During this dead period of the NFL season I thought it would be fun to look back at the tremendous 2015 season that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown had as it relates to the targeted passes that he didn’t manage to catch. This series, however, should not be viewed as me nit-picking Brown as instead I hope to show what a reliable pass catcher he is as it relates to catchable and non-catchable balls thrown his direction.
We have finally reached the Steelers final regular season game of 2015 and this is one they had to have against the Cleveland Browns if they wanted to have a shot at making the playoffs as a Wild Card team. In this game, Brown did not disappoint and he ended the season with 13 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown. Brown, however, was targeted a total of 17 times in this game and below are the four passes thrown his way that failed to be completed.
On the second offensive play of the game for the Steelers against the Browns, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger attempted to hit Brown on a quick screen to the right side. While the throw was, this is probably a pass that Brown should have caught as you can see in the second of two animated gifs below? Would you score this as a rare drop for Brown? Let me know in the comments.
The next misconnect between Brown and Roethlisberger wouldn’t happen until early in the third quarter and as you can see below, this was an ill-advised throw by the Steelers quarterback that resulted in an interception by Browns linebacker Craig Robertson as he read the eyes the entire play.
Later on in the third quarter, Roethlisberger and Brown again failed to hook up and this time it was a result of a wide throw on an out route to the right sideline.
The final failed connection of the 2015 regular season between Roethlisberger and Brown came midway through the fourth quarter with the Steelers leading 25-12. Once again, the incompletion was a result of a poor throw from the Steelers quarterback and it came on a weird read-option kind of play. In hindsight, Roethlisberger probably should have just handed the football off to Will Johnson as he more than likely would have scored easily.
While Brown missed out on an easy touchdown in the play above, he did score earlier in the game. On that play, watch him give a nod to the outside against what looks like a cover 3 defense with tight bracket coverage underneath. He gets just enough separation and depth on this route and Roethlisberger delivered him a strike for the score.
In the final post of this series that should be available on Thursday, I will statistically recap for you all of the throws that Brown failed to come up with during the 2015 season. I know all of you will be on the edges of your seats waiting to read that.
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 1
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 2
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 3
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 4
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 5
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 6
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 7
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 8
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 9
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 10
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 11
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 12
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 13
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 14
Why Didn’t Antonio Brown Catch That? Part 15
