Two-time Super Bowl champion Asante Samuel did not hold back on A.J. Brown. The former New England Patriots cornerback and two-time Super Bowl champion aimed at the struggling Patriots receiver, A.J. Brown, on the “Say What Needs to Be Said” show after watching Jaxon Smith-Njigba make a tough touchdown catch.
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Samuel used that play as the example of what a number one receiver should do, and he said the contrast with Brown was glaring.
“Why the hell A.J. Brown couldn’t catch that deep ball intended for him? The way JSN came down with that catch is exactly how A.J. Brown is supposed to show up for the Patriots.”
The catch in question came on Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. Smith-Njigba scored on a 28-yard touchdown with 1:44 left in the second quarter, and he finished with nine catches for 150 yards in Seattle’s 20-3 win. Samuel pointed to how hard the play was, and how little the coverage seemed to matter.
“No matter what the cornerback was doing on that play to JSN, he still came down with the catch. Made a great play like a number one receiver.”
Then he turned back to Brown. His argument was about size and effort, not talent.
“A.J. Brown is a much, much bigger and stronger man than JSN, but he could not finish the play like JSN did. This is proof A.J. Brown doesn’t have any excuses for dropping that pass. That was piss-poor effort by A.J.”
Samuel’s “effort” line did not come out of nowhere. After Brown’s return from injury against the New York Jets on October 18, head coach Mike Vrabel said it “wasn’t his best effort.” Brown had 10 targets, caught three passes for 27 yards, and dropped three, a career high. One of the drops came on a deep ball from quarterback Drake Maye.
Brown owned it afterward and said, “My timing was off. I’m much better than what I put on display today.” That was out of character. He had just one drop in his previous two seasons with the Eagles. Vrabel, who coached him with the Tennessee Titans, has never been shy about pushing him. Brown said of training camp, “First team meeting, he ripped me for not bringing in a catch.”
Samuel went back to that Jets game while comparing the two receivers:
“A.J. Brown is not who he is supposed to be right now, and there’s a lot of proof out there to prove that point.”
It has been a rough start for the receiver the Patriots acquired in a June trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Brown hurt his right ankle in his Patriots debut against Seattle in Week 1. It turned out to be a high ankle sprain, and he missed four games.
Through three games, Brown has nine catches for 101 yards and no touchdowns. Thursday night against the Chicago Bears, he had three catches for 48 yards on six targets in a 30-24 loss, which dropped the Patriots to 4-3.
That game is what started this round of criticism. Samuel said, “This isn’t the system for him,” after the Bears’ loss, and he suggested New England should give more opportunities to DeMario Douglas. Brown has said defenses are focusing on him.
Is this a hands problem, a separation problem or a system problem? Samuel has now pointed at separation, the system and effort.
The Patriots now have a chance to answer on the field. They visit the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, and Maye said after the Jets game that he will keep going to Brown. If one of those deep balls finally sticks, will Samuel have a different take?