If Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, offensive coordinator Todd Haley and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger agree on anything, it's that team goals always come before individual goals.
On Sunday, the three made something of an exception in the 17-9 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It was the right call.
At the two-minute warning, Roethlisberger said he pulled aside Tomlin and Haley for a private conversation. The Steelers had a first down at the Jacksonville 33. Instead of taking a knee three times and ending the game, Roethlisberger suggested calling a quick, safe, "easy" swing pass to Brown, who needed one more catch to extend his NFL record to 21 consecutive games with at least five catches and 50 receiving yards. Tomlin and Haley quickly gave their approval.
It was an amazing tribute to Brown, a two-time Steelers Most Valuable Player. It also was the right thing to do, not just because of Brown's value to the team, but also because of the extraordinary work he puts in to be the best at his craft. It always is right to reward a player like that as long as it doesn't put the team's win in danger. It does wonders for team morale.
Brown caught the pass and turned it into a 16-yard gain to finish with five catches for 84 yards. Roethlisberger then took a knee three times to end the game.
"I hate having those situations," Roethlisberger said. "I don't like to force something because I know bad things can happen. But that was an easy play for him to get a catch. I told him to look for the ball right away. If it hadn't been there, I would have held on to it and taken the sack. We weren't going to turn it over there.
"[Brown] deserves it. If anyone deserves it, he deserves it."
There is something else that Tomlin, Haley and Roethlisberger almost certainly agree on. They recognize Brown as the team's hardest worker. Those at Steelers headquarters insist it's not even close.
"That play was a tribute to his work ethic," Roethlisberger said.
Roethlisberger called Brown's streak "unbelievable." It is a remarkable sign of Brown's consistency. He should have extended it earlier in the game but had a 17-yard catch wiped out by an illegal-hands-to-the-face penalty against offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum. Brown didn't seem nearly as impressed with his record. "I'm just chasing victories. Winning is everything."
That final catch gave Brown 34 catches for 511 yards. He became just the third Steelers receiver to get 500 receiving yards in the first five games. He had a second-quarter catch for 23 yards and made a beautiful catch over cornerback Will Blackmon for a 30-yard gain in the third quarter. He has caught a pass of at least 20 yards in nine consecutive games.
"I just continue to get better," Brown said. "No matter what they say, I'm just coming out to be the best in the world."
Watching Roethlisberger and Brown work, it's hard to believe the Steelers have had so much trouble scoring points. The offense has played just two really good halves in five games -- the first half against Cleveland in the opener and the second half against Carolina in the third game.
You know about Brown's impressive statistics. Roethlisberger has a wonderful passer rating of 100.1, a number he topped just twice in his first 10 NFL seasons. Then, there are running back Le'Veon Bell's sizable contributions. He has 688 yards from scrimmage, the most in Steelers history after five games.
And the offense could manage just a field goal and a touchdown against a Jacksonville defense that came into the game as the NFL's worst?
Tomlin, Haley, Roethlisberger and the rest of the offense will tell you it's a bunch of little things -- all correctable -- that have made scoring points so difficult. Sunday, it was a dropped pass by wide receiver Markus Wheaton. It was the failure to score a touchdown after the team had a first-and-goal at the Jaguars 4. It was foolish penalty on wide receiver Lance Moore for spiking the ball after a 26-yard catch. It was the penalty against Beachum. It was Roethlisberger's lost fumble after a sack at the Jacksonville 19. It was the inability to convert a third-and-1 play at the Steelers 40.
"Every man, to a man, has got to be better," Brown said. "We've got to be assignment-sound and find a way to score more points."
Sunday against the Browns in Cleveland would be a nice time to start.
If Brown happens to extend his NFL record to 22 games, all the better.
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com. Ron Cook can be heard on the "Cook and Poni" show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
First Published: October 7, 2014, 4:00 a.m.
