Pittsburgh Steelers: How valuable is return to normalcy?

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger recently noted looking forward to returning to ‘normalcy’ but how valuable will that be to the team?

The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering the 2019 season by turning the page to a new chapter in the franchise’s history. This is a new chapter that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is apparently quite ready for, saying to the media (per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler) recently that he was ready for a return to “normalcy.” Furthermore, Roethlisberger called the last few years “crazy.”

It’s not hard to decipher what the franchise quarterback in Pittsburgh is referring to. Le’Veon Bell, now with the New York Jets by way of free agency, spent the last two seasons in a heated contract dispute with the Steelers that resulted in him missing the entire 2018 season. Meanwhile, Antonio Brown, who was traded to the Oakland Raiders this offseason, reportedly caused plenty of drama within the locker room.

Now that those two pieces have been removed from the equation in Pittsburgh, it’s not difficult to ascertain why Roethlisberger would think that things can get back to normal. And, given what we know about the Bell and Brown situations, it’s hard not to think that he’s right in his assessment of the situation in the wake of those departures.

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The bigger question, however, is just how valuable that return to normalcy is for the Steelers. Does that mean that the drama was holding them back from making a playoff run? Or does a return to “normalcy” not outweigh losing two of the most talented skill position players in the NFL?

Without seeing anything on the field, it’s impossible to answer either of those questions. With that said, it’s undoubtedly worth noting that the Steelers have readymade replacements for Bell and Brown with James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster, respectively. In Bell’s absence last year, Conner stepped in and put forth a head-turning effort. Meanwhile, Smith-Schuster emerged as a nearly equally productive receiver playing alongside Brown in the offense.

For Conner, the big question will certainly be in regards to his health as he showed some wear and tear down the stretch last season, limiting his productivity. As for Smith-Schuster, the question is how productive he can be when defenses aren’t forced to also pay attention to Brown in the passing game.

In regards to the notion of “normalcy”, though, perhaps being able to focus solely on football within the Steelers locker room will help make answering those questions easier. It’s certainly not unreasonable to think that the situations with Bell and Brown took away some of the team’s focus last season, leading to some signs of under-performance.

There’s a possibility that this is all conjecture on the part of Roethlisberger, that the chemistry element is overblown and that the team looks lesser without Bell and Brown in the fold. But then again, maybe it’s not.