irk Franklin played as Antonio Brown approached his locker on Thursday
Len Dawson Jersey , an intentionally apt choice by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker/DJ Vince Williams to address the latest bit of drama surrounding his superstar teammate.Brown heard the song and laughed. Then the All-Pro wide receiver stepped in front of his stall and turned to face the cameras. The music stopped. The smile faded. In its place? A mix of frustration, defiance and — he insists — remorse.Yes, he's upset the Steelers are winless through two games. Yes, he probably shouldn't have responded to criticism on social media from a former team employee by suggesting the team trade him if it wants to find out how productive he can be without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.No, he doesn't actually want to get out of Pittsburgh. No, he doesn't have an issue with offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner. And as for his demeanor during a 42-37 loss to Kansas City last Sunday? Sorry, but he's never going to apologize for letting his emotions bubble over when things aren't going well."We haven't won a game yet," Brown said. "For me, as a Steeler, that's unacceptable. I'm not on the sideline begging for the ball, or making statements like you guys make. I'm pissed off. We're losing. We suck."Pittsburgh (0-1-1) is off to its worst start in five years heading into Monday night's visit to Tampa Bay. That's the problem, Brown insisted. His visible anger — he was caught slouching off the field following a late touchdown drive by Roethlisberger against the Chiefs and shouting at Fichtner on the sideline — is a direct result of the team's record. And that's all."Our business is winning," Brown said. "We're not winning. And when we don't win, I'm pissed off because I take it serious. A lot of time goes into this. A lot of hard work and effort."Brown finished with nine receptions for 67 yards and is tied for the team lead with 18 catches through two games. He's on pace for another statistically remarkable season. Yet the six-time Pro Bowler stressed he is far less concerned about his numbers than helping the Steelers get it together."I'm in the spotlight so you guys going to always put me under the microscope, but I'm a (passionate) individual," Brown said. "I can't fake the way I feel. I can't hide the way I feel. If it wasn't important to me, I'd just say it don't matter. But I'm not that type of guy who's just around here cashing checks and don't care. This means something to me."An approach his teammates and coaches understand, which is why Fichtner wasn't bothered when cameras caught Brown shouting in Fichtner's direction on the sideline late in the fourth quarter against the Chiefs."I've known AB a long time and to be honest, I didn't think about it like (people would think we were arguing) until later," Fichtner said. "But I want him to be passionate and I want his communication."Brown, however, isn't always in the mood to share his thoughts. When Pittsburgh's late rally fell short, Brown skipped out of the postgame locker room before the media entered. He then missed mandatory meetings on Monday for what he described as personal reasons. He said he informed coach Mike Tomlin that he wouldn't be into work, and the two had what Tomlin called a lengthy meeting on Tuesday to discuss the matter.While Brown didn't make it to the team facility on Monday, he did find time to tweet "trade me lets find out" after a former Steelers employee suggested Brown should be thankful he has the chance to play with Roethlisberger. No one took Brown's post seriously, particularly not Brown.Still, he understands taking to social media to vent might not be the best course of action going forward."Obviously it was a stupid remark online (by me)," Brown said. "I've just got to stay away from online with the distractions and letting people getting me out of my character."The Steelers disciplined Brown for undisclosed reasons
Mitch Morse Jersey , but Brown indicated he will jog onto the field with the rest of the starters in Tampa Bay. He'll also try to stop adding to a steady stream of off-the-field issues that have consistently popped up for the two-time defending AFC North champions."I can't respond to people that's saying crazy stuff," Brown said. "I've got to do a more important job, to be focused on what's important and what's important now is for us to win." Browns owner Jimmy Haslam finally tried the patient approach with his head coach.That didn't work either.Haslam made his fourth coaching change since 2012 by firing Hue Jackson, who won just three of 40 games over two-plus seasons and then lost his job because of a feud with offensive coordinator Todd Haley that went public and threatened to turn a promising season into another one of those Cleveland catastrophes.Haslam fired Jackson and Haley within hours of each other on Monday, a day after the Browns (2-5-1) lost their 25th consecutive road game 鈥?one shy of the NFL record."Hopefully, we made a big step today," Haslam said. "It is hard to win in the NFL. If anybody knows that, it is us. I think the message today is we are not going to put up with internal discord. We want people who are collaborative and work together."As for his poor track record in finding coaches, Haslam offered no excuses."I will accept the blame because ultimately, it is the person at the head of the ship," he said. "I will take the blame as ownership. I can't explain it more than that. We have had different situations with different people. I know that it is something that we are not going to tolerate moving forward."Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is Cleveland's interim coach, and running backs coach Freddie Kitchens will take over for Haley.Haslam said Williams, who coached Buffalo from 2001-03, was the only in-house candidate considered to finish the season. While Williams has extensive experience and won a Super Bowl, he also has a checkered past. He was suspended by the league for a full season in 2012 for his role in the "Bountygate" scandal that rocked the New Orleans Saints.Haslam said it's premature to consider the next coaching hire for the Browns, who are 22-81-1 since he and his wife, Dee, agreed to buy the franchise in 2012.The main objective now is to get through the season's second half, beginning with a matchup on Sunday against the high-scoring, Kansas City Chiefs (7-1)."We will have a collaborative effort in everything that we do here," Haslam said when asked about a search for the team's ninth coach since 1999. "Right now, we are focused on the next eight games and Gregg and his staff winning as many of those games that we can."There are already names floating around as potential candidates to be Cleveland's next coach, including Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley, who coached Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield in college."Not right now," Riley said of his interest in jumping to the NFL. "You sit here and answer these questions and I always want to be truthful. The truth is for me is, I love Oklahoma. I love coaching here. I love college football. I certainly don't have that itch right now."Just three weeks ago, the Browns, who went 0-16 last season under Jackson
Chris Jones Jersey , appeared to have turned the corner following an overtime win against Baltimore.But things unraveled quickly, thrust in the wrong direction by a power struggle between Jackson and Haley, who joined Cleveland's staff this season after six in Pittsburgh. Following a loss at Tampa Bay last week, Jackson aimed blame at Haley by offering to help the team's offense.Haley publicly said he wasn't offended by the remarks. But Jackson's comments seemed to widen a divide between the coaches, who had disagreed on players getting days off during training camp and whether wide receiver Josh Gordon deserved to start the opener.In order to salvage the season, Haslam and general manager John Dorsey felt change was necessary.Without pointing fingers, Dorsey said there's only one way to stop the in-fighting."Treat people the way they want to be treated," he said. "Come into work every day willing to work. Love what you do. Just take ownership in what you are doing. Come to work every day and treat people the way you want to be treated."Jackson's the sixth straight Cleveland coach to be fired following the team's second game against Pittsburgh. Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Pat Shurmur, Rob Chudzinski and Mike Pettine all met the same demise, but they were let go following the season's final game.Haslam wouldn't get into any specifics about the "'discord" between Jackson and Haley."We made the decision to move on, and it was far bigger than who was going to call plays," Haslam said. "Unfortunately, sometimes, the best plans don't work out, and in this case, they didn't. We were optimistic and hopeful that they would."Jackson was hired in 2016 by the Haslams, who stuck by him despite a 1-15 record in his first season and then last season's debacle. His failures were always explained away with excuses: not enough talent, injuries, bad luck, a disconnection with the front office.Haslam thought hiring a high-profile coordinator like Haley would help Jackson.In the end, it was his undoing."Unfortunately, sometimes the best plans do not work out," Haslam said. "In this case, they did not. We were optimistic and hopeful that they would, but they did not work out."