Patrick Queen is leaving it up to Mike Tomlin to handle the starting quarterback situation. But with every indication pointing toward Russell Wilson getting the nod in Week 7, Queen thinks the Steelers will be in good hands. Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show Tuesday, Queen was asked to evaluate Wilson’s play in practice.
“He looks great,” Queen told Eisen. “And we’ll see once game time comes, if he is the starter. I don’t know what’s going on. Like all this stuff has been put out there and stuff. He looked incredible. He was making throws everywhere he needed to be. If he needs to move, I think he still does have that ability to do so.”
While not officially confirmed by the team, Tomlin said Wilson would get first-team reps this week and is strongly being considered to start Sunday against the New York Jets. It’s extremely unlikely Tomlin would go that far only to stick with Justin Fields this weekend, making for a messy process that would only hinder Fields’ ability to succeed.
Queen’s comments track with what Tony Dungy said last week after attending practice in the lead-up to the Week 5 Sunday night game against the Dallas Cowboys. Wilson was just beginning to receive practice reps with the scout-team offense, meaning he faced the first-team Steelers defense. And Dungy could tell the players were impressed.
“He threw some balls against the Steelers’ [first-string defense] that just were right on point,” Dungy said. “When you saw the guys react to him and shake their heads in admiration, I’m thinking, ‘When this guy gets back in there, he’s gonna give them a lift of confidence.’”
Patrick Queen certainly sounds confident. It’ll be Wilson’s first start as a Steeler, a delayed debut thanks to a calf injury that sidelined him for the first five weeks of the season. He was healthy in Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders but the No. 2 quarterback behind Justin Fields, Tomlin citing rust as a factor in the decision.
Presumably, Tomlin is favoring Wilson for his veteran presence. Not just in reading the defense but in leading the offense.
“He’s a leader,” Queen said. “He is a leader off the field. He’s a leader on the field and stuff. Everything I’ve seen from Russell is what I expected so far.”
So far, even his teammates have seen only a little of Wilson. He missed most of training camp with his initial calf injury and had been limited for the bulk of the regular season, often throwing on the side or during individual drills. But what Wilson has done against the Steelers’ defense has apparently been impressive. Pittsburgh is banking on him looking just as sharp when he faces the New York Jets Sunday night.
