Colin Cowherd is offering a Friday hot take and it’s a scorcher, believing OC Arthur Smith took a clear shot at Russell Wilson during his Thursday meeting with the media. Smith praised Fields for being “no drama” and having an old-school mentality, blocking out the noise of a months-long quarterback controversy. To Cowherd, that was a swipe at Wilson.
“That is a direct shot,” Cowherd said on his FOX Sports The Herd radio show Friday. “That’s not even subtle at Russell Wilson. And whether Russell Wilson and his handlers want to hear it or not, among players and coaches in this league, he is viewed as a phony. I’ve never ever seen anything like this. A star or former star being called out.”
For context, here’s the relevant quote from Smith when asked to evaluate Fields five games into the season.
“He is unique in terms of the modern era, a guy that’s kind of old school, just tries to work on things, no drama with him,” Smith said via a team-issued transcript. “He doesn’t try to live through his Avatar, created perception. That’s probably why he was so endearing to his teammates in Chicago. That’s what I really enjoy about working with him. Extremely coachable, extremely bright.”
Cowherd’s point is that Wilson is known as high-maintenance and for drama. A quarterback and celebrity who does commercials and made cameos on TV shows and has a persona that goes beyond the game.
“Arthur Smith is over him…Arthur Smith is calling him out,” Cowherd went on to say.
But this is him reaching, even more than his usual hot-take form. Smith was asked about Fields and gave an answer about Fields. It’s an accurate one. Fields is cool, calm, and collected and has done a great job focusing on being the Steelers’ quarterback even though every national outlet has done nothing but debate his job status since training camp began. Even as Fields still isn’t certain of his role with the team this week or beyond that now that Wilson is healthy and available to play if asked.
Smith’s only experience with Wilson has come this year in Pittsburgh. And to Wilson’s credit, he’s been no-drama, too. Despite his likely frustration over waiting weeks to be cleared from his calf aggravation and sitting on the bench each week when he was anointed the starter before getting hurt again, he’s said and done all the right things. There hasn’t been a hint of animosity between him and Fields. For a guy like Smith who has never coached near Wilson and barely ever coached in the same conference as him until this year (in Tennessee while Wilson was in Seattle, in Atlanta while Wilson was in Denver save for the 2021 season), Smith probably never had an opinion of Wilson as a person until this year.
If anything, Smith’s comments are probably retorts at the Chicago and national media who critiqued Fields for his time with the Bears. A time where there was drama and storylines, especially over Fields’ relationship with the coaching staff in a big media market that magnified everything he said.
Occam’s Razor. Simplest answer is the most likely one. Smith was asked a question about Justin Fields and gave an answer without any hidden message or jab at Russell Wilson. It must be a slow news day for Colin Cowherd, who is clearly seeing what he wants to see.
