The Steelers have had offseason training activities this week, and that means a number of the players have met with the media for the first time since the season ended. In general, that has been a reason for the coaching staff and front office to hold their breath and hope nothing nutty or inflammatory is said.

That has been the way things have gone for this team, and it seemed like they embraced the idea that they were “Team Drama.” The Steelers were so drama-filled the past few seasons they were compared, and not in a flattering way, to the Kardashians by tight end Jesse James, who left for the Lions in the offseason.

As a member of the media, I have to be honest — any day the Steelers talked in the past has been a reason to rejoice because it generally meant an easy day of stories that would write themselves. The Steelers were like a train wreck in that many of the things they said were cringe-worthy yet you just couldn’t look away from them.

Alas, this week has been a newer, kinder, gentler version of the Steelers as they are clearly working hard to shed their past image. They have been about as innocuous as any team I can remember, and they have tried hard to stay on this message:

“The past is the past. We wish those guys who aren’t with us the best. We are done talking about 2018 and we are excited about 2019. We are focused on trying to win a Super Bowl.”

Ordinarily, any journalist or media type would say the Steelers were a lot more fun to write about and talk about when they were playing out a daily soap opera. It was much easier to talk about them and write about them when they were sniping at each other and saying crazy things.

There is no doubt the subtraction of Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell has played a large role in decreasing the nonsensical things that are discussed or said out of that locker room. But I disagree with the idea that just eliminating them changes the culture. There were plenty of issues that went on that had nothing to do with either of them, and Ben Roethlisberger was always good for inflammatory comments and passive-aggressive attacks.

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https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...s/201905230110