
There's no love lost between divisional rivals. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns don't like each other, and that might extend beyond their fan bases.
That's why former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin didn't waste an opportunity to take a shot at the Browns after their tough season opener.
Tomlin channeled his inner JuJu Smith-Schuster and brought back his infamous "Browns is the Browns" diss when asked about his AFC North foes.
Considering that, new coach Todd Monken made sure to send a diplomatic dart Tomlin's way, seeming to let him know he's not even in the league anymore.
“Everybody's afforded their opinions. That's what you do when you go from coaching to television. We have to own that. We didn't play very well. I don't see it that way, Browns being Browns. Every week is different. Every team is different. We just didn't play well,” Monken said (h/t Ari Meirov). “That's one week. That's not Browns being Browns. That's Browns playing poorly on one week.”
#Browns HC Todd Monken on Mike Tomlin saying “Browns is the Browns” on NBC:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 15, 2026
“Everybody’s afforded their opinions. That’s what you do when you go from coaching to television. … It’s one week. That’s not Browns being Browns; that’s Browns playing poorly for one week.” https://t.co/F7meVJ1r0n pic.twitter.com/xu5vEhNMxr
To be fair, Tomlin would probably be at the top of several teams' wishlists if he decided to return from his sabbatical.
That said, it's also worth remembering that Smith-Schuster said that right before losing to the Browns in the playoffs, and the Steelers haven't won a playoff game since 2017.
Then again, the Browns didn't do themselves any favors in Week 1, and they'll have to do plenty of heavy lifting to flip the narrative against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
For now, they'll just have to take those punches and prepare to silence the critics.
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