Before this season started, Russell Wilson had no shortage of doubters. His first few games with the Pittsburgh Steelers caused many people to change their opinion about him, with this year looking like his redemption tour. However, the last few weeks have changed that. Wilson has regressed, looking more like the player people believed he was. Former NFL offensive lineman Mark Schlereth was one of Wilson’s critics, and while he did apologize, it seems like he’s taking a victory lap now.
“All the apologies that I gave, it turns out that even when I’m wrong, I’m right,” Schlereth said recently on his Stinkin’ Truth podcast. “Even when I’m wrong, I’m right. He was great for like three or four games. I had to tip the cap and say he was great.
“But even in my incorrectness, I was correct. He still sucks. No, I mean, has he played better? Absolutely, he’s played better. There’s no question. Do I think the Pittsburgh Steelers can go into Baltimore with Russell Wilson and win? No way.”
Schlereth seems to be joking when he says Wilson sucks, but it does sound like he believes the quarterback isn’t as good as he looked during the start of his Steelers tenure. That’s fair to say. When he was first named the starter, Wilson elevated the Steelers’ offense. He was a positive contributor. That has not been the case the past few weeks.
In his first seven games with the Steelers, Wilson threw for 1,784 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also only threw three interceptions, going 6-1 in those games. Wilson looked like the kind of quarterback the Steelers wanted him to be.
It seems that all that glitters is not gold, though. Wilson’s last four starts have been much uglier, throwing for only 698 yards and four touchdowns, adding two interceptions. He’s been far less careful with the football, and his decision-making has been questionable as well. He’s looked more like the player Schlereth believed he was.
“Russ has not been as good. Russ does what Russ always does, takes a bunch of sacks trying to hold on to the ball, not throwing it in the middle of the football field,” Schlereth said. “He’s regressed back to what I thought he was before he took over for Pittsburgh when they were 4-2.”
Wilson’s pocket presence has been an issue. Over the Steelers’ four-game losing streak, Wilson has been sacked 14 times. Not all of those are his fault, but some of them are brutal sacks for a veteran quarterback to take.
With Wilson only under contract for this season, tomorrow night could be his final game with the Steelers. If he plays poorly again, they might choose not to bring him back. He hasn’t helped his case recently.
However, a strong performance in the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens might prove Schlereth wrong again. The truth likely is that Wilson isn’t as good as people thought he was when the Steelers were rolling, but he also probably isn’t as bad as Schlereth believes he is. While he can be a decent starter, he’s shown that he’s got some flaws that can hold a team back.
