Wide receiver Antonio Brown may no longer be a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers after his trade to Oakland in March, but he was still affected by a tragic event that took place over the weekend. Steelers wide receivers coach Darryl Drake passed away suddenly at the age of 62, shaking up the entire organization and forcing the team to cancel practices and shut down the campus at Saint Vincent College.
As someone that spent the 2018 season working with Drake, Brown was similarly affected by Drake’s passing as his former teammate, JuJu Smith-Schuster — although his grieving was not captured by photographers. After days of silence, the veteran receiver posted a final message to his former position coach on social media.
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“Coach I love you sad times I know you would be proud of me! Everything we talked about everything we prayed about! God is greatest may your soul rest in heaven see you soon. RIP Coach Drake,” Brown wrote on Instagram.
While Brown only spent one season under Drake’s tutelage, his impact was certainly evident. In only 15 games played, Brown topped 100 receptions and finished second on the team in receiving yards with 1,297. When it came to touchdowns scored, however, no receiver in the entire league was better than Brown. He put up a whopping 15 scores, which led the NFL and was a career-high number for the former sixth-round pick.
This production under Drake proved that Brown is still a dangerous weapon even after crossing the threshold into his 30s, and it helped him land a massive contract with the Oakland Raiders. Quarterback Derek Carr needed some new receivers in the Bay Area, and head coach Jon Gruden believed that Brown would be the perfect addition to his offense. The Raiders traded with the Steelers in mid-March and handed Brown a three-year, $50 million contract with $30 million guaranteed.
Brown was already viewed as one of the absolute best receivers in the entire league, but working with Drake helped him reach another level of production at an age where most players tend to see a dip. Their time together, albeit brief, clearly had an impact on AB, and he will never forget Coach Drake.
