5 reasons the Steelers will make playoffs without Antonio Brown

OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 09: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers watches his team during warm ups before the game against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Coliseum on December 9, 2018 in Oakland, California. The Oakland Raiders defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-21. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /

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PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 02: Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin cheers as he enters the field before an NFL football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers at Heinz Field on December 2, 2018 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

4. The Steelers can focus on football

Somewhere, Mike Tomlin has to be giddy at the prospect of coaching a team that doesn’t include Bell or Brown next season. He might miss their talent at times, but he’s not going to miss the day-to-day drama that accompanied both stars.

Expect that effect to extend to quite a few of his players as well. Most of the roster seemed to like Brown as a person, but answering questions about him on a daily basis from the media simply had to grow tiring to a lot of Steelers. They’ll need to answer some questions about Brown’s departure early in the 2019 season, but eventually those inquiries will melt away.

Once they do, the Steelers can do something they haven’t been able to do in years. They can let attention on football dominate their collective psyche. That’s going to music to Tomlin’s ears. He’ll revel in the chance to immerse himself into a team that is focused on the nuances of the NFL game.

Now Pittsburgh fans should expect Brown’s departure to cure everything wrong with the roster, but don’t be surprised to see guys smiling a little more often in 2019. It’s difficult to calculate how much Brown’s drama bothered the team, but it’s obvious his antics had some negative effect on quite a few teammates.

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