Is JuJu Becoming Just As A Distraction As AB?

This may seem like a shocking overreaction to some, but here goes:

I'd trade him. Try to get into the 1st round with it.

My perspective is this, with James Washington and Dionte Johnson emerging, I think Ju Ju is expendable - I also think there's enough value to bundle with a 2nd and possibly push us into the 1st round.

And yes, his latest hi-jinks are definitely affecting my opinion. I'd have never pushed to go this route at the beginning of the season, but sadly, I think that's where we are.

In the first round, we could potentially draft a great OL to help our aging line.

If we could get a 1 for him and a 3rd or 4th I would be down for that kind of trade. Our Oline is a major problem and its not gonna fix itself.


How Pouncy got into this years probowl is beyond me... he has been terrible all year.

You all read my mind regarding trades. I fully agree, especially with the need to fix the O-Line.

If he gets back in and has a good couple of games, it could definitely help us get good trade value for him.

I wouldn't be mad if we got fantastic compensation for him, but I would be sad. I do like Juju, he's a good positive force on the field, and off of it. Outside of a couple of hiccups (like the video he put out speeding ridiculously in his BMW) he seems to be a pretty humble kid for his age and cares about his community. But I digress, we do need to start getting younger on the o-line, and we need a true #1 receiver. Washington/Johnson have talent but I don't trust them yet.

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

I wouldn't be mad if we got fantastic compensation for him, but I would be sad. I do like Juju, he's a good positive force on the field, and off of it. Outside of a couple of hiccups (like the video he put out speeding ridiculously in his BMW) he seems to be a pretty humble kid for his age and cares about his community. But I digress, we do need to start getting younger on the o-line, and we need a true #1 receiver. Washington/Johnson have talent but I don't trust them yet.

Based on his recent actions, I'm just not as convinced that he's the humble, good guy that he was (or that we thought he was). Almost seems like he's intent on going the AB route (without the level of success to back it up).

What is it here lately for the Steelers. We can pick really good WRs but they are head cases. I'm not saying Ju Ju is yet but he seems to be on that track. The question is: is he good enough to wait and find out? I don't think this is an AB type situation and that is why I'm in agreement that we at least test the waters at the end of the season. I also hope he plays the next 2 games and contributes. I wouldn't trade him for anything less than a #1 and a #2 or #3 at least.

What did I miss? Why has everyone suddenly turned on JuJu? I hope everyone isn't buying into Mark Madden's shtick, which is playing the heel (a throwback to his days as an announcer for World Championship Wrestling). A lot of people don't realize that, like a pro wrestler, Madden is playing a character. He made a name for himself by being a heel shit-stirrer. I've heard from a number of reliable sources that Madden is a totally different person away from the radio, Twitter and the media. He makes a lot of money playing a heel character and getting people fired up. And he's good at it.

I don't think Mark Madden forced Ju Ju to drive exceedingly fast and record it.

Wallace108 wrote:

What did I miss? Why has everyone suddenly turned on JuJu? I hope everyone isn't buying into Mark Madden's shtick, which is playing the heel (a throwback to his days as an announcer for World Championship Wrestling). A lot of people don't realize that, like a pro wrestler, Madden is playing a character. He made a name for himself by being a heel shit-stirrer. I've heard from a number of reliable sources that Madden is a totally different person away from the radio, Twitter and the media. He makes a lot of money playing a heel character and getting people fired up. And he's good at it.

Wally he's our #1 and he has 38 catches on 61 targets for 524 yds and 3 TDs. Before you say everything that needs to be said about the situation IE Ben,Duck,Oline,injury etc. I just ask 1 question.

Isn't that what a #1 WR does? He pulls the offense up by making lemon aid out of lemons. And yes that was a nasty hit he took and he's been out what 3 weeks. To be honest I'm really bummed out that we don't have a 1st rd pick. And I'm real good with Minkah and the way he got here. Ju Ju is a good kid but man take a look at AB and put your damn phone down. And while you're at it go ask Ben how doing things detrimental like riding a motorcycle work out in the grand scheme. Maybe not a good analogy but you know what I mean.

I'm not sure they spend enough time talking to these guys when they're drafted about not putting yourselves into compromising situations. I guess bottom line is Ju Ju still has growing up to do and honestly he's not being traded.

JuJu is a full participant today at practice. Told media he still may not play due to pain. Twitter is melting down and JuJu is in their direct sights. Can't link right now, forum isn't letting me cut and paste the Twitter link.

