The New England Patriots released Antonio Brown on Friday, but his loss won’t change the team’s chances of repeating as Super Bowl champs
For most teams, losing a perennial All-Pro receiver like Antonio Brown would be a blow to their offense. But most teams don’t have Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
The Patriots released Brown on Friday just 11 days after signing him. The pickup of such a troubled player, facing rape allegations and who’s antics ran thin in Oakland, was controversial from the start. The breaking point, though, came when Brown was found to have allegedly sent threatening messages to an accuser.
Brown played one game for the Patriots, against the Dolphins last Sunday. He was a big part of their offense while barely knowing the playbook, leading the team with eight targets despite only being on the field for 24 snaps. He finished the game, a 43-0 rout of the hapless Dolphins, with four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown.
With Brown now gone, it would be a fair statement that the Patriots offense will miss that production. That statement would be wrong. They certainly didn’t need him in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who’s defense is superior to the Dolphins.
The Patriots beat the Steelers 33-3. Even without Brown, Brady’s numbers were remarkably similar. His passer rating was 124.9 against Pittsburgh, 124.7 against Miami. His yards per attempt were nearly identical, 9.47 to 9.43. He was more accurate against Miami (20-of-28, compared to 24-of-36 against Pittsburgh), but had more yards (341 to 264) and touchdowns (three to two) in Week 1.
The main difference was how the Patriots utilized their running backs in the passing game. Against the Dolphins, the Patriots used four wide receivers (Brown, Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon and Phillip Dorsett) which cut into the production of James White and Rex Burkhead. Those two combined to play 39 snaps in Miami and had six targets (Burkhead had two catches, White three). At home against Pittsburgh, though, they saw the field for 65 snaps and had 15 targets, with each catching five passes.
Josh Gordon was also lost on the offense with Brown on the field. Gordon, who has his own troubled past off the field, didn’t catch his first pass in Miami until the Patriots’ second drive of the third quarter. He finished the game with just two catches for 19 yards.
In Pittsburgh, Gordon played a pivotal role in the offense from the start of the game. He caught a touchdown from Brady in the first quarter, a play that showcased the combination of size and speed he can bring. Catching the ball at the Pittsburgh 20 yard line, Gordon hurdled a defender at the 10, shoved off another would-be tackler just short of the goal line and walked into the end zone for the Patriots first score of the game.
The subtraction of Brown leaves New England with a receiving corps of Gordon, Edelman and Dorsett. Gordon, and the reigning Super Bowl MVP Edelman, are more than capable of compensating for his loss. Brown was more like a luxury than a necessity.
Most teams would suffer without him. But somehow, someway, Brady and Belichick always find an answer.