Antonio Brown officially active at Dolphins, Patriots ‘plan to feed him’ in debut
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Patriots fans won’t have to wait another week to see Antonio Brown make his debut. Per No surprise to anyone after he went through the week of practice, but Patriots’ WR Antonio Brown will play today vs. Miami. #Patriots inactives. pic.twitter.com/Ksf8qVbDC1
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network has been reporting on Brown’s game status throughout the week and also says he’s expected to play. Further, sources tell Rapoport that the Patriots “plan to feed him.”
Monday marked Brown’s first official day on the Patriots’ 53-man roster, and his first practice happened Wednesday. He’s been a full participant all week.
Sep 11, 2019; Foxborough, MA: New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick looks towards wide receiver Antonio Brown (1) during practice at Gillette Stadium. (Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports)
According to Rapoport, Brown stayed past 10 p.m. most days during the week to work on the playbook and his routes in the Patriots’ system. He reportedly caught passes from backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham as part of his extra sessions. He also posted a live video on Instagram Thursday night at the TB12 center during a workout with Tom Brady’s trainer and business partner, Alex Guerrero.
“Yeah, Antonio’s worked hard,” said head coach Bill Belichick on Friday. “I think all of the players that we’ve brought in here over the last two weeks, whatever it is, two-and-a-half weeks, have all put in a hard effort to try and pick things up quickly. But, yeah, he certainly falls right in there.”
There’s precedent for Belichick to hold out a new receiver for a week before activating him, most recently Josh Gordon in Week 3 of the 2018 season. But Antonio Brown is unlike most receivers. It sounds like the four-time All-Pro is going to get his share of opportunities to make an immediate impact in the Patriots offense.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
