Russell Wilson was once one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but now, he’s clinging to what may be his last chance as a starter with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wilson’s time with the Denver Broncos did serious damage to not only his value on the field but also his reputation off of it. Rumors swirled about him having issues with head coach Sean Payton and other people in the organization, painting a picture of Wilson as a diva. So far in Pittsburgh, he’s been getting rave reviews from his teammates, but when they’re playing real games, will that continue? One former University of Pittsburgh quarterback questions how Wilson will respond to adversity this year.
Max Browne was a quarterback for Pitt during the 2017 college football season. However, he struggled there and suffered a season-ending injury, which just so happened to open the door for then-freshman Kenny Pickett to get some playing time. Now, Browne is working more as an analyst, and in a recent appearance on fellow analyst Guy Haberman’s YouTube channel, he spoke about how his main concern for Wilson is not his play but his mental toughness.
“Take the football out of it, in between the ears, how does Russell lead?” Browne asked. “How does Russell relate to his team? Can Russell sit with this uneasiness that, ‘I’m no longer a top ten quarterback in the NFL?’ How does that work when the Pittsburgh media is on him for being a middling quarterback, and he says, ‘The sun is always shining,’ and we know that’s not true. That’s my biggest question.”
Browne’s question is a fair one if the rumors about Wilson in Denver are to be believed. Suppose Wilson truly is this big personality that is difficult to work with. In that case, the Steelers will have a serious problem because they’ve shown recently that they’re interested in winning, not individual stats. However, none of those fears can be confirmed or denied until the season begins. T
he only things fans have to go on right now are the positive comments Wilson’s new teammates are making about him and the fact that Mike Tomlin has a high opinion of his new quarterback.
Wilson also could have reacted poorly when the Steelers traded for Justin Fields because it created competition for him in the quarterback room. Instead, he’s taken time to try to mentor and support Fields. That doesn’t sound like something a diva would do.
Maybe Wilson is quirky, but so are numerous NFL players. Browne is familiar with the Pittsburgh media from his time at Pitt, so he knows how rowdy the city can get when a player performs poorly. Surviving in this climate is not easy and requires some thick skin.
Time will tell if Wilson can keep his mind at ease under pressure, but Fields is right behind him if he can’t. Neither player is signed past this season, so getting a look at both of them would be ideal. If the team struggles under Wilson, Fields could create a spark to fire up the offense, even if he’s not the full-time starter.
The Steelers know they can’t keep just barely making the playoffs and losing immediately. They don’t want to keep doing that, and the only solution is to finally have a positive asset at quarterback. If they could make the playoffs last year, then nothing should stop them from making it this year.
