Pittsburgh Steelers: Antonio Brown to start after benching
By Matt Shetler
With all of the problems Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Tomlin is staring at, wide receiver Antonio Brown is the least of them.
But it was Brown who Tomlin benched Sunday against the New England Patriots as Tomlin said on Tuesday that he benched Brown late in the loss to the Patriots last Sunday because they didn’t feel that Brown was providing “quality execution” of his assignments.
Nov 3, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) carries the ball during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
However the brief benching doesn’t appear to affect Brown’s status for the Steelers Week 10 contest at Heinz Field against the Buffalo Bills.
Tomlin said that Brown will be back in the starting lineup and play his regular role.
The message that Tomlin sent to Brown is fine.
He had said after the Patriots game on Sunday that players who are lacking effort will be benched and there’s no better way to illustrate that point than by benching a player as important to the Steelers’ chances of winning a few games this season as Brown.
However to truly send a correct message, Tomlin must extend the same treatment to every player on the team.
That is something that Tomlin is unwilling to do, so at the end of the day this just looks silly, especially when you consider the fact that everyone on the defensive side of the ball played poorly.
Given the season he has had, Brown is the least of Tomlin’s worries. It’s good to see that his benching was a brief one.