While Ben Roethlisberger is no longer talking about Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster recently decided to do so one last time before the start of the 2019 regular season.

Smith-Schuster, during a recent interview with Sports Illustrated's Michael McKnight, opened up about Brown, his teammate during his first two seasons in Pittsburgh, who the Raiders released on Saturday. Four months ago, Brown lashed out at Smith-Schuster on social media, re-posting a message a then 19-year-old Smith-Schuster sent him via social media asking him for tips and advice on how to be a better receiver. Brown also blamed JuJu's Week 16 fumble against the Saints as the reason why Pittsburgh missed the playoffs in 2018.

"For me, I have no hatred towards him," says Smith-Schuster, whom the Steelers took in the second round after his junior year. "Hate is a strong word to use. The word I use is disappointed. Playing with him for two years, he was a role model. Everything he did, he dominated. I respect his game so much, I wanted to play like him, be great with him. Obviously there were other plans in place. I can't control that."

Bryant McFadden and Ryan Wilson joined me on an emergency podcast to break down the Antonio Brown news. You can listen below:

While JuJu obviously respects Brown's game, it's clear that the team's former No. 1 receiver was not a mentor to Smith-Schuster, who still led the Steelers with 111 receptions for 1,426 yards last season. While he has replaced Brown as Pittsburgh's top wideout, Smith-Schuster is also embracing his new opportunity as a veteran for some of the Steelers' young receivers. While he is still the youngest receiver on Pittsburgh's 53-man roster, the 22-year-old wideout is Pittsburgh's most tenured receiver with regard to playing with Big Ben inside the Steelers' offense.

"The biggest thing for him … he's such a young guy still, but now he's thrust into the role of being a leader on this team to a certain extent in that room," Roethlisberger said of Smith-Schuster during a recent interview with ESPN's Sal Paolantonio. "He's a big figure in the NFL right now. He's still very very humble, and he's excitable, right? He's fun, people love watching him. And it's infectious. That's why I keep telling him, 'Be yourself. Don't change who you are. Who you are is what makes you special."

While many fans and media members will spend the season comparing their statistics, the true measure of who has the better season between Brown and Smith-Schuster will ultimately come down to who helps their team more. Given JuJu's continued progress in Pittsburgh and Brown's ongoing setbacks in Oakland, it appears that Smith-Schuster is the favorite to have a more successful season in 2019.