JuJu Smith-Schuster Agrees with Jalen Ramsey: 'I'll Never Be Antonio Brown'

Jalen Ramsey doesn't think JuJu Smith-Schuster is on Antonio Brown's level.

Smith-Schuster apparently agrees—for now.  

"He's right, though," Smith-Schuster told reporters Sunday of Ramsey's comments. "I'm not Antonio Brown. I'll never be Antonio Brown. I am myself. I'm JuJu Smith-Schuster. I'm not as good as him yet. I think I still have time to proceed to get to his level. But we're two totally different persons."

Ramsey said Friday that his matchup with Smith-Schuster was not on the same level as his past battles with Brown, the free-agent wideout who spent his first nine NFL seasons in Pittsburgh. The Los Angeles Rams cornerback helped hold Smith-Schuster to three receptions for 44 yards in the 17-12 Pittsburgh victory. 

"No disrespect to him, he's not Antonio Brown," Ramsey said. "I matched up with Antonio there for two years, and that was a good battle, and I held my own in those battles, and yeah, now I'm going up against a different person, different body type, different receiver a little bit. He can make plays."

Smith-Schuster became the Steelers' No. 1 target when they traded Brown to the Oakland Raiders last offseason. A season-ending injury to Ben Roethlisberger and Smith-Schuster's own struggles to acclimate to the No. 1 role has led to him putting up disappointing numbers (36 receptions, 503 yards, three touchdowns) in his first nine games as a top target.

Ramsey, meanwhile, is in the midst of his own transition after a midseason trade to the Rams from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Smith-Schuster said he's noticed a difference in Ramsey's role. 

"He talks a lot," Smith-Schuster. "He talks so much. He said so many cuss words I've never heard of, and I'm 22 years old. He's a good player, man.

"It's a lot different than him being in Jacksonville, where he's able to do whatever he wants. Over here, he has to pretty much do what he's told. He has to listen to [Eric] Weddle. It's different. It's a great experience. I wish we had more balls thrown at us, but it's hard when you're double-teamed."

Despite learning the system on the fly, Ramsey has performed at a Pro Bowl level since coming to L.A. The change of scenery has clearly given him comfort to speak his mind about the opposition on a more regular basis after quieting that rhetoric down a bit late in his Jacksonville tenure.