From Out of 'Nowhere,' Antonio Brown Becoming a Steelers Star

DALLAS -- He cringes when people say he came from nowhere to Super Bowl XLV. Sure, Antonio Brown came from somewhere. A place he calls home that some would call horror.

He comes from being ignored at different football stops to this circus stage where he has been swarmed.

He wears No. 84, this Pittsburgh Steelers rookie receiver, small in size but huge in stride. His game is a blink, a blur. His first NFL touch was a game-opening, reverse kickoff, 89-yard touchdown at the Tennessee Titans in Week 2. He outran at least three Titans down the sideline -- each with an angled shot; each unable to collar him.

First touch -- to the house.

That will earn you the nickname "Cash Money,'' like his Steelers teammates call him. He makes things look so easy, they say. He is a rookie now, but this 22-year-old player will be "paid'' one day, they claim.

Cash Money.

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His story is already rich. Lost in the maze of Steelers talent for much of the season, Brown resurfaced in the divisional playoffs with that third-and-19 catch of 58 yards late against Baltimore, and the third-and-6 grab of 14 yards against the Jets in the AFC championship game to seal that game.

He was a walk-on at Central Michigan, a sixth-round pick (the 195th overall selection) in the draft last April. He left college after three seasons, but not before making a splash. And as a kick returner and receiver in the NFL, he has made what the Steelers call "splash plays.''

Antonio Brown comes from somewhere.

He grew up in Miami, in Liberty City.

His teammate, eight-year NFL receiver Arnaz Battle, said of Brown:" There is some dog in him. Some rough edges. Some street. That's where he comes from. But he knows how to handle that. He doesn't fear things. He has faith. It helps him channel things the right way.''

Brown hears Battle's analysis and nods his head.

"That's just honest,'' he said. "I've been through some things that will make you humble and thankful. I grew up in a building called Brown Sub. The John Doe gang ran the neighborhood. They controlled the drugs. I saw a few things. You'd hear shots in the building at night. There would be parties where you knew it was the end when the shooting started. Twice, I was leaving the building, around 17 years old, on a couple of mornings and saw dead bodies. People I knew. Some things, if you can survive, you learn how to thrive.''

Little wonder at the scouting combine nearly a year ago that NFL teams were asking Brown questions such as, "If you do make a lot of money will you make new friends or just hang out with the old ones?" And, "What will be your support system in the NFL? " And, "What do you consider the next ladder for you, money and fortune or football?''

"It's a business, and that's why those things come, and that's why I played some, didn't get much opportunity, then played again this season,'' Brown said. "Teams keep feeling you out, learning what you can do, especially when you are new. I can honestly say that this has become a team where everyone has had their hand in the pile. When called upon, you answer.''

"He is the hardest worker on this football team. ... Everybody is going to be hearing his name a whole lot more."
-- Steelers CB Ike Taylor on Antonio Brown This is Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's way. Tomlin said this week that if he gives a player a helmet, if he gives him a jersey, and that player is on the field, then he is capable of being the "the reason why we win.'' Each one. Every one.

That is a fruitful, productive environment for a football player. And Antonio Brown fits in it.

"You survive,'' Brown said. "You thrive.''

He comes from somewhere. His father, Eddie "Touchdown'' Brown, was a star Arena Football League receiver from 1994-2003 and was voted the league's all-time best player. His mother, Adrianne Moss, inspired him and his brothers, Eddie (24) and Desmond (20), with a "a lot of sacrifice,'' Antonio Brown said.

Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor looks for Brown to rise, once again, in Super Bowl XLV. He said the Packers are correctly aware that Steelers receiver Mike Wallace is the fastest among them but that Brown is "right there.''

And that he comes from somewhere.

"That's my guy,'' Taylor said of Brown. "I know his story. His story is a lot like my story. He had similar things to overcome like I did. He is the hardest worker on this football team. He is the hardest worker day in and day out I have ever seen. That's where he comes from. Everybody is going to be hearing his name a whole lot more. I'm just glad he's on my team.''

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