Mike Tomlin's widely questioned QB switch to Russell Wilson has quieted Steelers' critics
It was so Mike Tomlin to eloquently smack down an innocent question the other day about comparing emerging NFL rookie Jayden Daniels to Lamar Jackson, who looks to be on course to win his third NFL MVP award.
“Man, be real slow in comparing people to Lamar Jackson,” the Pittsburgh Steelers coach said after the comeback victory against the Commanders on Sunday. “That’s a multi-time MVP. That’s Mr. Jackson. We’ll see Mr. Jackson in a few days.”
Hardly a knock on Daniels, Tomlin’s response expressed the ultimate respect for Jackson, coming right up for the Steelers this weekend.
Which brings us to Tomlin’s own quarterback, Russell Wilson.
Tomlin’s respect for Wilson – a definitive contrast to what the veteran quarterback got last season from Sean Payton in Denver – is undoubtedly a moving factor in this revival.
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It’s not just the moon ball, silly.
Tomlin, as he reminded us a few weeks ago when he switched from Justin Fields to Wilson, is well-compensated to make such a so-called gutsy move in the face of all the critics, analysts, pundits, armchair quarterbacks, talking heads and experts who proclaimed that he was essentially off his rocker for making the move while his team produced a 4-2 start with Fields.
I’m guessing that Tomlin, who has never had a losing season in 17-plus years as Steelers coach, didn’t see it as the big risk that so many others surmised – if Wilson was fully healed from the calf injury that wrecked his ramp-up since the first week in training camp. He surely sensed months ago where this could be headed.
And look at them now. The critics have been silenced, at least for now. They are 3-0 with Wilson at quarterback and the Steelers offense has had the numbers, production and sizzle not seen since Ben Roethlisberger was in the mix. Although Fields, 25, gave the Steelers a dimension that involved designed runs for the mobile quarterback, new coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense has come to life with balance and explosive passing plays. The Steelers are averaging 30.3 points per game since Wilson (6 TDs, 1 INT) became the starter.
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Sure, there is so much football left and Wilson, 35, will get his formal introduction to one of the NFL’s most intense rivalries on Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens visit the ‘Burgh with first place in the AFC North on the line.
Yet what's happened for the Steelers (7-2) with Wilson under center illustrates what Tomlin undoubtedly envisioned he could get with a battle-tested warrior. On top of the deep passing game fueled by Wilson’s arching rainbows and connections to emerging big-play artist George Pickens, which complements the traditional commitment to a hard-nosed rushing attack and a big-play defense, the quarterback’s presence is a huge piece of the equation.
A what-have-you-done-lately example came on Sunday. To gut out the win at Washington, the Steelers overcame a 10-point, second-half deficit, a fourth-quarter goal-line fumble, and a dropped pass off a fake punt from their 16-yard line early in the game that set up a Commanders touchdown.
Through all of that, Wilson didn’t flinch when it mattered most. That’s been quite a pattern during his three starts, with Wilson sporting a perfect 158.3 passer rating in the fourth quarter thanks to a 78.6% completion rate, three TD passes and zero picks.
The game-winning touchdown against the Commanders came on a beauty of a 32-yard throw to Mike Williams, obtained from the Jets just before the trade deadline on Tuesday. The victory was clinched with a penalty after Wilson used his cadence to draw rookie defensive tackle Johnny Newton offsides, thwarting a punt that would have given Washington the football for the chance at a last-minute drive.
Big-time quarterback stuff. That poise with the game on the line – Wilson now has led 32 fourth-quarter comebacks, more than any other quarterback since he entered the NFL with the Seahawks in 2012 as a third-round pick – is surely one of the reasons Tomlin made the switch.
“I think he’s still writing that story,” Tomlin said during his Tuesday news conference. “To be quite honest with you, there were myriad reasons why I had the posture that I had; his resume being a component of it, his experience. And I thought his experience could be an asset to our unit and our team. And that’s played out. His talents. His appetite for big moments, and I think that’s played out some.
“There’s a myriad of reasons and I think it will be continually revealed because of the circumstances that he and we will be in. I’m excited about facing those things with him. I’m excited about him, quite frankly, getting better.”
Of course, with Pittsburgh winning exactly zero playoff games since 2016, another reason for the faith in Wilson could be weeks away. The resume that Tomlin often cites so respectfully in discussing Wilson includes two Super Bowl appearances with the Seahawks – one a blowout win propelled by the Legion of Doom defense, the other a loss sealed with Wilson’s goal-line interception in the final minute.
Whatever edge Wilson carries in proving that he can still be a championship quarterback is part of this equation. We’ll see how that plays out.
He’s protected the football well; his only turnover was a deep, third-down heave at Washington that was essentially a punt. Meanwhile, while the completion rate (58.8%) ticks lower with the deep shots, there’s little grace with a 50% marker in the red zone (7 touchdowns in 14 possessions) – especially given a tough schedule that includes the entire slate of divisional games against the Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, plus a Christmas matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs and a cross-state trip to Philadelphia.
As Tomlin put it, “There’s a ‘get better’ component of this discussion.”
In the meantime, it’s apparent that flip-flopping goes both ways as some of the high-profile analysts – Dan Orlovsky, Mark Schlereth and an apologetic Chris Long among them – walked back on their previously harsh criticism.
But why was the hate on Wilson so intense in the first place?
Regardless, at least Wilson is back in position – in the right place, at the right time, with the right supporting cast – for a chance to prove Tomlin right and earn major respect by seizing this moment.
