Stephen A Smith is yelling about Russell Wilson again. A day after Smith said that Wilson was starting to “piss me off,” he was back on ESPN’s First Take defending his comments. It started calmly enough, but it did devolve into Smith’s normal shouting antics.
Smith’s argument, at its core, has to deal with his perception of Wilson’s attitude. He used the term “prima donna” to describe Wilson at the end of his time in Seattle with the Seahawks. He brings up the reported issues in Denver during Wilson’s time with the Broncos.
What Smith says is that the same attitude won’t fly in Pittsburgh. He makes clear that he’s not writing Wilson off as a quarterback but that he can’t keep that attitude when things go wrong.
“I didn’t talk about him like I was writing his epitaph,” Smith said Friday on First Take. “I didn’t say he was done, my God! He’s succeeding Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitchell Trubisky. I know it’s an upgrade! What I’m saying is, I’m saying yo, what you’ve been doing, particularly from an attitude perspective, hasn’t vibed, hasn’t worked. Don’t bring that to Pittsburgh… This is Steel City football! They ain’t having it! Let him try to lose a game, let him lose games and go like this: Y’all relax, it’s gonna be aight. Let him try that once the regular season happens! What you think they gonna do? They’ll run him outta that town.”
Maybe Smith is right on one thing. Steelers fans don’t want to deal with more losing football. The fans want to see a fighting spirit out of their players and coaches when things go wrong. And they want to see wins, including (and most importantly) in the playoffs.
But has Wilson taken a wrong step forward since coming to Pittsburgh in terms of his attitude and what he’s saying? Other than to Smith, of course. Oh, and Wilson’s old “friend,” Mark Schlereth who said Wilson needs “to do a better job of understanding football.”
One group you won’t hear eviscerating Wilson is his teammates, though. TE Pat Freiermuth praised Wilson’s leadership on the field even in the aftermath of a poor offensive performance against the Buffalo Bills.
And the attitude that Smith complained about? That positivity and enthusiasm? WR George Pickens calls that enthusiasm “the best thing about him.”
So sure, fans won’t be happy if the Steelers are losing with Wilson at quarterback. But that’s not a Wilson problem. Fans will be unhappy if Justin Fields is starting and the team is losing. No matter who is at quarterback, fans will always be unhappy with losing.
Because that’s the standard in Pittsburgh that Smith is accusing Wilson of not living up to with his attitude. And I can guarantee you that Steelers fans won’t give a crap about Wilson’s positivity if he helps the team win a playoff game in 2024.
