PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – While gone now for a couple of years, Antonio Brown is still making his mark on the South Side. The former Steelers receiver trained with Pitt corner Marquis Williams.
"He was part of the reason I had a good season," Williams said of 2020. "Everyone knows lining up in front of Antonio Brown. You are not going to see that in the ACC every day."
"This guy is a vet. He's a great receiver. He got me mentally and physically ready for last season. It was a big help. I appreciate him so much for that."
Williams said his mother and Brown's father work at the same UPS facility in Florida. One day they were talking and once they figured out what their kids did, they got them together. Williams said he trained at AB's gym called '84/7'.
"We was battlin'," Williams said of how the matchups went. "I ain't going to lose. I ain't going to lose too much. He ain't going to lose too much. It was good on good. He's a man. I'm a man. I would do it anytime. I love it."
Williams said he also gets good looks from a deep Pitt receiver group. Listed at 5'9", the Florida native said he doesn't care about being small. He knows what he brings to the table.
"I'm lionhearted," Williams said. "I'm not the biggest on the field. It comes with all heart. I don't worry about the size. I don't worry about anything. Go out there, get the call and play football."
As you might get from his talk, he's confident. Not afraid to say what he is thinking or unafraid of a challenge. Calling out for an opportunity to cover one of the nation's best this year.
"I want Justin Ross," Williams said of the 6'4" Clemson receiver. "Because he's the number one receiver in the ACC. They got to come to Pittsburgh. We play man-to-man defense. I'm ready to pad up and go against him."
He boasted he doesn't need help with Ross. He's 'Pitt tough' and can cover him one-on-one.
"You can talk all you want to talk, but you have to back it up on game day," said Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi. "Quis has been good. He plays with enthusiasm out on the field. He plays with a little attitude."
"We will find out on game day how much better he is than he was last year. He has to be better than last year, because that wasn't good enough."
Without veteran Damarri Mathis in 2020, the redshirt junior started eight games with a pair of interceptions, four pass breakups and 22 tackles.
He is not someone that backs away from a challenge, even from his head coach. About the same height, Williams said he's talked a lot to former Pitt corner Avonte Maddox. He's watched his tape and asked questions.
Maddox ended up a fourth round pick of the Eagles and is playing in his fourth season in the NFL. Many said Maddox couldn't do it either, but for Williams to prove it. He must first win a job in a competitive secondary with Mathis already a lock.
