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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talks with Antonio Brown as they take on the Panthers in the third quarter Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, at Heinz Field.
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Paul Zeise: When will the Steelers learn?

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Paul Zeise: When will the Steelers learn?

About a month ago, Antonio Brown quit on his team. He blew off the coaching staff and the owner, he was insubordinate in his refusal to get an MRI and then hid behind his agent the day of the season finale. He still hasn’t called back the owner of the team and he has spent time openly mocking the Steelers on social media.

This is how he repaid Mike Tomlin and Art Rooney II after they spent his entire career enabling him and making his excuses for his behavior. They kept telling us, “That’s just Antonio being Antonio,” even as it was clear his behavior was moving from harmless idiocy to self-destructive. He had become a locker room cancer long before he blew off the Steelers.

A number of players told reporters, off the record and on, that they wanted nothing to do with Brown. They were angry that he quit on them and angry that the Steelers decided to pay him for that final game even though he chose to not play. But hey, give Brown credit, he did stay on the sideline of that Bengals game until half time.

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Oh, and did I forget the part where the Bengals game was an absolute must-win? The Steelers needed to win that game and get some help from the Browns in order to make the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joe Haden chats with Steeler Nation after beating the Patriots Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018, at the Heinz Field, Pittsburgh.
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Rooney was quoted right after the season that he had “a hard time imagining” Brown back with the Steelers for training camp. I thought that statement wasn’t nearly strong enough, but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I was willing to believe that the Steelers finally understand that some players aren’t worth the trouble. Sometimes a team needs to get rid of players — no matter how talented — in order to take a step forward. Brown has been with the Steelers for nine seasons now and has put up big numbers. It hasn’t translated to a lot of winning when it matters, but he does have great stats.

That was all about a month ago and it seemed clear that Brown was going to be sent elsewhere for the good of the team. It was going to be the dawn of a new era with the Steelers, absent of two of the three Killer B’s and also absent of all the drama and nonsense they bring with them.

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Fast forward to today, and I’m not so sure that the Steelers have learned their lesson. There are now reports leaking out that the market for Brown might not be what they had hoped and that they aren’t likely to get as much in return for him as they want. And at the Pro Bowl, team leaders like Cam Hewyard, Maurkice Pouncey and JuJu Smith-Schuster have been quoted as saying they really want him back.

That is a bad sign and one that suggests maybe this Steelers-Brown divorce may not happen after all, and that would be a huge mistake. Here is some advice for Rooney, Kevin Colbert, Tomlin and whoever makes decisions over there — trade this dude regardless of what you get in return for him. You have money to spend, you can replace a receiver and you will go a long way toward sending a very clear message to your players and your fans that you are serious about winning.

The Steelers need to understand what winning teams — like the Patriots, as much as it pains me to say — have figured out long ago: Take a little less “talent” over a selfish, narcissistic player who doesn’t care to put the team first.

I keep hearing Brown’s apologists cite his work ethic and practice habits as proof that he does care about winning. He cares about Team Brown winning and if that happens to lead to a Steelers win, well that’s cool, too.

James Conner picks up first-down yardage against the Browns Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018, at FirstEnergy Stadium.
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The Patriots have won a zillion games the last three years and have done so with a cast of characters that looks like that Washington team from the movie “The Replacements.” They have a great quarterback, an all-world tight end and a group of guys like Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan, who care only about winning games and doing whatever it takes to win them. They look for good football players, high IQ football players and players who are winners that care about the team first.

The Steelers have replaced Le’Veon Bell with two young football players who both seem committed to improving. They have a young player in Smith-Schuster who appears to be ready to be the No. 1 receiver. They have a number of other players, like Ryan Switzer, who may not have all the measurables but just make winning plays at critical times.

It has been proven that teams can and do win without superstars at every position. That’s especially true when those superstars are selfish, destructive and provide constant distractions. The Steelers will be less talented without Brown no matter the replacement, but if they find the right kind of player with the right kind of attitude, they will be much better off in the long run.

My only hope is that the last few seasons, all of which the Steelers have underachieved, have taught Rooney and company as well as that the kind of players you have in the locker room is usually as important as how much talent they have.

First Published: January 25, 2019, 4:31 p.m.

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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talks with Antonio Brown as they take on the Panthers in the third quarter Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, at Heinz Field.  (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)
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