Mike Tomlin: Steelers WR Antonio Brown's OCD what sets him apart from the rest

Obsessive Compulsion Disorder, or OCD is a common disorder among people who struggle with certain aspects of every day life and it playing out the way they believe it should. Many have OCD to varying levels. Some have to turn a light switch on and off twice upon entering and leaving a room. Some have to always knock on wood in specific situations. If these things don't happen, it will bother a person till the medial task gets done.

So what does OCD have to do with Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown? Head coach Mike Tomlin thinks it has a lot to do with his success as one of the best - if not the best - wide receivers in the NFL today.

"I would probably describe Antonio as OCD, clinically. He is addicted to work and preparation, and it serves him well in the line of work that he is in. This guy is the last guy off the field every day. He brings a ridiculous work ethic to the table. The guys respect him for what he is capable of on the field, but they probably respect him more for what he is willing to do on and off the field in regards to his preparation and play."

Those were Tomlin's words to media at the annual owner's meeting in Arizona last month, and while James Harrison's training off the field and his recent time spent with young linebackers in Phoenix has gotten plenty of publicity, Brown's work ethic certainly parallels that of Harrison and company.

There have been endless reports of how hard Brown works on and off the field. Whether it was he and Ben Roethlisberger working on sideline red zone catches in between sessions in training camp last season, the times where Brown was the last person on the practice field throughout the season getting more work in or even the amount of times Brown was the player who was visibly the most prepared as he tore up opposing defenses one reception at a time.

Call it OCD, call it hard work, call it determination or just call it a burning desire to improve. Call it whatever you want, but Antonio Brown's work ethic is comparable to few, and out done by no one. It is a constant among the great players who have graced the NFL stage at one time or another.

"The [great] ones that I've been around it's what you don't see. Yes they have special capabilities, but you know there are a lot of guys in our game at this level that have special capabilities. The great ones that sustain it for any length of time they are smart, they are driven, they are hard-working." Tomlin continued.

I think it is a safe bet to include Brown into the category of driven and hard-working, and for a former 6th round draft pick who wasn't thought to contribute much at the NFL level, his hard work and determination are paying off in a big way. Antonio Brown has turned his OCD into being the best WR in the game today.