FOXBOROUGH, Mass — It's only been one game, and it's certainly not time to hit the panic button yet.
There's no denying that New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown's performance against the New York Jets wasn't his best, but it was the star wide receiver's first game coming off injured reserve. It takes some time to get comfortable in these game situations. He left the Week 1 game against the Seattle Seahawks early with the high ankle sprain, so he hasn't had the weeks that these other receivers have had with Drake Maye to develop that connection.
After the game, head coach Mike Vrabel provided a blunt assessment of Brown's performance.
"I think he could’ve probably made a few more plays, come down with a few more plays. He’s been out for
a while. I know that he wanted to do well for his football team, and unfortunately it wasn’t his best effort," Vrabel explained. "I know that he knows that, and we have all the confidence in the world in A.J. just to be able to finish those plays."
"A.J. has high expectations for himself, and we have high expectations for him as well," he added. "So, I’m confident that he’ll come back and do a lot of things that help us here the rest of the season.
And Brown echoed those sentiments.
“I didn’t play well. I don’t know – if the timing was off. I’m much better than what I put on display today; there are no excuses. I’ll be better," he said. "I have trust in my hands, and I continue my process, continue daily catching, and just keep going. But you can’t care about (the past game), you’ve got to keep going.”
The wide receiver was also asked if his injury impacted his play, but he said that it was "no excuse."
"Regardless of if I was sitting down or where I’d been going, I expect myself to make each and every one of those plays. The drop, the other drop on third down, on the slant, I am more than capable of making those catches. I’ll be better, that’s all," he added. "I’m all good. Again, no matter whatever question you guys ask, I’m going to tell you guys there’s no excuses. I stacked my guy, should have made the play. I beat my guy on third down, should have made the play. So, ankle or not, I’ll make all those plays.”
It's that determination and self-realization that prove he will bounce back. Plus, there's everything he's put on tape during his impressive NFL career that should also serve as confirmation of his abilities. The entire team knows that, included quarterback Drake Maye.
"I think it was, first of all, it was great to see him back out there. It was cool to see a different guy in the huddle. Man, he looks cool in the huddle. So, I’m looking forward to just growing, just building the connection," Maye said. "I think there’s some me, there’s some, obviously, plays he wish he had back, but man, I tell him, I was just telling him in the locker room, 'Man, you ain’t got to worry about No. 1.'
"He’s a player in this league. He’s going to be one of the best players on the field every time he steps on it. I told him I’m going to keep coming his way, and I don’t really think there’s too much to say about it. He’s a great player. He’s got great hands. He’s got great releases, and he was open today. I thought he looked good running around, and I’m glad to have him back, and I’m looking forward to seeing him down the road. It’ll be fun."
Remember all the fears about Romeo Doubs because of his slow start? Those conversations have suddenly died down.
And the same will happen with Brown.
That's why activating him after only one week of practice was the right decision. It's better to get the rust off this week against New York, especially as the Patriots have a short week and a primetime matchup against the Chicago Bears. They will certainly need him at his best, especially if Doubs isn't healthy after suffering the shoulder injury in the win.
He'll be ready to do so, having dusted off the cobwebs and getting back into the swing of things.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots have a big reason not to overreact to A.J. Brown's struggles
