One of the big game changers inside of a football game is special teams. For the first time in awhile, the Steelers are faced with a good problem; which player should return punts? The two choices are, the more well known commodity Antonio Brown, or the electric rookie Chris Rainey.
Who do the Steelers pick to play such an important part of the game?
Statistically, they are both off to a shaky start, but the season is still young. Both players are averaging around 10 yards a return. Not great, but the Steelers have definitely had worse.
Brown is the more consistent player. He has the ability to take any return back for a touchdown, even if he only has one in his career. The best thing Brown has going for him is his sure hands. He rarely muffs punts and puts the team in a bad situation. It appears he is a solid average punt returner who maybe has a chance to return a punt to the house.
But, for all the positives, there must be negatives.
As mentioned earlier, Brown has one touchdown, but in two and a half years, is that enough? Today it is a “what have you done for me lately” kind of league, and honestly, he hasn’t really done anything, at least not anything special. The downside to Brown is he is a starter. If he were to get injured, the Steelers wouldn’t only be losing a returner, but also lose their second wide receiver. Is Brown that much better as a returner and worth the risk?
Rainey is the younger of the two, and in my eyes, also more explosive. He seems to have that “it” factor that players such as Devin Hester have when returning punts. He returned two punts during the preseason for touchdowns, that is until flags were thrown. Unlike Brown, he isn’t a starter. If Rainey were to get hurt during a return, it wouldn’t be a huge blow for the team.
Sadly, Rainey also has some downfalls, as most players do. He is a rookie, and you never know what you will get from him. He appears to be able to take any punt back for a touchdown, but the next five could be negative plays. Since he is so young, I personally don’t believe his “down field vision” is as developed as a more seasoned veteran.
With all that being said, I think the choice is easy and clear, and that is Rainey. He just brings more to the table than Brown. With the defense struggling to hold leads, a punt returned for a touchdown could change the game and put it out of reach. Potential can only go so far, and that is all he has right now, potential. But given the chance to develop on the field he can become much more. He should be the everyday punt returner for the Steelers.
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