Last year, when former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett was out with an injury, he told reporters that he didn’t learn anything new while watching from the sideline. Today, QB Russell Wilson, who missed the last six games as he recovered from his calf injury and is expected start for the Steelers this week, had a very different answer.
“I think you always learn. You learn every day at practice. You’re constantly growing. You’re constantly studying the game. You know, I’m obsessed with the game of football. There’s always stuff that you’re watching from our team, other teams, what they’re doing, how we’re doing it. I think that to be able to also, really just be in the system, it’s been great, learning from Arthur [Smith]. I’m excited about the opportunity,” Wilson said via transcript provided by the team.
Wilson is a veteran who’s been around the game a long time. He, like everyone who sets foot on the field, can always find something new to take away or something new to learn. Especially as teams and schemes evolve, football is never stagnant, and while Wilson hasn’t been on the sideline often in his career, he was able to learn and grow as a player.
Joining a new team also gave Wilson a unique opportunity to see things from a different perspective. With Arthur Smith also joining the Steelers this offseason, it was a new system for Wilson to learn, just like it was for the rest of the offense. He was able to see how it worked with Justin Fields at quarterback while he was on the bench, and having the view of it as an observer could help him if he does take over under center.
There might be changes in the offense if Wilson does take over, though, as there would be less quarterback-designed runs and more of an emphasis on Wilson throwing the ball. Fields’ mobility has been an asset to the Steelers, but Wilson doesn’t provide the same running ability. Mike Tomlin admitted in his Tuesday press conference that it “remains to be seen” if the offense changes due to Wilson having less mobility.
Regardless of whether the offense changes or not, Wilson was able to see and learn the basic principles and also obviously played in it during training camp and the preseason and over practice the past few weeks. But being an observer the last few weeks could wind up being a positive for Wilson’s game and help him take the Steelers’ offense to the next level.
