Antonio Brown a model Buc so far, receivers coach says

A few more Sundays likely will pass before anyone knows whether the Antonio Brown experiment will enhance the Bucs' chemistry or blow up in their figurative face.

But less than two weeks in, the controversial 32-year-old has remained a positive element, according to receivers coach Kevin Garver.

“He’s done everything that I’ve asked him to do,” Garver said Wednesday.

“We’re in communication every day. We talk every morning, we talk all throughout the day. We have extra meetings that we do, and he’s done everything that I’ve asked him to do up to this point.”

Targeted five times in Sunday night’s embarrassing 38-3 loss to the Saints, Brown had three catches — all resulting in first downs — for 31 yards. His most glaring glitch occurred just before halftime, when he appeared to pause his route on a deep Tom Brady throw that was intercepted.

“The safety was getting width and then the corner was getting depth there, so he read it a certain way,” Garver said. "He’s supposed to stay on the go (route) there in that situation. ... The corner’s giving him a different look than maybe he anticipated.

“He really came out of the game with one mental error which, one week of preparation, I’d say that’s pretty solid,” Garver said.

The contest was Brown’s first since his one-game stint with the Patriots last September. He pleaded no contest in June to a felony burglary with battery charge and two misdemeanor charges after being accused of attacking the driver of a moving van at his Hollywood, Fla., home. He also is accused of sexual assault by a former trainer in a pending civil lawsuit.

But Garver said the Brown with whom he’s still getting acquainted is “really a funny guy. Big personality, always talking.

“My approach with people is, really, I allow them to determine who they are, so I don’t worry about all that stuff from the past,” Garver added. "I’ve been with him for two weeks, so really that’s what I’m going to make my judgments based off.

“I think that he really did a great job coming in, putting the time in. Really a lot of extra meetings, extra walk-throughs, really handled himself extremely well from a mental standpoint.”