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To watch Antonio Brown is to watch a technician at work. There's nobody else like him in football -- nobody that's able to gain as much separation with anywhere near the consistency with which Brown does it.

Flip on a Steelers game at any given time and more likely than not, what you're about to see is Ben Roethlisberger drop back to pass, wait somewhere between two and three seconds, and then fire the ball downfield to Brown, who has somehow gotten himself wide the heck open -- again.

How does he manage to create so much distance between himself and the defender?

"It's all about having loose hips and being able to drop your hips at full speed," Brown told CBSSports.com. "Being able to come back to the ball and catch the ball with your hands. Being able to turn and get yards after the catch."

Oh. That's all?

"And then being able to have [Roethlisberger] as the quarterback -- having a great quarterback. For me, having precise routes and having a great quarterback go hand in hand."

Brown and Big Ben certainly do go hand in hand, and have for years. Over the nearly four seasons since he became an every-game starter, nobody has more catches (471, already an NFL record for a four-season span with two games to go), more yards (6,219), or more touchdowns (42) than Brown. He's led the NFL in receptions each of the last two seasons (129, 136) and currently sits just two grabs behind Larry Fitzgerald for the NFL lead this year as well, with 96.

Other than the precision with which he goes to work, the best part about Brown's game is his versatility. He truly lines up all over the field -- and challenges the defense to cover every inch of it, as well. Pro Football Focus has him lining up for 44 percent of his snaps on the left side of the field, 41 percent on the right, and 14 percent in the slot. He has 23 catches for 306 yards and two scores to the left, 27 catches for 424 yards and four scores to the right, and 46 catches for 458 yards and five TDs over the middle.

Brown is the leader of a wave of smaller wide receivers rising to the top of the NFL not just in total receptions -- like the Wes Welker-style slot receivers that popped up over the last decade or so -- but also in touchdowns and beating defenses with the deep ball.

Despite standing just 5-foot-10, Brown is among the league leaders in deep catches; his 14 grabs on throws at least 20 yards downfield rank second in the NFL to only T.Y. Hilton (who also stands 5-10), and his eight touchdowns on those throws are most in the league by far (Mike Evans is second, with five). This isn't new, either: Brown was right up there last year (14 deep catches, two touchdowns) and the two years before that (12 catches, three TDs in 2014; 10 grabs, four scores in 2013), as well.

Brown beats defenses down the field not just with speed, as many small wideouts do, but with unmatched body control and stick'em-style hands (video via The Ringer):

And as dangerous as he is stretching the defense vertically, he may be even more so on intermediate routes, where his route-running and knowledge of coverages really take center stage.

"Being able to understand coverages and defenses [is important]," Brown says. "Understanding what you're seeing and how to react while you're running a route. Because routes may be differently ran if [the defense is] applying different coverages. So being aware of what I'm seeing from a defense is key."

That looks like a simple pitch-and-catch, and it some ways it is. But it only looks that simple because Brown and Roethlisberger both make the same read when the Bengals shift their coverage in response to the tight end coming in motion across the field. That shift gives away that the Bengals are not in Cover-2, but Cover-4, which means Brown can get a free release off the line, challenge the linebacker and cornerback to the outside, then snap off his stem back to the slant -- popping open in the hole behind the linebacker and in front of the deep safety.

Plays like this are why (per tracking from Pro Football Focus) Brown has a 65.8 percent catch rate on throws between 10 and 19 yards down the field (for comparison's sake, the league average completion percentage on all throws is only 63.1 percent), racking up 25 catches for 452 yards and a score on those plays.

This next touchdown was nullified by a penalty, but watch Brown at the top of the screen, making poor Dre Kirkpatrick look silly with a series of moves before he sticks his right foot in the ground and slams on the jets toward the post:

Brown initially takes his route hard toward the inside, which gets Kirkpatrick to move in just a step. Brown then snaps back out toward the boundary for two steps of his own, which gets Kirkpatrick back on his heels and widened out toward the sideline, as if he's expecting a corner route. And then Brown ends the play by breaking back inside at the exact moment Kirkpatrick is least able to explode toward where the throw is actually going.

It's as if he's running the route knowing it will one day be used in an instructional video.

There are times where it feels like the Steelers have been working for Roethlisberger's entire career to find him a wideout like Brown -- a guy that makes every play at every level of the field. Steelers GM Kevin Colbert has drafted big, strong wideouts like Plaxico Burress; smaller, silkier guys like Emmanuel Sanders and Antwan Randle El; deep threats like Mike Wallace and Martavis Bryant; and possession guys like Santonio Holmes, all in the last 15 years. They all filled specific roles for Roethlisberger, but none has had the ability to play every single role quite like Brown, who Colbert managed to snag deep in the sixth round in 2010.

"I think Kevin Colbert does a great job of finding receivers. Putting guys -- giving guys great opportunities," Brown says. "Obviously, it helps having a great quarterback. Being able to play with Big Ben is definitely an honor. Every guy in that group has been able to get that experience."

Brown has certainly benefited from having a future Hall 0f Famer on the other end of his passes. The difference between his performance in the games Roethlisberger has started over the last four seasons and those where he's sat is stark.

Is Ben playing?YesNo
Receptions/Game7.84.8
Targets/Game11.38.4
Catch %69.7%57.1%
Yards/Game102.368.2
Yards/Target9.18.1

All that means, though, is that Brown merely averages what would translate to a 77-catch, 1,092-yard season when Ben's backups are filling in. In other words, he's still one of the best wideouts in football, despite catching passes from Landry Jones and Mike Vick. Team him up with Ben, and he becomes otherworldly. His average game with Ben under center over that time translates to a 125-1,637-12 line across 16 games, which is just pure absurdity.

With the Steelers now moving into the home stretch of the season, it's a safe bet that Roethlisberger will be looking Brown's way early and often -- especially this weekend in what amounts to an AFC North championship game against the division rival Baltimore Ravens. Given his insane talent level, there's not much the Ravens or anyone else will be able to do to stop them.

Brown spoke to CBS Sports while promoting his new Champs Sports holiday campaign, where he and DJ Khaled teamed up to "Give game, get game."

"I want to inspire others to give back," Brown said. "That's what the holiday season is all about. Giving back to those that are really in need. Champs Sports allowed me another opportunity to give back with a holiday campaign.

"[I spent] time with special guests like Hector Montez at DJ Khaled's Champs Sports store, to recognize one of our customers who shares the importance of giving. I had an opportunity to meet a high school kid by the name of Hector, who shared his story and it was really inspiring. And to share how he showed the dedication to giving -- it's better to give than receive. I think being able to exercise that habit, and to [see] others do it -- it's always heartfelt in regards to making someone smile."