Search for Aditi Kinkhabwala on Twitter for her story.

solardave wrote:

Wally he's our #1 and he has 38 catches on 61 targets for 524 yds and 3 TDs. Before you say everything that needs to be said about the situation IE Ben,Duck,Oline,injury etc. I just ask 1 question.

Isn't that what a #1 WR does? He pulls the offense up by making lemon aid out of lemons.

I remember a game against the Chiefs when Ben was injured. Landry couldn't get AB the ball, and after a failed drive, the camera showed AB screaming in Landry's face as they went to the sideline. As good as AB was, there was nothing he could do when catchable balls weren't coming his way.

With a struggling O-line, poor QB play and atrocious play calling, there's only so much JuJu, or any receiver, can do. To JuJu's credit, he hasn't handled the situation like AB did. To the contrary, even when passes aren't coming his way, he's the first one to run over and congratulate the other receivers when they make plays. Unlike AB, it's not all about him and his stats.

solardave wrote:

And yes that was a nasty hit he took and he's been out what 3 weeks. To be honest I'm really bummed out that we don't have a 1st rd pick. And I'm real good with Minkah and the way he got here. Ju Ju is a good kid but man take a look at AB and put your damn phone down. And while you're at it go ask Ben how doing things detrimental like riding a motorcycle work out in the grand scheme. Maybe not a good analogy but you know what I mean.  

I'm not sure they spend enough time talking to these guys when they're drafted about not putting yourselves into compromising situations. I guess bottom line is Ju Ju still has growing up to do and honestly he's not being traded.

There's a big difference between JuJu and AB. If you look at AB during his first few years in the league, he wasn't remotely close to the person he is today. Whether it was the fame, money or concussion, he changed.

With JuJu, he hasn't changed at all. He's the same person now as he was last year and as he was his rookie year. All the stupid, silly, "look at me" things he does now are the same things that endeared him to Steelers fans early on. He had a breakout year last season, and Steelers fans embraced his silliness. This year he's struggling, mainly because of injuries and the total collapse of the offense, and suddenly Steelers fans despise his silliness and want to compare him to AB.

If JuJu had changed, and his play had dropped off because of it, I'd get the sudden turn against him. But he hasn't changed. He's the same silly person doing the same silly things now as he was last year when he was the team MVP and fans adored him.

This is from an ESPN article last season ...

Quote :

As much as he has thrived on the field and charmed his team, Smith-Schuster also has succeeded as a savvy cultivator of his "brand." He comes up with delightful touchdown celebrations. He has made himself a Pittsburgh folk hero. He dances! His social media presence is a hit! He has become the kind of person friends text you about to say, "I think he's my favorite player in the NFL!"

He's exactly the same now as he was then. The last two years we loved his joyful silliness. We embraced it. Now we can't stand it.

The world loves you when you're winning, and it hates you when you're losing.

Wallace108 wrote:

solardave wrote:

Wally he's our #1 and he has 38 catches on 61 targets for 524 yds and 3 TDs. Before you say everything that needs to be said about the situation IE Ben,Duck,Oline,injury etc. I just ask 1 question.

Isn't that what a #1 WR does? He pulls the offense up by making lemon aid out of lemons.

I remember a game against the Chiefs when Ben was injured. Landry couldn't get AB the ball, and after a failed drive, the camera showed AB screaming in Landry's face as they went to the sideline. As good as AB was, there was nothing he could do when catchable balls weren't coming his way.

With a struggling O-line, poor QB play and atrocious play calling, there's only so much JuJu, or any receiver, can do. To JuJu's credit, he hasn't handled the situation like AB did. To the contrary, even when passes aren't coming his way, he's the first one to run over and congratulate the other receivers when they make plays. Unlike AB, it's not all about him and his stats.

solardave wrote:

And yes that was a nasty hit he took and he's been out what 3 weeks. To be honest I'm really bummed out that we don't have a 1st rd pick. And I'm real good with Minkah and the way he got here. Ju Ju is a good kid but man take a look at AB and put your damn phone down. And while you're at it go ask Ben how doing things detrimental like riding a motorcycle work out in the grand scheme. Maybe not a good analogy but you know what I mean.  

I'm not sure they spend enough time talking to these guys when they're drafted about not putting yourselves into compromising situations. I guess bottom line is Ju Ju still has growing up to do and honestly he's not being traded.

There's a big difference between JuJu and AB. If you look at AB during his first few years in the league, he wasn't remotely close to the person he is today. Whether it was the fame, money or concussion, he changed.

With JuJu, he hasn't changed at all. He's the same person now as he was last year and as he was his rookie year. All the stupid, silly, "look at me" things he does now are the same things that endeared him to Steelers fans early on. He had a breakout year last season, and Steelers fans embraced his silliness. This year he's struggling, mainly because of injuries and the total collapse of the offense, and suddenly Steelers fans despise his silliness and want to compare him to AB.

