The New England Patriots made a splash with the signing of wide receiver Antonio Brown. The onus is now on offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and the rest of the coaching staff to get their new All-Pro addition assimilated.
There has been plenty of speculation regarding Brown's fit in New England. McDaniels will let his progression determine the type of role he takes on in the 2019 NFL season, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk:
“Antonio’s been a productive player, obviously, his whole career,” McDaniels told reporters. “We’ve had to defend him numerous times in my time here in New England. [He is] just an overall solid player that has done a lot of good things in our league. I think for us, it’s just how quickly we can get him acclimated to our process and our system and to things we do here and just build trust on the practice field, and then see how it goes and kind of let that determine how we build it from there.”
McDaniel's comments indicate that the Patriots will be careful in tempering their expectations early on. Fortunately, they have had some experience in getting boisterous superstars to buy into the system. It seems they will be looking to take a similar approach this time around.
Brown has become accustomed to serving as the clear-cut No. 1 wideout throughout his career. It is safe to say that may not be the case in New England where quarterback Tom Brady likes to spread the love around. This approach clearly worked for them against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season opener when he completed 24-of-36 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns between seven different players.
Regardless, there is no denying the type of explosive dynamic that Brown brings to the offense.
If he is able to earn Brady's trust, it may only be a matter of time before he becomes a focal point in the offense.
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