Is Pittsburgh Truly Prepared For the Russell Wilson Experience?
Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Steelers are no stranger to the spotlight. As a world-class organization with a top-of-the-league championship history, the Rooney family’s club is used to being in the headlines while being both adored and despised. 2024 brings those national crosshairs further into focus with the arrival of one of the NFL’s most polarizing figures.
Mr. Unlimited.
Russell Wilson has experienced a drop-off that’s nearly unprecedented in the sports world. It’s hard to find many players — in any sport — who’ve followed his trajectory. Two years ago, Wilson was seen as a no-brainer, first-ballot Hall of Famer after nine Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl title with the Seattle Seahawks. Then, while still in his (late) prime, he had an immediate, dramatic drop to laughingstock status. Funnily enough, the only other name that comes to mind as following this path is another Russell, the NBA’s Westbrook.
Wilson has wasted away in an abysmal performance purgatory over his last two seasons in Denver. While Pete Carroll reveled in his former protégé’s failures, his latest head coach (Sean Payton) did everything he could to get him out the door. During that time, Wilson did himself exactly zero favors. Unending rumors of odd, unlikable, and disingenuous behavior followed Wilson from one below-average performance to another. And now, all this baggage has followed him to Pittsburgh.
Mike Tomlin and company knew what they were getting themselves into when they signed the veteran. In fact, one could argue they gleefully rushed toward the opportunity. Tomlin, long known to be the veteran whisperer, is perhaps one of the few names that commands the sort of respect that can reel in Wilson’s ego. The Steeler Way is steeped in the sort of old football tradition that feels bigger than any player’s individual journey.
The hope is that these factors create an environment that allows the proud veteran to play the best football he’s played in years, thus elevating a team that believes themselves to be an average offense away from contending.
We’ve all seen enough from Tomlin to have known Pittsburgh’s preseason quarterback competition was a farce. It was always Wilson’s job. Tomlin not only named Wilson the starter, but also a captain. It’s the latest of the numerous examples we have showing that when Tomlin is dug in on a veteran, it’s hard to dig him out.
But will Tomlin’s stubbornness and Pittsburgh’s ease in the spotlight allow them to stomach the forthcoming Hot Take Train?
Unless we see Russ playing elite football right out of the gate, the haterade will flow from every direction, both locally and nationally, from the get-go.
There’s an easy football argument to be made that Wilson should be given a significant leash in the early part of the year. A new team and new offense is difficult for even the best of veteran quarterbacks. In Brett Favre’s magical first year with Minnesota, the legend looked middle-of-the-pack through the team’s first four games. It was only after a vintage bit of Favre brilliance against the San Francisco 49ers that he and the team took off. We should expect Russ’ comfort and performance to be a work in progress.
But this isn’t just a football argument. It’s a likability argument, and right now, the former Seahawk and Bronco has an approval rating that makes the presidential candidates look like fan favorites. “Do I think they may be able to compete for a playoff spot? Yeah, but the issue is… Russ isn’t willing to admit he’s not good at stuff,” Mark Schlereth said on a recent episode of his podcast, The Stinkin’ Truth. “He’s delusional. If you’re not willing to admit it, then you can’t fix it.”
Now to be fair Schlereth, a former Bronco, is about as unbiased as his fingers are straight. But that sentiment has echoed across the media landscape for two years now, and it will only ramp up when paired with a coach who is in the midst of a massive playoff win drought. This is a major moment for the QB, the coach who prefers him, and the organization that pays him. If they intend to stick together, they need to be prepared for the inevitable bumps.
Albert Breer reported that there are already those within the Steelers who prefer Fields. “Fields took some fundamental changes that the offensive coaches gave him (one being a return to the type of footwork he’d used at Ohio State), and really worked on them over the past few weeks of camp,” Breer wrote. “It was enough to have some folks internally push for Fields to start.“
With alleged dysentery among the ranks, are the Steelers built to withstand the pending overreaction distraction? How itchy is their Fields trigger finger? Will the fans be willing to see Tomlin’s forest through the trees?
These are all fair questions as Pittsburgh prepares to embark on a big year for their team and Wilson heads into a season that will almost certainly define his legacy, for good or bad. If they’re serious about surprising the odds-makers and pundits, they have to be prepared to be unwavering in their journey with Wilson, despite what might be an unprecedented parade of takes.
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