If JuJu had changed, and his play had dropped off because of it, I'd get the sudden turn against him. But he hasn't changed. He's the same silly person doing the same silly things now as he was last year when he was the team MVP and fans adored him.

This is from an ESPN article last season ...

Quote :

As much as he has thrived on the field and charmed his team, Smith-Schuster also has succeeded as a savvy cultivator of his "brand." He comes up with delightful touchdown celebrations. He has made himself a Pittsburgh folk hero. He dances! His social media presence is a hit! He has become the kind of person friends text you about to say, "I think he's my favorite player in the NFL!"

He's exactly the same now as he was then. The last two years we loved his joyful silliness. We embraced it. Now we can't stand it.

The world loves you when you're winning, and it hates you when you're losing.

As far as Ju Ju being exactly the same. There is a difference between being silly and being reckless. Posting a video doing 100+ MPH is reckless.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1541663132736504/

Not sure if it will go to the page I want. Scroll down to the picture of Ju Ju with the Patriots* fan. It's great!

solardave wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

solardave wrote:

Wally he's our #1 and he has 38 catches on 61 targets for 524 yds and 3 TDs. Before you say everything that needs to be said about the situation IE Ben,Duck,Oline,injury etc. I just ask 1 question.

Isn't that what a #1 WR does? He pulls the offense up by making lemon aid out of lemons.

I remember a game against the Chiefs when Ben was injured. Landry couldn't get AB the ball, and after a failed drive, the camera showed AB screaming in Landry's face as they went to the sideline. As good as AB was, there was nothing he could do when catchable balls weren't coming his way.

With a struggling O-line, poor QB play and atrocious play calling, there's only so much JuJu, or any receiver, can do. To JuJu's credit, he hasn't handled the situation like AB did. To the contrary, even when passes aren't coming his way, he's the first one to run over and congratulate the other receivers when they make plays. Unlike AB, it's not all about him and his stats.

solardave wrote:

And yes that was a nasty hit he took and he's been out what 3 weeks. To be honest I'm really bummed out that we don't have a 1st rd pick. And I'm real good with Minkah and the way he got here. Ju Ju is a good kid but man take a look at AB and put your damn phone down. And while you're at it go ask Ben how doing things detrimental like riding a motorcycle work out in the grand scheme. Maybe not a good analogy but you know what I mean.  

I'm not sure they spend enough time talking to these guys when they're drafted about not putting yourselves into compromising situations. I guess bottom line is Ju Ju still has growing up to do and honestly he's not being traded.

There's a big difference between JuJu and AB. If you look at AB during his first few years in the league, he wasn't remotely close to the person he is today. Whether it was the fame, money or concussion, he changed.

With JuJu, he hasn't changed at all. He's the same person now as he was last year and as he was his rookie year. All the stupid, silly, "look at me" things he does now are the same things that endeared him to Steelers fans early on. He had a breakout year last season, and Steelers fans embraced his silliness. This year he's struggling, mainly because of injuries and the total collapse of the offense, and suddenly Steelers fans despise his silliness and want to compare him to AB.

If JuJu had changed, and his play had dropped off because of it, I'd get the sudden turn against him. But he hasn't changed. He's the same silly person doing the same silly things now as he was last year when he was the team MVP and fans adored him.

This is from an ESPN article last season ...

Quote :

As much as he has thrived on the field and charmed his team, Smith-Schuster also has succeeded as a savvy cultivator of his "brand." He comes up with delightful touchdown celebrations. He has made himself a Pittsburgh folk hero. He dances! His social media presence is a hit! He has become the kind of person friends text you about to say, "I think he's my favorite player in the NFL!"

He's exactly the same now as he was then. The last two years we loved his joyful silliness. We embraced it. Now we can't stand it.

The world loves you when you're winning, and it hates you when you're losing.

As far as Ju Ju being exactly the same. There is a difference between being silly and being reckless. Posting a video doing 100+ MPH is reckless.

You're not wrong about that, and I'm probably in the minority with this reasoning, but I think we need to keep that incident in perspective. First of all, he wasn't drinking, so that's good. And he just started driving last year, so I have no doubt he's going to do some inappropriate things behind the wheel. That doesn't justify it, but it does make him no different than most of us. I'm guessing a number of us here cringe when we look back on some of the stupid things we did behind the wheel when we were younger. Compared to the stuff Ben was doing early in his career, JuJu is an angel.

