Excitement was high entering last night’s game for the Pittsburgh Steelers and their offense. QB Russell Wilson was making his Steelers debut, and it was the first time we were going to see (basically) a fully healthy first-team offense. However, it did not go as hoped, with the first-team offense in particular getting shredded by the Buffalo Bills’ defense.
There were no positives to take from Saturday night’s offensive performance from a play perspective, but there could be in the leadership department. After the game Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth talked with reporters and spoke about how while the offense wasn’t as strong as he had hoped in Wilson’s first Steelers game, the nine-time Pro Bowler’s leadership was top notch.
“It was solid,” Freiermuth said of playing with Wilson via transcript provided by the Steelers’ media relations department. “I thought it was good. Obviously, we didn’t execute the way we wanted to, but he controlled the huddle. Everything that we needed him for leadership wise he was there.”
Wilson was given no help from his offensive line, and as head coach Mike Tomlin said, it is hard to evaluate his performance due to the lack of protection. It would be harsh to say Wilson is a bad quarterback based off that, and watching the game the Steelers could get nothing going at all. Despite this, it is important the quarterback does not get too discouraged and can still lead a unit.
As many years of watching the Steelers tell us, even when the team looks rough early on, it is almost always in the game at the end. Having a strong leader at quarterback can help overcome these difficulties and keep morale high in the huddle when it is a one-score game in the fourth quarter despite having a lackluster offensive performance.
Pittsburgh has needed a leader at the quarterback position. For a young group, having a veteran quarterback will be extremely helpful for an offense looking to grow. The Steelers didn’t have that last year, and although they still found ways to win games at the end, having a leader at quarterback may help quell discontent on the offense and allow the offense to play better earlier in games.
There is still a lot of work to be done on the offensive side of the ball. The play last night cannot happen Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons. However, there is time to fix it, and having a veteran leader like Wilson, who does not run away from being a leader, should help.
