Throughout much of the offseason, there was plenty of doubt regarding the Russell Wilson experiment for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That doubt was never any louder than when it was coming from former Denver Broncos offensive lineman and analyst Mark Schlereth.
Schlereth has a close relationship with Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who very clearly didn’t like Wilson or get along with him. Schlereth spewed quite a few hot takes this offseason, throwing heat at Wilson and taking shots at his play and his character.
It was quite loud from Schlereth, and there was clearly a personal attachment to the situation for the former Broncos’ great.
But now, after three games in Pittsburgh and three wins in which Wilson has played well, including Sunday’s game at Washington in which he orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback on the road and threw a game-winning touchdown pass with just over two minutes left in the game, Schlereth is singing the praises of Wilson, all while acknowledging just how wrong he was — again.
“He’s been great in critical moments, and that’s what this game comes down to. Critical moments. He was great. And if you’re great in critical moments, you know what, you are great. You are a potential Super Bowl champion. That’s what you are if you’re great in critical moments,” Schlereth said of Wilson’s play so far in his Steelers’ tenure, according to video via Breakfast Ball on FS1. “And he was great in those critical moments. He had the throw to [George] Pickens, which was awesome. The Mike Williams one. Second down and 16, he’s scrambling around, keeps the drive alive.
“I mean, he did all those things in this particular game and I gotta give him a ton of credit. Like, a ton of credit.”
It wasn’t always pretty and the stats don’t look all that impressive in the end, but as Schlereth said, in critical moments when the Steelers needed a big play, Wilson delivered on the road, especially on the 3rd and 9 game-winning throw to Mike Williams down the left sideline, lofting a moon ball to the new receiver for the game-winning score.
While Wilson completed just 14-of-28 passes for 195 yards, he had three touchdowns. He did throw his first interception of the season and his deep ball was off the mark quite a few times, but in big spots Wilson never blinked.
His play right now has Schlereth baffled, especially after watching him closely the last two seasons in Denver.
“It’s not that I don’t want to [praise Wilson], it’s that it baffles me because I watched him be incompetent for two years in Denver. And what he’s doing right now is incredible,” Schlereth added of Wilson. “Extending plays, motoring around. He did that on that Williams throw that was under duress. He backs off to, to give himself a little bit of space and then throws this beautiful arcing pass.
“He’s under pressure, under pressure, backs away. Look at this ball. You can’t walk down there and set it in the hands of the receiver any better than that. Yeah, so critical moments, the guy was awesome.”
Since stepping into the starting lineup after recovering from his calf injury, Wilson has been a major shot in the arm for the Steelers’ offense. He’s helped unlock some things in the offense that weren’t there with Justin Fields under center, including the deep ball that has backed defenses off and in turn has helped the run game.
While things weren’t all that great in the first half Sunday in Washington, Wilson found a way to turn things around when it mattered most. He was able to hit some deep shots, make some plays with his legs and really stick to what his strengths are right now. It’s making quick reads, getting the ball out quick when necessary, and remaining aggressive down the field.
That’s part of the credit that Schlereth has for Wilson right now, leaning into what is working for him and knowing what he’s good at and what he struggles with.
“I think he has been over the course of his career, his own worst enemy, because he got out of that and he wanted to be Drew Brees, he wanted to be in control of line of scrimmage. He wanted to do all these things that wasn’t necessarily his skillset. And I give him where I give Russell Wilson the most credit. Where I give him the most credit is he’s accepted what he is good at and what he isn’t good at,” Schlereth added regarding Wilson. “And he stayed away from the things that he’s not good at, and he has accepted that coaching and he’s saying, ‘Hey, listen, this is how we’re gonna win. This is how I’m gonna get my career back on track and do all the things, and stop all the people who talk about me’ and say that, man, you haven’t been good.
“Like, he’s doing it the right way.”
Wilson is doing it the right way, without a doubt. He’s integrated himself into the Steelers’ locker room, has become a key leader offensively, and is letting his play do the talking, rather than having a bunch of messages through the media and being a bit over the top like he had been earlier in his career at times.
In Pittsburgh, he’s just one of the guys. The Steelers already had great leadership and didn’t need a savior. That seems to have taken a lot of pressure off Wilson. He’s now playing freely — and playing well.
