Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey recently reflected on what it was like covering Antonio Brown.
Ramsey and Brown played against each other four times. Three times when Brown was with the Steelers and Ramsey was in Jacksonville, and once when Brown was in Tampa Bay and Ramsey was with the Los Angeles Rams.
“We had battles within every single play,” Ramsey said on Well Off Media’s YouTube channel. “No plays off. We at it every play. Him and his quarterback might have a crazy connection. I’m thinking, ‘They might make something up on me on the sideline. He’s about to go.’ [Brown] hated being subbed out. I could tell he hated being subbed out.
“Anytime they subbed him out during the game, especially if I was following or somebody was following, he was pissed. He was probably back in the next play. He had a different kind of stamina. Could never tell he was tired, so I carried it the same way. I’m like, ‘He ain’t about to know I’m tired when I’m tired, either.’ That’s probably the toughest thing.”
Brown was in the prime of his career when he faced Ramsey three times from 2017 to 2018. There was no better wide receiver in the NFL.
Ramsey, who was a first round pick (fifth overall) by the Jaguars in 2016, was a rising cornerback in the league. He earned first-team All-Pro accolades in 2017. The same season that he matched up against Brown twice — once in the regular season and once in the Divisional Round playoff game. The Jaguars won both games, but Brown went off in both contests. He had 10 receptions for 157 yards (15.7 average) in the Week 5 loss and seven receptions for 132 yards (18.9 average) and two touchdowns in the playoff loss.
During his nine seasons with the Steelers, Brown developed into one of the greatest wide receivers in franchise history. He became a seven-time Pro Bowler, a four-time first-team All-Pro, a two-time NFL receptions leader, a two-time NFL receiving yards leader, and one of the most productive receivers the league has ever seen.
From 2013 through 2018, Brown was widely regarded as the best wide receiver in football, and his production backs that up.
Over a five-season stretch from 2013 to 2017, Brown recorded 582 receptions, the most by any player over a five-year span in NFL history. He also became the first player in league history to record at least 100 receptions and 1,200 receiving yards in six consecutive seasons. During that stretch, he led the NFL in receptions twice, receiving yards twice, and finished inside the top five in receiving touchdowns four different times.
Joe Fitzgerald contributed.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Jalen Ramsey Reveals Toughest Part of Covering Antonio Brown
