Entering the 2024 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers want to play a specific style of football under head coach Mike Tomlin: run the football, lean on a star-studded defense, make some plays down the field in the passing game offensively, avoid the turnovers and win lower-scoring games.
For many, that is a bewildering style to try and play, but the Steelers have had some success with it in the past, though that success hasn’t translated to the playoffs.
Things could be different this season now that the Steelers have upgraded the quarterback position with the additions of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Wilson is the presumed started due to his resume and reputation, one that brings great leadership and communication to the table.
But for former NFL defensive end Chris Canty, Wilson is incapable of playing that style of football that Tomlin wants, which could sink the 2024 season for the Steelers. During an appearance on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike show on ESPN Radio, Canty laid out why he believes Wilson can’t play that style of football Tomlin wants.
“What I mean by that is a ball control offense that focuses on the quarterback being able to make the plays in the pass, the short to intermediate passing game as opposed to Russell Wilson trying to throw the ball down the field all the time,” Canty said, according to audio via the show’s podcast page. “So I think like that meticulous style of play on offense where you’re matriculating the ball, you know, 8-, 10-, 12-play drives as opposed to being a feast or famine offense, which is when we’ve seen Russell Wilson as his best.
“I don’t see Russell Wilson, from a stylistic point of view, being able to play the brand of football that Mike Tomlin wants.”
Funny Canty should say that Wilson not being able to play that style of matriculating the football down the field is why he can’t play the style of football Tomlin wants.
Let’s look back at the two post-Ben Roethlisberger seasons for the Steelers from an average length of drives standpoint and a points standpoint.
According to Pro Football Reference, here are the average drive length, time of possession and points scored for the Steelers — per drive — in 2022 and 2023.
2022 — 3:02 time of possession, 6.51 plays, 1.68 points.
2023 — 2:36 time of possession, 5.46 plays, 1.49 points.
Pretty poor numbers overall, to be fair. Just because you possess the ball and run a handful of plays doesn’t mean you’re going to score points. You need to be able to hit plays down the field and score quickly. It’s harder and harder to sustain long drives consistently and score points in today’s NFL.
Just for comparison’s sake, here are the year-by-year numbers for Wilson during his time in Seattle and then in Denver.
2012 — 3:00 time of possession, 5.89 plays, 2.19 points
2013 — 2:41 time of possession, 5.54 plays, 2.12 points
2014 — 2:58 time of possession, 6.05 plays, 2.13 points
2015 — 2:58 time of possession, 6.13 plays, 2.19 points
2016 — 2:36 time of possession, 5.64 plays, 1.90 points
2017 — 2:23 time of possession, 5.27 plays, 1.71 points
2018 — 2:47 time of possession, 5.77 plays, 2.30 points
2019 — 2:40 time of possession, 5.68 plays, 2.07 points
2020 — 2:42 time of possession, 5.88 plays, 2.57 points
2021 — 2:19 time of possession, 5.22 plays, 2.07 points
2022 (Denver) — 2:33 time of possession, 5.60 plays, 1.44 points
2023 — 2:39 time of possession, 5.56 plays, 1.81 points
Throughout his career, Wilson has shown the ability to possess the football, sustain drives, and put up points when the opportunity is there. He trailed off some in Denver, sure, but last season’s numbers in Denver were much better than Pittsburgh’s.
With a new offensive coordinator in the Steel City in Arthur Smith, things should be schemed up better for the Steelers. Wilson gets a rap of being a guy who just wants to go deep and hit the home run constantly. While it is true that he still throws a great deep ball, he knows how to make the plays that are there and sustain drives, moving the ball methodically on longer drives.
He does take far too many sacks, but he avoids the turnovers. In seven of his 13 NFL seasons, Wilson has single-digit interception seasons and seven seasons with single-digit fumbles. The guy takes care of the football, avoids the mistakes and knows how to play ball-control offense.
He did it early in his career in Seattle, and he can do it again. Wilson knows he’s not the same quarterback he once was, which is fine. But to say he can’t play simple, smart football at this point in his career is beyond absurd.
