Smith-Schuster fires up foes through jigs and digs

Say this about Ju-Ju Smith-Schuster: he certain is aware of how you can hearth up foes by jigs and digs alike.

Baker Mayfield trolled the Steelers star Sunday evening, bellowing, “The Browns is the Browns!” as he hurried to hitch his delirious teammates following Cleveland’s 48-37 AFC wild card win at Pittsburgh.

Within the leadup to the sport, Smith-Schuster was requested if this yr’s Browns have been any totally different than these in years previous after their AFC North rival had ended an 18-year playoff drought.

He mentioned he thought “they’re nonetheless the identical Browns groups I play yearly” and whereas they’d expertise, “the Browns is the Browns.”

Not anymore. The Browns snapped their 17-game dropping streak at Heinz Subject with their first street playoff win since 1969.

“You already know, I don’t remorse what I mentioned,” Smith-Schuster allowed afterward. “I mentioned the Browns is the Browns. They got here out and so they performed a hell of a sport. You already know, there’s been video games the place we really feel we lose them and right this moment wasn’t our evening and hopefully the identical Browns will present up subsequent week … and exit and do the identical factor they did tonight and have a hell of a sport.”

The sixth-seeded Browns (12-5) go to top-seeded Kansas Metropolis (14-2) Sunday and the Steelers face an earlier-than-expected reckoning after following their franchise-best 11-0 begin with 5 losses of their final six video games.

Final month, the Payments and Bengals took exception to Smith-Schuster’s behavior of dancing on different groups’ midfield logos earlier than video games and posting the movies on TikTok.

“That turns you up a bit bit,” Buffalo security Jordan Energy mentioned after the Payments’ 26-15 win over Pittsburgh in Week 14. “Will get you a second itch to play with some additional hearth.”

Per week later, Smith-Schuster’s dance routine on the Bengals’ logo was recorded by teammate Chase Claypool. Then, Smith-Schuster caught simply three passes for 15 yards in a 27-17 loss at Cincinnati. He additionally coughed up the soccer on a booming hit from Bengals security Vonn Bell.

Coach Mike Tomlin didn’t like Smith-Schuster’s dancing, not as a result of it motivated opponents however as a result of it was a common signal of disrespect on the gridiron.

“For the betterment of myself and my teammates, I’m going to cease dancing on the logos,” Smith-Schuster declared after that loss to Cincinnati.

What he continued doing, nonetheless, was firing up his opponents.

And even a day after they have been eradicated from the playoffs, the Steelers have been still talking smack concerning the Browns: Claypool went stay on TikTok to say, “Dangerous loss, however the Browns are gonna get clapped subsequent week, so it’s all good.”

There have been a number of different notable calls because the NFL continued its pandemic season by the primary spherical of the expanded playoffs, together with coaches Mike Tomlin of the Steelers and Mike Vrabel of the Titans making head-scratching choices to punt within the fourth quarter whereas attempting to finish comebacks.

An enormous determination got here Monday evening in New England, the place the Patriots missed the postseason for the primary time since 2008.

Invoice Belichick introduced he wouldn’t accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom within the wake of final week’s lethal siege on the U.S. Capitol, saying “remaining true to the individuals, crew and nation I really like outweigh the advantages of any particular person award.”

President Donald Trump had introduced on Saturday, three days after the riots, that he can be awarding Belichick the nation’s highest civilian honor on Thursday — a part of a late flurry of displays that additionally included golfers Annika Sorenstam and Gary Participant.

Sorenstam and Participant accepted their awards in a non-public ceremony the day after Trump supporters, exhorted by the president to go to the Capitol and “battle like hell” towards a “stolen” election, overran and occupied the U.S. Senate and Home of Representatives in an explosive confrontation that left U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick and 4 others useless.

“I used to be flattered … out of respect for what the honour represents and admiration for prior recipients,” the coach mentioned in an announcement, which was forwarded by the Patriots to the Related Press.

“Subsequently, the tragic occasions of final week occurred and the choice has been made to not transfer ahead with the award. Above all, I’m an American citizen with nice reverence for our nation’s values, freedom and democracy. I do know I additionally symbolize my household and the New England Patriots crew.”

In 2016, Trump publicized a letter from Belichick wishing him properly within the election that yr.

Within the aftermath of George Floyd’s dying this summer time, Patriots gamers praised Belichick for offering an open discussion board for them to specific their emotions on race and social injustice in America. In his assertion on Monday, Belichick referred to as that “one of the rewarding issues in my skilled profession.”

Lastly, the New Orleans Saints spurred backlash on social media Sunday for deleting a tweet that confirmed quarterback Drew Brees in a ”#SayHerName” T-shirt. He and his teammates have worn the T-shirts all through the season in pushing for justice for Breonna Taylor, who was killed throughout a police raid in Kentucky final yr.

After the tweet brought about some to imagine the message was in help of the girl who was killed whereas storming the U.S. Capitol final week, the Saints eliminated the put up. They changed it with a photograph of Malcom Jenkins sporting the identical T-shirt together with a proof of why gamers have been sporting them.

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AP Sports activities Author Jimmy Golen in Boston contributed.

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Comply with Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton

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Extra AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL