Steelers All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown has added to the list of issues the team is currently dealing with, after a sideline confrontation with offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner during last Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, and then not showing up to practice earlier in the week.
Not only that, Brown posted a “trade me” tweet after being a no-show, which led to plenty of rumors and speculation about where he might end up. Right now, he remains on the Steelers roster, and the team will need him on the field for Monday’s pivotal must-win game against the Buccaneers.
And while Brown has added to the Steelers disfunction, which is not what the team needs as it looks to climb out of a 0-1-1 hole to start the season, his quarterback is standing by him. Ben Roethlisberger defended Brown on Wednesday, in comments he made to the media.
“I think that he’s the best in the world,” Roethlisberger said, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. “When you’re the best in the world, you want to help participate, you want to win football games. We’re all a little frustrated that we’re not winning right now. … AB is a very passionate football player, I think we all know that, the fans know that. That’s what makes him special, the passion he has for this game and the passion to be great. We’re not going to want to take that away from him.”
Roethlisberger isn’t wrong, as Brown, when focused, is the most dominant receiver in the league. But he’ll need to channel some of that passion into helping the team, rather than becoming a distraction, which is exactly what Le’Veon Bell has been.
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