Steelers coach Mike Tomlin likes the fact Antonio Brown is a “competitor.”
But he acknowledged that his star wide receiver crossed the line with Sunday’s jug-tossing outburst, after quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn’t see him running wide open downfield.
“It doesn’t need to happen,” Tomlin said, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It shouldn’t happen. Hopefully, he learned a lesson through that.”
Brown has already gotten a scolding from Roethlisberger about the incident, saying it was “a distraction none of us really need.”
Of course, that creates another level of distraction in and of itself, but the Steelers have dealt with more than their fair share of issues during their 3-1 start.
As it pertains to Brown, Tomlin seems to understand there’s a fine line you have to walk, and he wants to stay on the right side of it.
“A.B. is a competitor, we all know that. It aids him, it aids us,” Tomlin said. “He has to control [his emotions]. If not, it can work against him, it can work against us. Those are lessons you learn along the way.”
Now, the Steelers have to learn how to get everyone on the same page, which doesn’t seem to be the case at the moment.