Mark Madden: Steelers locker room leaders need to prioritize winning mindset

In 2013, as a rookie, Le’Veon Bell rushed for 860 yards. That season was Antonio Brown’s fourth. He had his best year to date with 110 catches. These were two rare talents. It seemed inevitable the Pittsburgh Steelers would return to the Super Bowl.

But, not long after, I proclaimed on my radio show the Steelers had zero chance to win with Bell and Brown. The Toxic Twins were too selfish and had too much baggage. It permeated the locker room, sabotaged leadership and made it impossible to jell.

Despite those two rare talents, a nailed-on Hall-of-Fame quarterback, a coach with a ring and plenty of other assets, the best the Steelers did in the Bell/Brown era was a 19-point loss to New England in the 2016 season’s AFC championship game.

In the Toxic Twins’ five years together, the Steelers made the playoffs four times and had a 3-4 postseason record. Much better was possible, except it really wasn’t.

Now it’s easy to wonder if the Steelers’ culture has been changed permanently, made more superficial, and has it rubbed off on the fans?

Mindset used to be one of the Steelers’ biggest strengths. The team had big egos before, like Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward. But when push came to shove, those two (and everybody else) focused on winning.

Ward was a mentality monster. He put winning first. His ego was sometimes a close second, but Ward knew how to win.

Bell and Brown didn’t care at all about winning. Sometimes their individual performances led to winning, but not often enough.

Bell tanked that AFC championship game vs. New England, refusing to return despite being cleared after a minor injury. (Bell thought he would be a free agent that offseason, but the Steelers franchised him instead.) Brown no-showed Week 17 of his final campaign with the Steelers in 2018.

Bell and Brown didn’t care about their teammates beyond being the cool guy in the locker room. That got Bell and Brown liked and made the situation worse.

Bell and Brown were about money, stats, notoriety, branding, social media and rap. If the Steelers won, that was OK, but it didn’t much affect their priorities. Bell and Brown live like they’re in a reality show, not having a football career.

Bell and Brown are gone. But you’d be blind to not see vestiges of that surviving. Not as prevalent, and not as obnoxious. But it’s there, especially with JuJu Smith-Schuster, and especially in terms of branding and social media.

Smith-Schuster and James Conner are refocused, we’re told. So where was the focus last year? Both look like Chippendales now, so alternate careers are possible. Smith-Schuster is employing Khloe Kardashian’s trainer. That’s certainly thick with irony.

The Steelers are more superficial. The mindset isn’t what it was. (To be fair, these symptoms exist league-wide. It’s too late to wear masks.)

Can coach Mike Tomlin and locker-room leadership reverse the trend now that the Steelers are a year-plus clear of Brown? The Steelers haven’t made the playoffs in two seasons. That’s another reversal that needs navigated. The Steelers have three postseason victories in nine years. This isn’t the franchise it used to be.

Yeah, I know: DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE! Hey, which one is Mean Joe Greene?

The fans buy into the new Steelers mindset. Smith-Schuster and Conner are revered despite having accomplished very little because Smith-Schuster so expertly brands on social media, and Conner went to Pitt and beat cancer.

The Steelers went 8-8 last year. Smith-Schuster’s catches dropped from 111 to 42. (Duck Hodges’ fault, right? But how come Diontae Johnson did so well?) Smith-Schuster also fumbled away a win vs. Baltimore that cost the Steelers a playoff spot.

Injuries limited Conner to 10 games. He gained 464 yards and had just one game where he ran for more than 55. Smith-Schuster was disappointing. Conner was rancid.

But Smith-Schuster and Conner are heroes. Remember when you used to want the Steelers to win?

Despite the last two seasons, you do think the Steelers will win in 2020. Fans predict 10, 11, even 12 wins, and many of the media cheerfully agree. That’s based on the return of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger from elbow surgery. That will be a huge factor.

So why do I feel like so many of you can’t wait to blame Roethlisberger if the Steelers fail?

Roethlisberger will play well, but many holes exist. A record of 9-7 seems right. That may or may not get the No. 7 playoff seed. That gets you slaughtered by Kansas City or Baltimore.