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Steelers’ wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster’s response to a question about whether this year’s Browns team was different from previous years drew much attention last week.
Smith-Schuster said he thinks “they are still the same Browns teams that I play every year” and that they have some good players, but “the Browns are the Browns” when all is said and done. These comments were not met with smiles from Browns players like Baker Mayfield and Myles Garrett entering Sunday night.
Each of them used them as food for motivational videos before the Browns ’48-37 victory that ended the Steelers’ season and made a convincing argument that these are not the same Browns. The Browns players left the pitch shouting “the Browns is the Browns” and referred to Smith-Schuster in the post-game comments, but the wideout said after the game that it did not regret having provided material for them.
“You know, I don’t regret what I said. I said the Browns are the Browns, ”said Smith-Schuster at his post-game press conference. “They went out and played an incredible game. You know, there were games where we felt we lost them and today was not our night and I hope the same Browns will show up next week against the same opponent and go out and do the same thing they did tonight and have a hell of a game. “
It is not the first time that Smith-Schuster’s actions have been cited as motivational by opponents. His dance in the midfield logo earned him the ire of the Bills and Bengals before the regular season defeats for those clubs. Sunday’s defeat puts the player in the path of the free agency and the Steelers will have to decide whether the positives outweigh the negatives he brings to the table.