San Diego Chargers: Jason Verrett deserves praise vs. Antonio Brown

I’m not sure who is better among the trio of Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, Atlanta Falcons No. 1 guy Julio Jones, or New York Giants second-year superstar Odell Beckham Jr., but what I am sure of is the fact that Brown’s quickness and route-running savvy make him the most difficult receiver in the NFL to cover one-on-one. He can beat you just about anywhere, but he met his match on Monday Night Football against another small, quick, and feisty player in San Diego Chargers second-year cornerback Jason Verrett.

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As a rookie, Verrett seemed destined for stardom, as he was arguably the team’s second or third-best player on defense behind Eric Weddle and- likely- seasoned veteran CB Brandon Flowers. Regardless of where you’d put him on the Chargers shortlist of best players on defense, Verrett played lights out for six games before being lost for the remainder of the season with a torn labrum, and he finished with four passes defended in six games.

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Verrett looked every bit like the best CB in the 2014 draft class, and many draftniks nailed their evaluation on the former TCU star. Despite being just 5’10”, Verrett looked at home on the outside, and he memorably picked off a pass intended for the much taller Brice Butler (now with the Dallas Cowboys) on a decisive fourth quarter play.

So far this season, Verrett has had a nice encore year, but he saved his best work for last night’s game against Brown and the Steelers. There’s no doubt that Brown is a different beast, but the former Central Michigan star was unable to bounce back from his disappointing, Michael Vick and gameplan-induced 5/42/0 line against the Baltimore Ravens. In fact, Brown finished with just three catches for 45 yards, though he did show off his playmaking ability by churning out 34 yards after the catch on his 39-yard reception, which was his lone good play of the day.

Verrett needs to show more of the physicality that turned heads in his rookie year and allowed him to consistently overcome his size issues in college, because he’s been rather weak as a tackler here in his season season. Perhaps the recovery from a shoulder injury (he needed surgery on both shoulders, by the way) has something to do with his, but improvement in that facet will go a long way in preventing Brown and other speed demons from picking up extra yards after the catch on him.

But outside of that one play, Verrett shut down Antonio Brown, and even accounting for Vick at quarterback, that is no short feat. The Steelers should have dialed up more than six targets for Brown and needed to do a better job of giving their elite playmaker the ball in space, thus allowing him to do the dirty work for Vick (just as he did on that 39-yard reception).

That said, Verrett stuck closely to Brown all night long, and it’s a shame his efforts weren’t rewarded in a San Diego Chargers victory. The stat sheet gives credit to Verrett for one pass defended, but his impact yesterday went beyond just that play. With Flowers less than 100%, Verrett needed to be big, and it’s safe to say that the second-year cornerback rose up to the challenge.

It’s a good thing, too, because Flowers had a rough day at the office, as he was on the receiving end of Markus Wheaton‘s 72-yard reception, as the former Oregon State star thoroughly roasted the former Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl corner. Flowers will have better days, but it’s clear that Jason Verrett is the alpha corner on this Chargers roster.

Although many will focus on Vick’s play and the lack of a rapport between him and one of the NFL’s best receivers, but, truth be told, Verrett made it awfully difficult for Vick to hit up his best receiver.

Given some of the throws the veteran QB missed, it would also be hard to fault offensive coordinator Todd Haley and the QB himself for not being more aggressive with forcing the ball to Brown, especially since Verrett has more than just “plus” ball skills.

Oct 12, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett (22) breaks up a pass intended for Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown (84) at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The story may have been written differently for Verrett and Brown if Ben Roethlisberger played, but we can only evaluate the game that was in front of us.

Under that scope, Brown deserves to shoulder no blame, but Verrett deserves to be praised for playing as well as the Chargers could have asked him to against one of the league’s most difficult assignments.

Verrett never got burned, never gave up an inch, and didn’t really put a foot wrong out there. Again, Vick is the caveat, but it’s hard not to love what the second-year Charger is showing the NFL. If he keeps this up, more and more people will start to toss the “e-word” in his direction.

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