MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 02: JuJu Smith-Schuster of the Pittsburgh Steelers attends SiriusXM at Super Bowl LII Radio Row at the Mall of America on February 2, 2018 in Bloomington, Minnesota. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
The Pittsburgh Steelers delivered their first win of the season in primetime last week, dismantling their AFC rival Cincinnati Bengals 27-3 on Monday Night Football.
But one question still remained — what exactly was Juju Smith-Schuster doing after the game?
Smith-Schuster was mic’d up and repeatedly bugged his teammates about their postgame plans, even asking kicker Chris Boswell about his dating life.
RT if I should be mic’d up every game 👀🤣
“I’m a young guy. I just came home, got some treatment in, played some Fortnite,” said Smith-Schuster, who might be the most notable gamer in the NFL. “Just hung out and chilled.”
But on a more serious note, the Steelers star was pumped for the team to put a tally in the win column and spoke of the importance of keeping pace in what has become a hyper-competitive AFC North.
“It feels great to finally have some positive vibes in the locker room,” Smith-Schuster said in a phone interview with Heavy. “Being 0-3 was tough for us. And it wasn’t just a win, it was a divisional one in the AFC North.”
The Steelers will look to make it two-in-a-row against another divisional opponent in the Ravens on Sunday. Smith-Schuster is a game-time decision with a toe injury.
Although they missed the playoffs a year ago, the Steelers haven’t finished worse than second in the AFC North since 2012. Last season was the first year since 2013 that Pittsburgh finished with less than double-digit wins. It will be an uphill battle for the Steelers to match their past success with likely future Hall of Fame QB Ben Roethlisberger out for the season.
“It’s a tough division. The past few years we have kind of been the dominators, but this year, really everyone is good. It’s stacked,” Smith-Schuster said. “Our division is really, really tough. Those are the most physical games I have played in during my career. All these guys are really dawgs, so it will be interesting to see where we end up.”
Juju Smith-Schuster on the Wildly Talented AFC North Wide Receivers
JuJu Smith-Schuster has never been one to hold back when it comes to showing his personality.
The AFC North produced a trio of Pro Bowl wide receivers last year in Smith-Schuster, Jarvis Landry and current free agent Antonio Brown. While Brown is obviously gone now, the division saw the arrival of Odell Beckham Jr. via a blockbuster trade by Cleveland and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to the Ravens as a first-round pick in the draft.
Smith-Schuster isn’t shying away from the challenge of being the top pass-catcher in the division — both in terms of production and celebrations.
“Having Odell, Jarvis, A.J. Green, [John] Ross, Hollywood Brown in this division — all those guys are playmakers,” Smith-Schuster said. “It’s pretty cool man. It’s all about who scores and can come up with the best celebration.”
Beckham has had some good ones in his career, but Juju should be considered the favorite for what he’s pulled off lately.
Smith-Schuster hasn’t been shy about showing his personality, which has made him a fan-favorite not only in Pittsburgh, but around the league. He’s one of the most marketable players in the NFL thanks to his patented smile and willingness to be himself — which was especially evident during the MNF mic’d up segment.
“It’s a huge part of it for me. Us NFL players, we wear helmets. We are barely being seen on our stage, as opposed to a soccer or basketball players, where they have no helmet or guard on,” Smith-Schuster said. “So when I’m mic’d up, that’s just how I am. That’s just my personality. It’s awesome to get to show who we really are.”
Smith-Schuster is also half-Samoan and has stayed in touch with his Polynesian roots through the aptly named Polynesian Bowl — a prestigious high school all-star game in Hawaii. He recently announced that Adidas would be providing the apparel for the game.
Aloha, big news everybody! The @polynesiabowl is now with the 3 Stripes! Big things coming! @adidasFballUS #createdwithadidas #PolyBowl
“It’s so amazing. For me, it means so much not only because I’m an Adidas guy, but because I’m half Samoan,” Smith-Schuster said. “I try to go there every year to give back.”
Juju Smith-Schuster Airs His Thoughts on Dirty Laundry
Smith-Schuster was ready to air his dirty laundry, but fortunately for the Steelers star wide receiver, there’s not much of it to talk about.
Smith-Schuster filled us in on the Tide “Laundry Night debate,” which has allegedly been settled.
He revealed that pretty much every day is laundry day around his place due to purely the volume that he has to deal with — unless it’s game day, of course.
“Honestly, I do my laundry every night with Tide — except for days I’m playing,” Smith-Schuster said. “I just have so many pairs of clothes that I have to do it or my pile just keeps getting bigger and bigger.”
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