NASHVILLE, Tenn. — “He’s our No. 1 receiver.”
This was Ben Roethlisberger. Two weeks ago. And although two additional games have accumulated for the Steelers since then, along with tons of additional passing yards, passing touchdowns, route-running and targeting, there’s no cause to believe his stance has changed.
Funny thing, though: Anyone who wasn’t paying attention the day Ben spoke those words, I’ll bet, would be hard-pressed to name which wide receiver he was identifying.
But that’s OK. I’ll play fair and toss a couple hints.
This receiver ranks, on the team:
• First with 5.3 catches per game
• Second with 46.5 yards per game
• Tied for second with three touchdowns
• First with 42 total targets
• Third with 6.6 yards per target
Still not exactly leaping out, huh?
Fine, one more: He creates an average of 3.3 yards of separation from his nearest defender at the time of the catch or incompletion, the best such mark on the team ... by a single decimal point.
Give up?
Is it Diontae Johnson?
Nope, but he's close or ahead on all counts.
Chase Claypool?
Not yet, apparently.
No, it’s JuJu Smith-Schuster.
JuJu's No. 1 in Ben’s public estimation, No. 1 on the roster in experience and tenure despite being only 23 years old, No. 1 in a lot of Pittsburghers’ hearts for his playful profile on social media ... but No. 1 on the depth chart? Or when game-planning and scripting drives?
You know, maybe he is. All it takes is a cursory glance at the above metrics to make a reasonable case.
But maybe he isn't. And maybe, more to the point, no one should be.
Look, I get that Ben has a voice in this, to say the least. And that Ben’s remark might’ve referenced JuJu's No. 1 in terms of his status here or his leadership. For what it's worth, the remark did come in the context of JuJu appearing to be positively giddy in the locker room after Claypool's four-touchdown masterwork against the Eagles earlier this month, a game in which JuJu had four catches for 28 yards.
As Ben put it then, and this time I'll present the full quote: "I wasn't sure what the demeanor was going to be from the other receivers. Obviously, Chase had an amazing day. I looked over at JuJu to see what his reaction was. He's our No. 1 receiver. He had the biggest smile on his face, and it wasn't because Chase was there with him. Chase wasn't even next to him. He had the biggest smile. He was having fun with other guys. I can't say enough about him and what that meant to me, what it meant to other guys, how proud we are of him that he truly was happy for Chase. He was happy that we won the game. Did he have huge stats? No. But we won the game and that's all that mattered."
Zero issue with Ben on this front. It’s part of any quarterback’s job, to an extent, to manage that group from afar. He’s best equipped to push such buttons.
Until, of course, this occurs:
And this:
That, my friends, is a quarterback aiming to achieve a self-fulfilling prophecy.
There was more where that came from, too, in the Steelers’ 27-24 victory over the Titans here Sunday. JuJu was targeted 14 times and performed mostly well when he found daylight, finishing with nine catches for 85 yards. But there also were seven passes, by my count, that Ben jammed into the tightest of tight spots, like the examples above, and he was lucky to have avoided more than just the interception above.
Being blunt, JuJu generally doesn’t find much daylight. He never has, not even going back to college. His game's always been about battling for the ball through traffic and, in fairness, he's been very good at that. Now, I'll duly note here that this stance is not supported by the NFL’s Next Gen stats, which measure the receiver's average separation from the nearest defender at the time of a catch or incompletion -- JuJu leads Diontae, 3.3 yards to 3.2 yards -- but I'll insist that's because of the abundance of east-west passes thrown JuJu's way, with defenders well off the line.
Who's the best of the starting three?
Diontae's data is strikingly similar to JuJu's:
• Second with 4.8 catches per game
• Third with 45.4 yards per game
• Tied for second with three touchdowns
• Second with 41 total targets
• Fourth with 5.5 yards per target
Claypool's, predictably, is nothing of the kind, since his averages scream to the extremes, notably the 13.3 yards per target ... albeit on just 25 targets. And Sunday, with the Titans setting up their fossilized secondary several miles off the line of scrimmage, Claypool was basically erased from the playbook, limited to a single target in addition to a deep ball that drew a defensive pass interference.
If anyone's waiting for some firm answer here, it won't be forthcoming. I haven't got it.
Other than to reiterate that forcing the ball to JuJu, possibly to make some kind of broader point, definitely isn't it.
When Ben was asked here Sunday if, since JuJu was targeted 14 times and Diontae 15 times, the latter fresh off an injury, there might've been a concerted effort on his part to get either more involved. "Nope," came the response, "not at all."
That was it. No elaboration. Nothing at all like his other responses after the game.
When further asked about the interception I showed you up there, the one where JuJu was engulfed by enough Titans to form a small bar band on Broadway, he blamed himself only for the throw, not the decision.
"I'll take my ... I'll take JuJu down the middle on a linebacker," Ben said. "I’ve just got to get it about 6 inches higher on his back shoulder."
Or he could have dumped it underneath to Diontae, who had no blue shirt anywhere near him. Or to Eric Ebron, also running with a linebacker. Or to James Washington, abandoned in the right corner of the end zone.
Mike Tomlin backed his quarterback, saying, "It's NFL football. We play to win. We don't live in our fears. Is it a combat play? Is it tight? Yes, we have a quarterback that's been doing that for 17 years."
JuJu did, too, saying, "Yeah, I was glad Ben threw it. Obviously, Ben trusted to throw the ball there and that's a play I have to make for myself, just go over and grab it over his shoulder and his back. But, no, I knew I had the ball in my hands and they just -- they broke it up and had a good play."
Not remotely true. JuJu didn't have a prayer at that ball. Or others sent his way.
When this offense has been the most efficient, it's because Ben's taken the play the opponent's made available to him. Not the play he wished was available. Not the play to the receiver he'd hoped to make happy for whatever reason.
I'm not one to focus on faux narratives. Heaven knows there've been enough of those about this football franchise in recent years, and I was reluctant to write this column on that count alone. But the combination of Ben's original comment, then JuJu's season totals being doubled in the interim, then the defensiveness this weekend after he plainly took it too far ... it's beyond obvious what's happening.
Ben's done well. JuJu's done well. Diontae's done well. Claypool's done well. There are enough catches for all concerned, and there's plainly been enough professionalism to carry through any anomalies.
Leave well enough alone.