Wallace108 wrote:

solardave wrote:

Wallace108 wrote:

solardave wrote:

Wally he's our #1 and he has 38 catches on 61 targets for 524 yds and 3 TDs. Before you say everything that needs to be said about the situation IE Ben,Duck,Oline,injury etc. I just ask 1 question.

Isn't that what a #1 WR does? He pulls the offense up by making lemon aid out of lemons.

I remember a game against the Chiefs when Ben was injured. Landry couldn't get AB the ball, and after a failed drive, the camera showed AB screaming in Landry's face as they went to the sideline. As good as AB was, there was nothing he could do when catchable balls weren't coming his way.

With a struggling O-line, poor QB play and atrocious play calling, there's only so much JuJu, or any receiver, can do. To JuJu's credit, he hasn't handled the situation like AB did. To the contrary, even when passes aren't coming his way, he's the first one to run over and congratulate the other receivers when they make plays. Unlike AB, it's not all about him and his stats.

solardave wrote:

And yes that was a nasty hit he took and he's been out what 3 weeks. To be honest I'm really bummed out that we don't have a 1st rd pick. And I'm real good with Minkah and the way he got here. Ju Ju is a good kid but man take a look at AB and put your damn phone down. And while you're at it go ask Ben how doing things detrimental like riding a motorcycle work out in the grand scheme. Maybe not a good analogy but you know what I mean.  

I'm not sure they spend enough time talking to these guys when they're drafted about not putting yourselves into compromising situations. I guess bottom line is Ju Ju still has growing up to do and honestly he's not being traded.

There's a big difference between JuJu and AB. If you look at AB during his first few years in the league, he wasn't remotely close to the person he is today. Whether it was the fame, money or concussion, he changed.

With JuJu, he hasn't changed at all. He's the same person now as he was last year and as he was his rookie year. All the stupid, silly, "look at me" things he does now are the same things that endeared him to Steelers fans early on. He had a breakout year last season, and Steelers fans embraced his silliness. This year he's struggling, mainly because of injuries and the total collapse of the offense, and suddenly Steelers fans despise his silliness and want to compare him to AB.

If JuJu had changed, and his play had dropped off because of it, I'd get the sudden turn against him. But he hasn't changed. He's the same silly person doing the same silly things now as he was last year when he was the team MVP and fans adored him.

This is from an ESPN article last season ...

Quote :

As much as he has thrived on the field and charmed his team, Smith-Schuster also has succeeded as a savvy cultivator of his "brand." He comes up with delightful touchdown celebrations. He has made himself a Pittsburgh folk hero. He dances! His social media presence is a hit! He has become the kind of person friends text you about to say, "I think he's my favorite player in the NFL!"

He's exactly the same now as he was then. The last two years we loved his joyful silliness. We embraced it. Now we can't stand it.

The world loves you when you're winning, and it hates you when you're losing.

As far as Ju Ju being exactly the same. There is a difference between being silly and being reckless. Posting a video doing 100+ MPH is reckless.

You're not wrong about that, and I'm probably in the minority with this reasoning, but I think we need to keep that incident in perspective. First of all, he wasn't drinking, so that's good. And he just started driving last year, so I have no doubt he's going to do some inappropriate things behind the wheel. That doesn't justify it, but it does make him no different than most of us. I'm guessing a number of us here cringe when we look back on some of the stupid things we did behind the wheel when we were younger. Compared to the stuff Ben was doing early in his career, JuJu is an angel.

I said many times if we had the DUI laws back in the 70s that we have today I'd probably just be getting out. I hope he has a great game today. Did you see the picture on Facebook? That's the Ju Ju I love. My thoughts about trading him are out of desperation and the fact that I'm spoiled. In reality this is his first season as our #1 and who is missing in this puzzle? What worries me most here is that those of us old enough lived through Bradshaw retiring and the aftermath. If Ben can't go the FO has failed to address this. I'm not saying Duck or Mason can't play but I don't believe either one is THE guy. Duck lacks arm strength and Mason is a statue. It won't matter much how good our WRs are if we can't get the ball to them on target. That being said they need to get open and catch everything in their radius. We've seen a lot of drops by everyone this year.

I totally agree with Wally on this one. You don't trade a young proven to be good player for picks. Ask the Dolphins fans now if they're happy Minkah is traded. And on top of that, you're risking to lose your locker room. Players can't stand when one of their leaders is traded without it making much sense.

Stella Nation wrote:

I totally agree with Wally on this one. You don't trade a young proven to be good player for picks. Ask the Dolphins fans now if they're happy Minkah is traded. And on top of that, you're risking to lose your locker room. Players can't stand when one of their leaders is traded without it making much sense.

