As far as wide receivers go, Vincent Brown is not going to blow anyone away. He does not have top-end speed. He does not put up gaudy big-number stats. However, he has the full trust of quarterback Philip Rivers and that is really all that matters.
The San Diego Chargers' wide receiver is finally fully healthy and emerging as a real threat in his third year with the team. While he might not be able to blow past the cornerback, in a contested catch, no one is better at holding onto the ball than Brown and Rivers is loving it.
"I've thrown Vincent Brown a bunch of those balls," Rivers said, via UTSanDiego.com. "It's trusting that he's going to come in there, and he's going to go up high and make a good, tough, catch. He's a great route runner. And he catches it as well as anybody."
After injuries hurt his first two seasons in the league, Brown is now tied for third on the team with 26 catches, with a 73.9 percent completion rate with Rivers. The two have developed excellent chemistry on the field and have created a few hidden plays that have helped the Chargers in key situations. Rivers recalls a play against the Indianapolis Colts where Brown ran 15 yards and cut hard left before catching pass over his head. He bounced off the defender and pulled the pass down. It led to a go-ahead field goal.
"Those are the kind of hidden plays that are big in games," Rivers said. "It's a third-down conversion that goes for 16 yards and it can get lost in the shuffle. Those keep drives alive. It was a great play by him."
Brown continues to improve each week and even after a loss, the wide receiver proved to be the only bright spot. The tandem created with rookie Keenan Allen has allowed for Rivers to be one of the better quarterbacks in the league this season. Brown has 265 total yards off 26 catches this year. When the Chargers return after a bye week, Brown will continue to quietly produce on the field and rack up fantasy points.
"It was instilled in me in an early age, when the ball's up in the air, it's your ball, so you've got to do whatever it takes to come down with that," Brown said. "When you see it up, it's like, turn on the jets. Wherever it's at, I've got to make sure I'm in that area."
