Chances are, communication isn’t the first thing you think of when you think about great linebacker play. That’s more of a quarterback focus. But that’s the reality for inside linebackers in today’s NFL. And Pittsburgh Steelers rookie LB Payton Wilson is learning all about that.
Wilson isn’t shouldering all that responsibility as a rookie, though. That falls on prized free agent signing Patrick Queen. Queen is the one wearing the green dot to be in contact with defensive coordinator Teryl Austin before each play. But what would happen if Queen was unable to play? Would that then fall on Wilson? And how difficult is it to wear the green dot?
“Yes, if PQ wasn’t, then I would…” said Wilson on Thursday’s episode of the Christian Kuntz podcast. “Think about it, like PQ runs all the way over here. He’s gotta get back, get people huddled, get the call, get it to everyone. And then turn around and we still got checks. We gotta close the front. It’s like if he’s doing that, they’re snapping the ball and you’re not ready to go.”
There is a ton of pressure on the inside linebacker wearing the green dot. No fan really thinks about it until the communication breaks down. Then the defense looks completely lost and offensive players are running free down the field. That’s the weight Queen bears on top of what happens after the snap. Wilson has been in awe of the job Queen has done, too.
But for Wilson, he’s only one bad play away from carrying all that responsibility. That’s a lot of pressure on a rookie. Not that he isn’t shouldering a lot of pressure from Steelers fans as a highly touted Dick Butkus Award winner.
And ironically, those same Steelers fans can cause problems with the defense’s communication on the field. Fans love to get loud when the defense is on the field, especially on third down. And it can negatively affect the opposing offense. Who doesn’t love a third-down false start by an opposing offensive lineman?
But that same noise can make it difficult for the linebacker wearing the green dot to relay a play call to the other 10 defenders on the field. In those situations, it comes down to what the players have learned in practice and meeting rooms.
“Lot of it, sometimes, you just have to know what to do,” Wilson said. “Like when you get a call, you have to, everybody’s gotta know the checks. Sometimes you can hear, but sometimes you just don’t have time. You know, you really have to know what to do. Like me and PQ are able to communicate. But I can’t, sometimes I definitely can’t communicate with Minkah [Fitzpatrick] or DeShon [Elliott] who’s seven yards behind me, you know? So a lot of times it’s just knowing what to do and echoing the call.”
And it’s got to be harder when a number of players haven’t played together before. Both Queen and Wilson, the two top linebackers for wearing the green dot, are new this year. So are two of their top corners, Donte Jackson and Beanie Bishop Jr. Then there’s DeShon Elliott at safety. So it takes time for everyone to be on the same page in ideal situations. Then when you introduce a deafening crowd after Renegade finishes playing, it gets even tougher.
But that’s why they put the work in on the practice field and in the meeting rooms. The more effort and focus they put in, the better the results are on the field. And evidently, the Steelers trust in the work Payton Wilson is doing in those situations. His defensive coordinator has praised his maturity as a rookie. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be next in line for wearing the green dot.
