When a player shows you who they are, believe them. At least that’s what the great Bill Parcells used to preach about players. Former NFL GM Michael Lombardi cited that line today when discussing Russell Wilson’s career trajectory and his chances of being the guy for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Wilson’s struggles have been well-documented over the last two or three seasons. Certainly his two-year stint with the Denver Broncos did not go over well, but even his final season in Seattle was below the high standard that he set for himself.
“The starter’s gonna be the guy who protects the football the most,” Lombardi said of Wilson and Justin Fields via the Jim Rome Show in a clip posted on X. “Whoever can protect the football because Mike [Tomlin’s] a believer in complementary football. Three elements are gonna win the game.
“…As for Russ, I think Russ is trending in the wrong direction. I just don’t think, if you go back to his Seattle year where he didn’t run the football very well, he wasn’t moving in the pocket. And when you watch Russell play today, he’s not vertically working in the pocket. He’s trying to get out left and right. And when he does that, there used to be great plays happen. Now, they’re not.”
Wilson proved over his first decade in the league that he was a top-flight quarterback. He was easily in the top five around the league for a few years at his peak, and he led his team to two Super Bowl appearances and one victory.
The struggles in Denver were obvious with just 11 wins in 30 starts, but he also had Nathaniel Hackett as his head coach which obviously didn’t work out. Then he had to learn a new offense with Sean Payton that probably doesn’t mesh well with Wilson’s style of play.
When he was at his best, the Seahawks featured a strong running game and a stout defense. Fortunately, that is what he should now have in Pittsburgh once again.
As for Lombardi’s assertion about protecting the football, that is an obvious advantage to Russell Wilson. Over the last two seasons, Wilson has thrown 19 interceptions and fumbled 16 times. Over that same time, Fields has thrown 33 interceptions and fumbled the ball 26 times in two fewer starts than Wilson. That is 2.1 turnovers per game for Fields and 1.2 for Wilson.
Wilson definitely has pressure on him. At 35 years old, he is trying to resurrect a borderline Hall of Fame career and fend off a talented quarterback who is a decade younger. All signs point to Wilson getting the starting nod for Week 1. Projecting anything beyond that, your guess is as good as mine.
Another challenging season for Wilson would be yet another data point to confirm what Lombardi is saying. But I don’t know if I am quite ready to label him as a player with the arrow pointing down quite yet.
