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On Wednesday, it was announced that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had decided to roll with Russell Wilson instead of Justin Fields as his starting quarterback entering the 2024 NFL season. Both Wilson and Fields were acquired by the Steelers this offseason after ineptitude at the quarterback position dating back the last several years, but Tomlin ultimately opted to go with the player who has more pedigree and experience to his name.
Later on in the day, Tomlin was kind enough to stop by the Rich Eisen Show to break down his decision.
“I don't think that you can have the experiences that (Wilson's) had and it not show in how you play,” said Tomlin. “The moments can't be too big for a guy that's been at it as long as he has and has seen the things that he's seen. He's had that confetti rain down on him. It's not speculation, it's not dreaming for him, he's lived it.”
Tomlin went on to further explain the benefit of having been there and done that.
“And I think that when you experience things in this game be it a player, or a coach, or quarterback, or head coach, I just think there’s benefit in having lived and seen it,” said Tomlin. “And certainly the high floor component of it puts you at ease from a decision maker standpoint, but I think the real significant advantage of his resume is probably in him.”
Did Mike Tomlin get it right?
Indeed, Russell Wilson has accomplished quite a bit in his NFL career and is a lock to make the Hall of Fame once his playing days are over, whereas Fields has shown flashes of his undeniable talent throughout his days with the Chicago Bears, but hasn't yet displayed an ability to put it all fully together, making the Steelers' decision understandable.
Despite this, there were some warning signs during Wilson's tenure with the Denver Broncos that his MVP caliber days with the Seattle Seahawks are long behind him. How much of this can be attributed to the general ineptitude of that organization or to Wilson himself, however, is certainly a fair question to be asked.
In any case, the Steelers will open up their 2024-25 NFL slate with a road date with the Atlanta Falcons on September 8. That game is slated to kick off at 1:00 PM ET from Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
