Mark Madden on JuJu Smith-Schuster: 'He wasn’t unmotivated, he was unfocused'

Some sports are starting to play without fans. Golf. NASCAR. Soccer. How can the four major North American sports — and the NCAA — learn from what they are seeing so far?

That’s how Mark Madden and I start off this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast.

Mark has been watching the Bundesliga soccer matches in Germany. We talk about what the NFL should listen for when it comes to potentially trying to pipe in crowd noise. And we analyze some of the optic issues that social-distancing practices put in place. It seems like some of the details about Major League Baseball relaunching may have some of those pitfalls, too.

We’ll see how important the MLB deems that minutia to be.

James Harrison’s “envelope” implication about Mike Tomlin is top of mind, as well. Speaking of distancing, Mark seems to think it’s time for the Steelers to distance themselves from Harrison. I second that.

We get into the Watt Brothers’ tag TV show, too. Mark is getting the feeling they might be onto the verge of overexposing themselves. That discussion has been brought up about JuJu Smith-Schuster in the past. A lot is being made about how motivated Smith-Schuster is this offseason. James Conner, too. Does that matter? Or did they struggle for different reasons last year?

There is a media coverage dynamic there that I think is afoot. I float it past Mark to see if he is on the same page.

It appears he is.

“The worst thing with the fan approach for James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster is that no one will admit that they were crap last year,” Madden says. “And they were crap last year.”

Of Smith-Schuster specifically, Madden said, “He wasn’t unmotivated, he was unfocused.”

On the hockey front, Mark and I discuss the complexities of relaunching the league. I wonder whether some players will pop off with some ill-timed comments like Blake Snell on the baseball side. I’ll get Mark’s opinion on those concerns.

We get into Mark Recchi’s comments comparing Sidney Crosby to Michael Jordan. Hyperbole? Or does Recchi have a point?

We also dive deep into some “what if” theories about Mario Lemieux, the good ol’ days of Pitt sports and the potential return of college football.

And a pointed debate in my household that needs Mark’s feedback: best type of Chinese food takeout.

LISTEN: Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner and more