Russell Wilson has had a fascinating career in the NFL up to this point. From a surprisingly stellar rookie season with the Seattle Seahawks with both triumph and failure in the Super Bowl, and now, with the Pittsburgh Steelers, potentially getting his last shot at being a starting quarterback. Wilson in Seattle looked like a lock for the Hall of Fame. On the other hand, Wilson with the Denver Broncos looked like a guy who should’ve been holding a clipboard on the sideline. The first season in Denver usually isn’t blamed on Wilson because the situation around him was dreadful, but he has taken some flak for not gelling with Sean Payton last year. Some believe that Payton set Wilson up for failure by not adjusting his scheme, but one former offensive lineman has information that points to the contrary.
Mark Schlereth played guard in the NFL from 1989 to 2000, making two Pro Bowls and winning three Super Bowls. Now, he operates a podcast called Stinkin’ Truth, where he talks about all things NFL. On a recent episode, Schlereth spoke about how the idea that Payton didn’t adjust his offense for Wilson is just flat-out wrong, citing a conversation he had with Drew Brees earlier this year as evidence to support that claim.
“For all the people who are like, ‘Well, Russell Wilson, he never adjusted his offense,’ let me tell you, I bumped into Drew Brees at the Super Bowl,” Schlereth said. “He point-blank told me, ‘I didn’t recognize the offense that they were running.’ Which tells you what? It was completely adjusted based upon what they thought Russell could do and what they knew he couldn’t do. [The idea that Payton] didn’t adjust is ludicrous. It’s stupid.”
Brees spent the majority of his illustrious career with Payton when both were members of the New Orleans Saints, so nobody has more in-depth knowledge of Payton’s offense than Brees. If Schlereth is to be believed, and Brees really did say that, then there would be credence to the idea that he didn’t totally try to sabotage Wilson. Multiple rumors have floated around implying that Wilson and Payton did not get along, so perhaps it was just that lack of chemistry that caused the offense to falter as much as it did.
Schlereth has also been extremely vocal about his feelings on Wilson, stating in no uncertain terms that he believes the Steelers’ new quarterback isn’t very good anymore. While Wilson has taken a step back from his Seahawks’ days, he still played decently last year. In fact, if Payton did change his scheme to fit Wilson, it must have worked because he threw for 26 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. The only reason he was benched at the end of the year was because the Broncos had already decided they wanted to cut ties with him.
Blame can be placed on Wilson and Payton for Denver’s season being a failure last year, but the totality of fault should not be placed on either man’s shoulders alone. Now, Wilson has a chance to prove all his doubters wrong by playing well with the Steelers. Even Schlereth believes that Wilson should fit well in Arthur Smith’s offense, so there shouldn’t be any issues like there were in Denver. Players and coaches alike seem excited to have Wilson with the Steelers, and with the season steadily approaching, there’s an opportunity to silence all the doubters, both for the Steelers and Wilson.
