sprinted down the line, past those same Ratbirds defenders. The ball and the receiver came together like a play out of a Madden NFL video game.
It took the crowd of 64,879 a second to register the magnitude of what occurred. The roar was deafening as Brown skirted out-of-bounds with the ball lodged firmly between his hands. It was academic for the Steelers offense at that point, as RB Rashard Mendenhall punched the ball into the endzone with 1:33 left. The Ravens were dead, again.
The catch made by Antonio Brown may go down as the 2nd greatest catch in a team history that includes 6 Super Bowl titles - and 1 Immaculate Reception.
One week later, the Steelers found themselves in another close game vs. the pesky New York Jets in the AFC Championship Game. In the end, it was the hands of the rookie WR that put Pittsburgh in its 3rd Super Bowl in 5 years. On 3rd and 6 with 2:00 left one again, Ben found Brown on a short pass to seal a 1st down and allow the Steelers to run out the clock.
Although the team came up short of its ultimate goal, the legacy of Antonio Brown was born over those seven blistery days in Pittsburgh, PA. When the NFL resumes its schedule for 2011, the Steelers will return to Latrobe and look to begin a run to another Super Bowl. Roster spots will be earned, and players will be cut.
One guy who will not have to worry about either is WR Antonio Brown. The Steelers truly found themselves a "diamond in the rough", for years to come.
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