FOXBOROUGH – Since returning from his sprained ankle, AJ Brown this is not the same player we saw this summer. This version went toe-to-toe with the Patriots’ best player in training camp, Christian Gonzalezand gained almost as much as he lost. He did this by using physicality to create separation between his breaks and relying on a powerful lower half to explode and win at the catch point. This version does none of these things. I asked Brown if he was still trying to get that explosiveness back.
“Yeah, sometimes, you know, I see it, and sometimes I deal with it,” he admitted. “But none of that matters. I’m here, so I’m going.”
Brown played 49 of 53 snaps against the Bears, just days after recording 52 of 68 in his return against the Jets. 84% playing time with this injury seems excessive, but with Romeo Doubs losing two games in the New York game, and Mack Hollins already on IR, it’s pretty obvious the Pats felt like they had no choice.
“We were down to four guys, so I mean, somebody’s got to play in this.” Mike Vrabel said the day after the Jets’ victory. “We like to have our best players available as much as they can be.”
The Pats didn’t elevate any wideouts off the practice squad for Chicago, figuring it would instead be a very close end game to begin with. Maybe they’ll keep rolling the dice until Hollins is ready to return, but it seemed risky last week and my thoughts wouldn’t change for Miami.
In the meantime, the focus needs to be on getting more production from the player Vrabel and company are betting on more than anyone this offseason; Brown had 9 catches on 21 targets in his 10+ shifts this season, didn’t find the end zone and didn’t catch a vertical route despite a few opportunities (the freehand attempt against the Jets is burned into my brain).
“I’m in eighth grade,” Brown said of his re-acclimation process. “I know I’ve been out for a month, but none of that matters. I’m going to keep saying it because I’m here. I’m here now, you know? And I have to go out and compete. I have to ride one.
This Dolphins defense certainly invites that possibility. They are
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