in today’s day and age of social media when they’re on the receiving end of hundreds andthousands of insults and criticisms on a daily basis." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteBehind the Steel Curtaina Pittsburgh Steelers communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsSteelersOddsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Latest NewsSteelers Film Room2018 NFL Draft AnalysisLatest NewsFiled under:Latest NewsCommentaryIt’s hard to blame professional athletes for being super-sensitive to criticism on social media New Cameron Sutton Jersey ,52commentsIt’s not always easy for players to turn the other cheek in today’s day and age of social media when they’re on the receiving end of hundreds andthousands of insults and criticisms on a daily basis. EDTShareTweetShareShareIt’s hard to blame professional athletes for being super-sensitive to criticism on social media Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY SportsWhen I watched sports as a young child in the 1980s, I assumed most successful athletes were heroes who were embraced in their professional hometowns. Sure, you’d read or hear about the occasional bad relationship between a superstar and the fans and/or media, but they seemed to be the exception. Even former Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who was super-sensitive to fan criticism when he struggled to gain his footing early in his NFL career, had already earned the adulation of the black and gold faithful well-before he won his second-straight Super Bowl MVP award after leading the Steelers to their fourth Lombardi trophy in six seasons back in January of 1980. But Bradshaw was obviously someone who never got over the fan negativity that came at him in the form of boos and, I’m sure, hate mail. Of course, back in those days, fans had to actually sit down and write a letter to a player, buy a stamp, find the nearest mailbox and mail it to the team facility. I’m sure it was hard to sit there as a professional athlete and read dozens of hateful letters that were likely filled with the most vile and evil insults known to the English language. But at least back then, a player could choose not to read his mail if he wanted to maintain a positive vibe. And I’m sure many of the nasty letters that came a player’s way didn’t have a return address and probably didn’t include the person’s name—certainly not their face. Today is different for professional athletes thanks to the advent of social media. Unlike when I was a kid, it’s quite obvious in the modern era that most professional athletes have almost as many critics as they do fans—even the most successful at their sport. Instead of receiving dozens of letters each and every week, they are on the receiving end of hundreds and thousands of Tweets, Facebook comments, etc. Even when a player posts something that has nothing to do with his profession—”Happy Mother’s Day to this beautiful lady who helped make me the man I am today!”—he is often bombarded with the most ridiculous insults—“Does your mom know how much her son sucks at football?”The fans obviously come to play every day on the internet: “Instead of asking us which suit looks better, why don’t you concentrate on catching footballs?” So it simply has to get tiresome to have everything you do on social media related back to your performance on the playing field. It has to wear a person out to have to deal with that stuff on a non-stop basis—we’re talking literally. Therefore Carnell Lake Jersey , it’s almost understandable that someone will lash out at the fans every now and then. Yes, it’s smart to leave that stuff go—quite frankly, I’m impressed by how many actually do turn the other cheek in the face of such ugliness—but players are human, and every now and then, one of them is going to retaliate with a salvo that insults a fan’s intelligence, looks or even his/her bank account. The player almost always comes off looking like the bad guy in this scenario and may even have his account suspended by his bosses. This actually happened to former Steelers safety Mike Mitchell in 2014 after he lashed out at fans via Twitter direct messages. Many say that players should stay away from social media. But that would be asking them to stop engaging in an activity that is omnipresent in society. It’s pointless to say the fans should comport themselves a little better when engaging with professional athletes on social media—for every fan that decided to send players hateful letters back in the old days, there were probably dozens who would have texted the same things if today’s access was a reality. But that doesn’t make the behavior right. That doesn’t mean it’s fair for Joe from Scott Township to get away free and clean after baiting a professional athlete into insulting him on Twitter. Finally, there are players who only have themselves to blame for the constant wave of criticism that comes their way. But most professional athletes don’t deserve that kind of daily negativity. Yes, it’s part of the job. Yes, it comes with the territory. But we all have our breaking points.It’s not always easy to turn the other cheek when you’ve run out of cheeks to turn. DENVER (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers can unnerve plenty of defenses with the NFL’s best pair of pass catchers and the league’s top tight end tandem.Not Denver’s.