Could John Brown emerge as the Arizona Cardinals’ No. 1 receiver?
May 20, 2015, 2:46 PM | Updated: 2:49 pm
John Brown was one of the highlights of the Arizona Cardinals’ 2014 season.
The third-round pick out of Pittsburg State caught 48 passes for 696 yards and five touchdowns, using his speed and shiftiness to torch opposing defenses on a pretty regular basis.
Looked at as the speed guy, someone on the field to help take the top off of the defense, Brown is expecting to be even better in 2015 than he was last season as a rookie.
“I want to be that same guy, get involved more,” Brown told Bickley and Marotta on Arizona Sports 98.7FM Wednesday. “I actually feel more explosive. I feel that I can play fast every down, so I’ll be a bigger help than I was last year.”
That has to be great news to the Cardinals and terrifying for opponents.
Last season, Brown caught his 48 passes on 103 targets, averaging 14.5 yards per reception. His longest catch, which came in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles, went for 75 yards.
More than half of his receptions came on passes thrown 10 yards or more, with the team’s other weapons occupying the space closer to the line of scrimmage.
In all, Brown played the role of burner about as well as one could have, though he thinks he could emerge as the team’s top option in the passing game this year.
“Coach Bruce Arians does a great job of calling plays, and it’s actually designed for anybody to make plays and be that guy,” he said. “Because it’s just when the ball is in the air, you have to get it.
“And I think I’ll be used more in underneath routes trying to turn and beat (the defense).”
Larry Fitzgerald led the Cardinals last seasonw ith 63 receptions, while Michael Floyd’s 841 yards and six touchdowns were tops in those categories.
