By Mark Madden
October 25, 2017
Jealousy is a stinky cologne.
It’s nonetheless Martavis Bryant’s favorite scent.
Bryant has been jealous of (and/or threatened by) JuJu Smith-Schuster since the moment the Steelers selected Smith-Schuster in the second round of this year’s NFL draft. With good reason, as it happens.
Bryant welcomed Smith-Schuster by going on social media — aka Bryant’s burial ground — and proclaiming him “Sammie Coates’ replacement, not mine.” (Capitalization, punctuation and spelling corrected for clarity’s sake.)
Then, after being seldom targeted this past Sunday, Bryant argued with one of the citizens on social media, throwing Smith-Schuster under the bus thusly: “JuJu is nowhere near better than me.”
The latter did Bryant no favors in the locker room. He not only criticized a teammate to prop himself up, but chose a well-liked, 20-year-old rookie who has delivered whenever called upon.
Smith-Schuster has 17 receptions on 27 targets. Bryant has 18 receptions on 36 targets. Those numbers are a bit too close for Bryant’s liking.
Drafting Smith-Schuster didn’t make Bryant expendable, and it would be inaccurate to call Smith-Schuster a superior talent. Bryant is three inches taller and go can deeper and higher than Smith-Schuster.
But Smith-Schuster provides competition. Entitled brat Bryant somehow perceived drafting Smith-Schuster as an insult, despite the logic of adding a talented alternative to a player who missed all last season and four games of the prior campaign via drug suspension.
Why do you think they call it dope?
As Smith-Schuster noted in graciously absolving Bryant, “There’s only one ball.” When Bryant wants it more, he’s saying that Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown should get it less. But, as Bryant said, “I just want [mine], period.”
Bryant won’t get his Sunday at Detroit. He will be inactive for that game. He practiced with the scout team Thursday.
That’s the right decision by Coach Mike Tomlin. But Tomlin is hardly devoid of blame in this soap opera. If Bryant’s a punk, it’s because Tomlin has allowed it far too long.
It’s a short leap from players’ coach to enabler of chaos. Tomlin usually walks that tightrope successfully but has failed when it comes to Bryant.
That was evident when Bryant spoke to the media after it was revealed he’d be inactive at Detroit. Bryant said he was suspended because of “social media,” as if his Instagram operates itself. Bryant called himself “a great teammate,” but not much evidence supports that.
Perhaps Bryant was predisposed to fail.
Bryant has first-round talent, but was taken in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft because issues such as those currently haunting him have always threatened. Everything that’s happened since has been confirmation of why he dropped in the draft.
Bryant has first-round talent, but was taken in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft because issues such as those currently haunting him have always threatened. Everything that’s happened since has been confirmation of why he dropped in the draft.
Smith-Schuster arrived in Pittsburgh with no such baggage. He has likewise delivered on his rep.
It wouldn’t behoove the Steelers to cut Bryant. Not presently. Tomlin says Bryant will not be traded.
But the next off-season seems a likely departure point. Does anyone really think Bryant is going to change? Anyway, the Steelers have drafted Bryant’s replacement: It’s Smith-Schuster.
Bryant appears to have known that all along.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).
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