FOXBORO, Mass. -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was Antonio Brown's teammate for nine seasons, but Big Ben clearly is done talking about the controversial wide receiver.
Brown was traded from the Steelers to the Oakland Raiders in March. The 31-year-old was a distraction for the Steelers and they ultimately decided to go in a different direction despite his All-Pro production. It didn't take long for Brown to wear out his welcome in Oakland, and he was released Saturday. The New England Patriots were quick to sign Brown, adding an elite talent to an already loaded receiving corps.
The Patriots dominated the Steelers 33-3 in their season opener Sunday night at Gillette Stadium. Roethlisberger was asked about Brown after the game, and the veteran quarterback was quick to dismiss it.
Question: Any thoughts on Antonio Brown joining the Patriots now?
Roethlisberger: Whatever.
Steelers players in the locker room similarly uninterested in talking about their former teammate, choosing to instead focus on the players who are on the team and what they must do to bounce back from an embarrassing defeat.
New England Patriots
Brown has moved on, and so have the Steelers, but his impact on their offense isn't likely to go away anytime soon.
It was clear Sunday night that Brown's absence made the Steelers offense far less dangerous and easier to slow down. The Steelers' top wideout, JuJu Smith-Schuster, was locked up by Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore with ease, thus taking away Roethlisberger's only real threat in the passing game. Pittsburgh has plenty of work to do to figure out how it will create a high-scoring offense without an elite receiver of Brown's caliber.
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