Yep. JuJu is well liked and is a good teammate.

Proud of my boy @JamesWashington making big big plays when we need him!! Beast!! pic.twitter.com/hG7bhOyKq8

— JuJu Smith-Schuster (@TeamJuJu) December 5, 2019

solardave wrote:

I said many times if we had the DUI laws back in the 70s that we have today I'd probably just be getting out. I hope he has a great game today. Did you see the picture on Facebook? That's the Ju Ju I love. My thoughts about trading him are out of desperation and the fact that I'm spoiled. In reality this is his first season as our #1 and who is missing in this puzzle? What worries me most here is that those of us old enough lived through Bradshaw retiring and the aftermath. If Ben can't go the FO has failed to address this. I'm not saying Duck or Mason can't play but I don't believe either one is THE guy. Duck lacks arm strength  and Mason is a statue. It won't matter much how good our WRs are if we can't get the ball to them on target. That being said they need to get open and catch everything in their radius. We've seen a lot of drops by everyone this year.

I saw that photo when it started making the rounds. ... I can't remember if it was last year or early this year. It's hilarious. Here's the thing .... when that photo first came out, fans loved it and treated JuJu like a hero. If that photo came out today, many of those same fans would criticize him for being immature.

This is just a guess, but I think it's possible that much of the animosity toward JuJu has to do with the frustration over the AB situation. Everyone wanted JuJu to have a monster year to shut AB up ... to show AB that he needed the Steelers more than the Steelers needed him. Since that didn't happen, coupled with a disappointing season overall, I think JuJu became a convenient target for fans' anger and frustration. And it doesn't help when you have Mark Madden directing that animosity toward him all season.

Personally, I'm not a fan of a lot of the things JuJu does. But I'm also not a fan of a lot of things most younger people do today. It's a different world, one that some of us don't fully understand or agree with. There's a reason why the phrase "ok boomer" has caught on.

We boomers (although I'm Gen X, not a boomer .... but to anyone under 25, they seem to think anyone over 35 is a boomer) fondly remember players like Greene and Lambert. We love the no nonsense "care about nothing but football" players. And we expect them all to be that way. But many of them aren't like that anymore. Can you imagine the 70s Steelers defense getting a turnover and seeing Greene and Lambert sprinting to the end zone and posing for a group photo? I certainly can't. But EVERY defense does that now. It's a different world now, and we "boomers" just have to accept it.

For better or worse, JuJu is who he is. And he is who he has been since Day 1. My issue with all the animosity toward him is that fans didn't have a problem with his antics when things were going well. But now that things aren't going well, those same fans who called him a fun-loving guy and a breath of fresh air suddenly despise those antics.

DK Sports is beginning to question JuJu. Free article.

https://www.dkpittsburghsports.com/2019/12/22/grind-steelers-jets-dk/

Sorry to say but I stand by what I said before. I'd trade Ju Ju and hope it gets us back in the 1st round.

Washington and Johnson are the top 2 receivers now.

Ju Ju being a 'good guy' - maybe he still is. But excessively speeding and recording it, and missing practices only to show up at frat parties the same night - 'good guys' don't do that.

Trade him and move up the draft board (if possible, get the best OL you can get with the pick, assuming the QB of the future isn't available).

this is a very talented young group of Receivers the way they've been thrown together this season has been kind of unreal I think an offseason of training camp they should be special next season.

effyou515 wrote:

this is a very talented young group of Receivers the way they've been thrown together this season has been kind of unreal I think an offseason of training camp they should be special next season.

I agree - its exciting to see.

I'd still trade Ju Ju so we can get into the 1st round and draft the next great lineman.

Found a thread about JuJu. Redditors claim JuJu was at Best Buy. I know I've seen this car in various places around town. There just aren't too many BMW i8 in Pittsburgh.

https://www.reddit.com/r/steelers/comments/kbwtgz/saw_juju_at_best_buy_this_morning_and_this_in_the/

jak341 wrote:

Found a thread about JuJu. Redditors claim JuJu was at Best Buy. I know I've seen this car in various places around town. There just aren't too many BMW i8 in Pittsburgh.

https://www.reddit.com/r/steelers/comments/kbwtgz/saw_juju_at_best_buy_this_morning_and_this_in_the/

THE Bum coulda at least got the right color...

Drama. Who else is he starting to sound like, without the game changing production?

JuJu Smith-Schuster on dancing on the Bills logo: "I'm not going to stop being myself. I’m going to be the JuJu I came into be. ... I plan to keep doing it."

— Joe Rutter (@tribjoerutter) December 16, 2020