Steelers OTAs: Nothing is more exciting to Antonio Brown than 'being the leader of a group'

Steeles wide receiver Antonio Brown averaged more yards per game than any other two Steelers receivers combined. HIs 93.7 yards per game broke Buddy Dial's 51-year-old franchise record, and his 1,499 yards broke Yancey Thigpen's franchise mark of 1,398 yards set in 1997.

Records? Adventure? Brown Brown craves not these things.

"There’s nothing more exciting than being the leader of a group, willing guys to win and knowing that guys are counting on you," he said Tuesday, quoted by Chris Bradford of the Beaver County Times.

Brown is the unquestioned leader of the Steelers' young wide receivers group. Much has been made of the eight combined Steelers catches behind Brown - all coming from second-year WRs Markus Wheaton (six) and Derrick Moye (two). It's certainly fair to point out the new group of receivers in Pittsburgh after the departures of Emmanuel Sanders (Denver) and Jerricho Cotchery (Carolina).

But the strength of the group last year was in Brown. As excited as he may be to lead them, there really isn't another option. There will be at least two rookies in the receivers meetings this year, the team's third and fourth round draft picks, Dri Archer and Martavis Bryant. Along with Wheaton and Brown, it would appear the Steelers have four receivers locked in place, and will be looking to fill a fifth spot, and maybe even a sixth, with veteran free agent Darrius Heyward-Bey, 2013 sixth round pick Justin Brown and Moye.

If Brown does indeed get excited over the idea of leading, he's hard to envision he's able to sleep at night, considering the job he has ahead of him. The Steelers continue OTAs Wednesday and wrap up the set of three practices this week Wednesday. Little can be made out of "football in shorts," as Steelers coach Mike Tomlin would say, but it's the time for these younger receivers to show what they can do.

And time for Brown to help bring their best out of them.