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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is like a fine wine...he only gets better with age. Most would agree Brown is one of the best receivers, if not the best, in the NFL, but what makes him so great? Anyone and everyone points to his work ethic.
But all players in the NFL work hard. It is a prerequisite to the job, right?
Well, Brown puts in a different kind of work. Whether it is catching passes from Doug Flutie, utilizing Pilates to strengthen his ankles, lower legs and knees, or now improving his 40-yard dash time.
Ah yes, the 40-yard dash time which haunted Brown to the 6th round in 2010. At the NFL Scouting Combine in 2010 Brown ran a 4.47 40-yard dash, and it certainly has been something which has bothered him to this day. Think Brown enjoyed seeing the graphic of himself, Martavis Bryant and Darrius Heyward-Bey during games which showed him being labeled as the slowest of the trio?
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Competitors like Brown don't take that type of stuff lightly.
So, what did Brown do? While preparing for the 2016 NFL season, as well as train night and day for his stint on the ABC show Dancing with the Stars, Brown improved his 40-yard dash time.
Ran a 4.35/40 today.
— Antonio Brown (@AntonioBrown84) May 24, 2016
If you were one of the individuals who thought Brown being on the hit TV show was going to distract him from his full-time job, do you still think that? Sure, Brown could have totally made up the number and posted it on social media, but why do that when you just gained a massive amount of exposure for being on TV outside of an NFL stadium.
As for me, this is why I love Antonio Brown. Not many Pro Bowl and All-Pro players continue to work the way he does. It would be easy to sit back and say, "I got this.", but Brown is a different animal. This just proves Brown isn't happy until he gets the Steelers a 7th Lombardi trophy, and cements himself as one of the greatest wide receivers not just in the game today, but ever.