Russell Wilson is a Tremendous Bowl-winning quarterback who has performed in over 200 NFL video games, however you wouldn’t understand it from the response to Mike Tomlin beginning Wilson over Justin Fields.
Fields, who was main the league in throws wanting the sticks at 72%, has had an unprecedented quantity of on-line assist since he was drafted. Many Steelers followers had been sad with the change regardless of Pittsburgh’s offense throwing for beneath 140 yards in 4 of the primary six video games, essentially the most such video games within the NFL.
Right here had been some headlines earlier than Wilson’s Steelers debut in Week 7:
Behind the Metal Curtain: Mike Tomlin is ready to present the veteran quarterback the keys to the offense, however are we certain the veteran isn’t cooked?
Steelers Depot: For Mike Tomlin’s sake, Russell Wilson higher be nice
And one Steelers fan summed up the preferred argument being made to stay with Fields, even by those that have spent years laughing off anybody who brings up “QB Winz”:
“I see a 4-2 file with Fields, I don’t suppose they need to change out proper now,” Jeff Allen, a Steelers fan from Bulls Hole, Tenn, stated.
Even Albert Breer chimed in with a report that “a ton of Steelers don’t need Wilson to start out”.
It’s an odd scenario wherein one quarterback has an unprecedented quantity of hate for a possible Corridor of Famer and the opposite has an unprecedented quantity of assist for somebody who stated himself final week that he didn’t play effectively sufficient to maintain the job.
One 37-15 win later with a season-high for complete yards, Wilson is profitable followers over for the second time in his profession.
Russell Wilson’s first begin in 10 months
Anticipating to rebuild his profession in Pittsburgh, Wilson suffered a calf damage in coaching camp that value him three weeks of observe, so Week 7 was in some ways his preseason debut. Enjoying to boos in entrance of a house crowd, Wilson was given no grace in a shaky first half in opposition to the Jets, his first soccer motion since his final sport with the Broncos in December.
A number of (admittedly ugly) throws and three first quarter punts by the Steelers later, anybody who was in opposition to the change was all of the extra glad to scream from the rooftops that they had been proper and Mike Tomlin — the revered head coach — was clearly incorrect.
What a distinction the rust makes.
The Steelers scored on every of their final 5 drives, together with 4 touchdowns and three drives of 75+ yards. Wilson was 2-of-6 for 19 yards within the first quarter, however then went 18-of-23 for 245 yards and a couple of touchdowns the remainder of the best way.
But it was a efficiency that only a few folks claimed they needed to see earlier than the sport aside from Tomlin, Wilson, and Justin Fields. After the sport, the tune had modified significantly from “Tomlin is hurting the Steelers with this transfer”…
To “In fact Wilson offers the Steelers a greater likelihood to win, we all the time knew that”.
The media modified tunes quicker than Tomlin modified quarterbacks, all due to an simple efficiency by Wilson that was straightforward to see coming if not for the truth that the veteran was Wilson and the opposite possibility was Fields. If the opposite possibility was Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, or Trey Lance — or even when the opposite possibility was nonetheless Kenny Pickett — there would have been no dropped jaws.
Fields is defending the ball like he by no means has earlier than and the Steelers went 4-2 in his begins. However a 12 months in the past Pickett threw solely 4 interceptions in 12 begins and Pittsburgh went 7-5 in these video games en route to creating the playoffs, and no person thought that Pickett ought to proceed to start out for an NFL staff.
If the Steelers had Wilson final season, would they’ve even traded for Fields?
Russell Wilson analytics
In his first begin of the season, Wilson posted +0.24 EPA per dropback, which is tied for the Forty first-best single sport efficiency of the season. He did this whereas being beneath stress on 42% of his dropbacks and with out having performed in a sport for 10 months, which is precisely why groups covet the expertise they get from veterans like Joe Flacco, Andy Dalton, and Wilson. Even when these names don’t encourage as a lot confidence as they did of their primes, the Colts, Panthers, and Steelers had been grateful to have second choices that know easy methods to put together for Sundays.
The Steelers had been additionally in a position to lastly run performs from beneath middle once more: Wilson was beneath middle on 41 of 66 snaps and on play motion passes from beneath middle, Wilson went 8-of-9 for 150 yards; per Subsequent Gen Stats, that’s essentially the most yards by a Steelers quarterback off of play motion since at the very least 2016. Wilson’s complete of 264 passing yards is essentially the most ever by a QB in his Steelers debut.
This was the sport that Steelers followers wanted, from the quarterback who few of them would admit they needed.
However being ignored, and at occasions ridiculed, is one thing that Wilson has handled in his profession earlier than. It has by no means deterred him. If something, doubt was the lacking ingredient Wilson wanted to encourage him.
