Ben Roethlisberger misses his guys, that much is clear. He can't see his teammates at the Steelers' South Side headquarters because of the COVID-19 pandemic. All he can do is send texts to motivate them and make sure they are doing everything they can to get ready for what he believes will be a terrific 2020 season.
"I just sent a couple to Diontae and JuJu," Roethlisberger said last week.
What Roethlisberger told JuJu Smith-Schuster isn't important. The two made magic together in 2018 when Roethlisberger played every game and Smith-Schuster had 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns and was the Steelers' MVP. Smith-Schuster probably can't wait to start catching balls from Roethlisberger again after his down season in 2019 with Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges at quarterback.
But Roethlisberger's message to Diontae Johnson needed to be clear and stern. The Steelers will be better off if he sent it.
"Stay the heck away from Antonio."
It is not too late, Ben.
Video surfaced last week of Johnson working out with Antonio Brown in Florida. A beaming Brown posted it on his Instagram account. He can't help himself. He likes to give the middle finger to the Steelers every chance he gets.
That's what Brown was doing, right?
How Johnson ended up with Brown is puzzling. The two weren't teammates; Brown had left the Steelers before Johnson was the team's first of two third-round draft choices in 2019. Still, Johnson, who showed as a rookie that he's a big-time talent with a bright future, had to know that Brown is persona non grata with the Steelers and, for that matter, the rest of the NFL. He should have known better than to get involved with Brown.
It's sad, if you think about it.
Earlier in Brown's career, he could have taught Johnson plenty. No one on the Steelers worked harder with the possible exception of James Harrison. It was the primary reason Brown became the greatest receiver in franchise history after joining the team as a sixth-round draft choice in 2010.
I remember Mike Tomlin coming back to the practice field late one afternoon after the work day had ended and finding Brown catching pass after pass off the JUGS machine with a couple of the other wide receivers. I asked Tomlin if he wanted to see if the young guys could keep up with Brown.
"No," he said, "I just want to make sure they don't hurt themselves trying."
Brown was inspirational.
But that was a long time ago. Brown became such a diva and so toxic that he quit on the Steelers at the end of the 2018 season. He ripped everybody _ Tomlin, Roethlisberger and Smith-Schuster among them _ to force a trade. He landed with the Oakland Raiders and quit on them before playing even one game. He did play in one with the New England Patriots before they released him after allegations of sexual assault against him. Brown spent the rest of the 2019 season out of football but hardly stopped making news. There was a video of him cursing at the mother of three of his young children with the kids watching. There also was his arrest on charges of allegedly attacking the driver of a moving truck.
I don't think Brown will play again in the NFL even though he is a marvelous talent. There was speculation he would go with Tom Brady in a package deal, but that seemed like so much nonsense even though Brady liked him in their brief time together with the Patriots. The league appears to be in no hurry to hand down a likely suspension for Brown. No team is going to sign him until it knows what discipline he is facing.
This is someone the Steelers want mentoring Johnson?
Or should I say poisoning Johnson?
Please, Ben, send the text for the good of the team.
