No one can replace a player of A.J. Brown's caliber, so Mike Vrabel might not even try. With the superstar wide receiver set to miss extended time with an ankle injury, the New England Patriots might have to stick to their usual plan.
At least, that's why the head coach said ahead of Week 2. With a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers up next, Coach Vrabel claimed the team wouldn't make any major adjustments because of Brown's injury.
That said, given Brown's impact and versatility, it's hard to believe that will be the case. If anything, this might be the coach just keeping everything close to the vest and making sure Mike McCarthy doesn't have much to work with.
The Patriots will miss A.J. Brown, but the receiver room will step up in his absence
“I don’t know how much we want to tweak things,” Vrabel said. “We’ll go through our game plan and just like we did when A.J. was out there, it was sometimes he was the X, sometimes he was the F, Z, you know what I mean? We’ll have to move guys around to different positions.”
There you go. We're talking about a guy who can make an impact and be just as efficient wherever he lines up. He makes quarterbacks look good with his insane catch radius, and he's physical enough to thrive in traffic, against double teams, or in any matchup.
So what to do when a player like that can't go? Inevitably, you have to get into your bag. So we can expect Josh McDaniels to call a bunch of quick hitters to make the most of DeMario Douglas' twitchiness in the slot, while Mack Hollins serves as a perennial big-play threat.
Also, the table is set for Romeo Doubs to bounce back after a nightmare debut. He can win back the fan base's good graces by stepping up, as he did in Green Bay when Christian Watson was out with an injury.
A.J. Brown is A.J. Brown, and without him, everything changes. Otherwise, why even give up so much to get him? Even if Joey Porter Jr. misses another game, the Steelers' secondary will probably sleep better knowing that Brown won't be out there.
The Steelers will be a step down in class
That said, the Steelers look like the perfect opponent to bounce back after a tough opener. They barely got by an Atlanta Falcons team that had Cooper Rush start at quarterback, and he still managed 143 passing yards.
With TreVeyon Henderson likely ready to make his debut, the Patriots should use him in the Bijan Robinson role, having him line up out wide or catch quick screen passes, as they struggled to contain the Falcons' crafty dual-threat running back.
McCarthy's team put up just 264 total yards against a team that was missing key starters, and while the Patriots can't afford to look past any opponent, this will feel like a cakewalk after getting the season rolling against the defending champions.
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