Great news for JuJu Smith-Schuster: He’s got another outlet on social media. TikTok, whatever that is.
Who knows? Maybe one of these days JuJu’s performance on the field will catch up to his non-stop, machine gun-style branding on Twitter, Instagram, etc. Perhaps JuJu will yet be a No. 1 WR in addition to being an endorsement junkie.
Or not.
JuJu is not playing up to the standard needed in the absence of Antonio Brown. JuJu had one catch in the Steelers’ most recent game, a 24-17 win at Los Angeles Oct. 13. He fumbled away victory in a 26-23 OT loss to visiting Baltimore Oct. 6.
Pittsburgh’s whiny, entitled millennials revel in JuJu “living his best life.”
When will JuJu play his best football? We haven’t seen that in quite some time.
Yeah, QB Ben Roethlisberger is out. The offense has gone conservative. The running backs are the receivers, and the receivers are just decoys. That’s all true.
It’s also just excuses. No. 1 WRs find a way to impact the game. (Maybe JuJu just isn’t a No. 1 WR. Maybe talent and acumen are problems. Maybe he's a victim of the Peter Principle.)
The Steelers are 2-4. We imagine they’re still in the AFC North race, but they’re not. It’s just pretending. (It’s different if JuJu doesn’t fumble against the Ravens.)
But looking at JuJu, you would think the Steelers are 6-0. He is LIT. He’s always dancing and smiling. There’s a charity luau coming up, I’m told.
It’s time for JuJu to step up. Will he?
Sure he will. On TikTok. Not on the field. JuJu’s priorities are well-established.
Does the branding detract from the football? We’re never going to find out, because the branding will never take a back seat.
JuJu missed practice yesterday due to “illness.” I’ve got four holes in my belly, and I showed up at work today. Post that on TikTok.
Courtesy of Getty Images.