“We’ve had a tough game every week,” Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said. “We haven’t had any easy games. So, this is just another top offense that we get to see, another great challenge and we’re up for it.”The Steelers (7-2-1), bursting with playmakers in wide receivers Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, tight ends Vance McDonald and Jesse James and running back James Connor, are the third consecutive opponent to bring a winning streak of at least five games into their matchup against the Broncos (4-6).The 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the last team to face that sort of gantlet, wrapping up an 0-14 season with losses to the Raiders Ryan Switzer Jersey , Steelers and Patriots by an average of 40-10.The Broncos snapped the Chargers‘ six-game roll with a stirring comeback last week capped by Brandon McManus‘ field goal as time expired — one game after his errant kick as time expired allowed the Texans to escape with their sixth straight win.“We’ve seen it all already,” Harris said. “Now, it’s just another challenge, another great offense, another great quarterback and receivers. We’ve had some success this year playing the top offenses.”In addition to letting Deshaun Watson and the Texans duck out of Denver with a win, the Broncos had their chances against Jared Goff and the Rams and twice against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. They lost those four games by a combined 12 points.“Close calls against really good football teams,” Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “This is definitely a team that is much better than their record shows. They’re a team that’s kind of sitting there.”Ready to pounce.“They got a big win last week and need to get this win,” Roethlisberger said. “We don’t look at records. We look at going on the road to a tough place to play against a really good football team.”Other subplots in the Steelers’ first trip to Denver since the playoffs following the 2015 season:ORANGE CRUNCHThe Broncos counter Pittsburgh’s dynamite duos with the league’s most prolific pass-rushing pair in Von Miller and rookie Bradley Chubb, both of whom are riding five-game sack streaks.Miller and Chubb have combined for 19 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, 29 QB hits, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception.“It’s unbelievable, maybe the best one in the game right now, those two guys,” Roethlisberger said.MAD SCIENCEMiller is coming off his 100th sack and a key interception that was a game-changer and maybe a season-turner, and he certainly has the attention of the Steelers.“I’ve got nothing but crazy respect for him,” Roethlisberger said. “Such a good football player and he really takes pride in his craft. He’s almost scientific about it.”Miller was the MVP of the Pro Bowl last year Mason Rudolph Jersey , where he was coached by Mike Tomlin in the Steelers staff.“I thought he was an alien,” Tomlin said. “He was a special player among a group of special players. He went by me in the fourth quarter and said, ‘Coach, I got this.’ I watched him take over a Pro Bowl and change the climate inside that stadium.”“An alien?” replied Miller. “Like, which one? There’s Martians with the big head or is it like ‘Alien’ the movie?”ROAD WARRIORSThe Steelers are 15-1-1 in their last 17 road games, though the going has typically been difficult in Denver. Pittsburgh has dropped four of its last five visits to the Mile High City, including a pair of playoff setbacks in 2012 and 2016.“We know it’s a tough place to play,” defensive end Cam Heyward said. “I know I’ve never won a game there and I’ve been around a while. It’s one of those places where, no matter how hot you might think you are, things can change in a minute.”JUJU’S MOJOWhile Brown has caught at least one touchdown in eight consecutive games, it’s the development of Smith-Schuster that’s helped keep Pittsburgh’s offense humming even with running back Le’Veon Bell sitting out the season.Smith-Schuster has 64 receptions for 866 yards and has developed a rapport with Roethlisberger that is paying off in the clutch. He caught four passes in Pittsburgh’s final frenetic two drives last week against Jacksonville, including a leaping 35-yard grab that helped set up the winning touchdown.REPLAY OR REDEMPTION“It’s the best of the best,” Harris said of his matchup with Brown, who got the best of him the last time they lined up against each other three years ago.Brown caught 16 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns, snapping Harris’ streak of 35 games without allowing a score.“I didn’t play well that night,” Harris said. “But I’m ready for Sunday.”