Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had little to say about Antonio Brown joining the New England Patriots — and yet his response spoke volumes. Roethlisberger met with reporters after the Steelers’ 33-3 loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night. He was asked for his thoughts on the Patriots adding Brown.
“Whatever,” he told reporters.
This came after the Patriots stumped Roethlisberger, who finished the game completing 57 percent of his passes for 276 yards and an interception. The Steelers were 3 of 12 on third down and 1 of 3 on fourth down.
Maybe — just maybe — the Steelers offense was struggling to fill Brown’s void.
Tom Brady, meanwhile, was brilliant, while going 24 of 36 (67 percent) for 341 yards and three touchdowns. Brady linked up with seven pass-catchers, which included Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon and Phillip Dorsett. It did not yet include Brown, Demaryius Thomas or rookie first-round pick N’Keal Harry.
The Patriots offense has outrageous potential. The Steelers offense, meanwhile, seemed to encounter growing pains when including receivers Donte Moncrief and James Washington. So after the Patriots and Brady outplayed Roethlisberger and the Steelers, he surely didn’t love the reminder that New England landed Brown.
But Brown’s presence in New England is not “whatever.” It’s a move that could influence the conference standings and the Steelers’ Super Bowl hopes. Roethlisberger surely knows that.
