Buccaneers: Antonio Brown OUT, spotlight shifts to depth
By Rob Leeds
Can the Buccaneers replace Antonio Brown?
If he can stay out of trouble, AB is still one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Throughout the season, Brown has shown that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank, and his inexplicable connection with Tom Brady is extremely difficult to recreate.
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The Buccaneers will now look to Scotty Miller and Tyler Johnson to replace Brown in the biggest game of either player’s career. Miller and Johnson have been great individually this season, but this will be a major step up from the limited roles they played during the season.
The most likely candidate to step into the third spot is Miller. At the start of the season, Brady had the easiest time finding Miller open down the field, and the former Bowling Green man actually led the Buccaneers in receiving yards for several weeks before Brown joined the team and relegated him to the fourth spot.
Hopefully, Brady and Miller can pick up where they left off. Some believ the Buccaneer offense was better for Brady before Brown showed up and Miller was thriving, but that level of talent and experience is hard to replace in the playoffs.
In addition to Miller, Tyler Johnson’s name should also get some buzz in the coming days after his stellar catch against the Saints last week. While one play isn’t the best indicator of being ready for a massively increased role in a playoff game, Johnson and Brady proved they could get on the same page when it matters, and that trust will be fundamental against the Packers.
The Buccaneers will not get too far into their depth outside of these two, but if it is true that depth wins games, Tampa Bay will put that theory to the test in one of the most important games in franchise history.
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