Antonio Brown says the Steelers’ locker room was divided last year

[Hawaii 5-0]

Antonio Brown says the Steelers’ locker room was divided last year

Posted by Michael David Smith on February 20, 2013



Steelers receiver Antonio Brown says his third year with the team was a lot different than his first two.

Brown said on SportsCenter today that Pittsburgh’s locker room was fractured in the 2012 season, in a way he hadn’t seen previously since being drafted by the Steelers in 2010.

“It was definitely different — guys weren’t really together,” Brown said.

Brown said Steelers safety Troy Polamalu was among the veterans who spoke out and tried to explain to the team that selfish behavior wouldn’t be tolerated. But that talk was apparently not enough.

“That’s when you know you’ve got issues and you’ve got to come together as a team. Because the reality of a team game is everyone on the same page, committed to the same thing, dedicated for one goal, and that’s winning,” Brown said.

Although he didn’t name any names, Brown said he thought he had teammates last year who cared more about their individual goals than about the team’s record. And he described going 8-8 as “a bitter taste” that he hopes will motivate all of his teammates to act differently in 2013.

“Everyone in our locker room in 2013 has to understand the value of being in there and what our tradition and history stand for,” Brown said.

Brown said he agrees with Steelers defensive coordinator that the Steelers could have done what the Ravens did and gone on a run to the Super Bowl.

“He’s right on — we definitely had the talent, the pieces in the right place to do some things,” Brown said. “But winning is not talent. It’s all about being on the same page, and each guy having the guy next to him’s back, and being committed to winning. You see a Ravens team that was committed to winning and togetherness, and that’s what it’s all about.”

For Pittsburgh fans, hearing a Steeler say the team needs to be more like the Ravens is, indeed, a bitter pill to swallow.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...ded-last-year/

[teegre]

This might explain why the Steelers won't even try to resign Eric Green -er- Mike Wallace.

[harrison'samonster]

Originally Posted by teegre

This might explain why the Steelers won't even try to resign Eric Green -er- Mike Wallace.

i guess so. I have to believe he is talking about Wallace.

[GMU Steeler]

Yeah got to think he's talking about Wallace here too. I'm not surprised to hear this. From what I understand, Antonio intends to take on a leadership role this year. I think he can do that.

[Atlanta Dan]

If someone is going to be a leader and not focus on individual goals maybe consider getting rid of pointing down the field every time you make a decent catch

Sorry to see Troy was ignored when he said to focus on the team

There is one player who probably could have turned that attitude around, but when he spends time bitching about the departed OC and taking shots at the new OC it is hard to then say it is all about team

This off season has been as much of a cluster as the last 2 months of the regular season

[SteelersCanada]

Originally Posted by Atlanta Dan

If someone is going to be a leader and not focus on individual goals maybe consider getting rid of pointing down the field every time you make a decent catch

In his defense, Holmes did - and still does - the same thing. I'm sorry, the 'Steeler Way' of the 90's is slowly fading with every draft. The new generation of players and fans don't mind his first down dance or the fact he ran backward 20 yards into the endzone.

Let him do his first down taunt. Who is it hurting?

[teegre]

I remember Cowher getting rid of Adrian Cooper... for a 3rd & 6th round pick. Likewise, Eric Green led the team in receptions & yards... and they didn't resign him (nor his "locker room dividing" ways).

Once those "cancers" were shown the door, the team gelled.

In other words: good-bye, Wallace. The team means more than "you."

Like I've said, Wallace produced... but, so did Adrian Cooper & Eric Green. Sometimes, it's a matter if addition by subtraction.

"STEELERS WAY"
Eric Allen was discussing how players talking to the media (Woodley incident) is not the "Steelers way"... and he called the Steelers way the right way. Likewise, Tedy Bruschi & Jason Taylor were saying similar things. All of those analysts said that those malcontents would either be chewed out or shown the door. As Eric Allen summed up: Lombardis are the end-all, be-all for the Steelers... winning the SuperBowl is the only acceptable ending to the season.

[TRH]

wait a second, though. I saw Brown today (he was in the ESPN studios, so he made the rounds on at least 3 if not more of the shows today - i saw him on 3 different ones, personally.."

-i like Brown - but he wasn't a very good speaker or guest and wasn't very articulate. Certainly not like Ryan Clark or even Ike Taylor, when they do appearances on the shows. He definitely was "very unpolished" to be a TV guest -
My point is that he was asked some questions today by some of the analysts and in my opinion, he didn't seem to give good answers, struggling a bit with the questions they were asking.

At one point he was asked if Tomlin would address the "leaks" and so forth behind closed doors (as everyone else agreed he almost SURELY would) - and Brown kept saying "no, not at all", etc, which i found completely ridiculous and hard to believe.
When he commented about the locker room being "divided", it didn't so much as seem that he said it was, he seemed to give in to the question more.

I took all Brown's comments with a grain of salt.

[DanRooney]

Sad to see the mess not being corrected by Tomlin.

But at least he probably goes out to the bar with the boys on the weekends.

[tony hipchest]

this has way more to do with just mike wallace. him, brown, sanders, and that tool wes saunders LOVED embracing and promoting the "YOUNG MONEY CREW".

hell some players were more concerned with their social profile stats than stats on the field (saunders- prime example). they believed their own self promotion and hype before they even did jack shit on the field, constantly trying to score pu$$y for nothing more than being signed and flashing some cash (marcus gilbert?)

pouncey was ripped for promoting his rapper friends new album via social media mere hours after the playoff loss to denver. gilbert ripped the city of pgh for having a lame social and nightlife compared to florida.

you have a young secondary who cant relate with and share completely different interests with the likes of ike and family men troy and clark.

the white veterans like ben, keisel, legursky, and then harrison have common interests in outdoors and hunting.

there was a ping pong crew, then you have players who simply seem aloof (mendenhall, miller).

a ton of fans were dying to cut dead weight such as aaron smith, farrior, and ward, but i knew they were the glue. theres a reason tomlin kept smith on the roster and in the locker room and rode the wave all teh way to SB in dallas. (a year our QB who theoretically should be the leader was suspended for 6 weeks- reduced to 4).

i wasnt suprised we were .500. the same shit happened after 2005 when we lost leaders von oelhoffen, bettis, and randel el (who we brought back to help reach the sb again in 2010).

leadership isnt overrrated. it doesnt come in a can and it isnt manufactured. look what it did for ray lewis and the ravens. say what you want about the bastard, but he led them and delivered on his word. suprisingly 2nd year qb big ben did the same in 2005 when he delivered a fairy tale retirement in his hometown of detroit..

then he led by example and crashed and burned. the 2006 steelers did the same.