Russell Wilson has had his detractors, but maybe none more fierce than Broncos legend Mark Schlereth. Even when Wilson was named as the starting quarterback for the Steelers, Schlereth said he would last only five games in the role. He even labeled the QB “delusional” saying he wasn’t good at what he does anymore. But after missing the first six games through a calf injury, Wilson has risen to the occasion in the last two outings making history in the process.

“Do I think they may be able to compete for a playoff spot? Yeah, but the issue is, and this is what got Russ out of Seattle and Denver, Russ isn’t willing to admit he’s not good at stuff. He’s delusional. If you’re not willing to admit it, then you can’t fix it,” Schlereth had said on the Stinkin Truth podcast just before the season. However, Wilson’s performances against the Jets and the Giants, have made Schlereth eat his own words.

Schlereth spoke with Mike Evans on his Stinkin Truth podcast on Wednesday about how Wilson has shone for the Steelers, especially his efforts in the win over the Giants. The former Pro Bowl offensive lineman admitted, “I’m gonna go ahead and just do this with my chest. Russell Wilson in the last two games, has played really well, he played really well man.”

While he gave credit to Steelers OC Arthur Smith for developing the system that allowed Wilson to flourish, he added, “I’m going to give Russ even more credit…I’ll eat this one man I’ll take it on the chin. Russ is playing really good. I didn’t think it was going to happen. I was wrong, a lot of the Rusties were right.”

In his first start against the Jets, Wilson completed 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns in his debut, leading the Steelers to a 37-15 win in the October 20 showdown. He followed it up with 278 yards and a touchdown, completing 20 of 28 attempts in the 26-18 win over the Giants.

The QB set a record for most passing yards by a player in his first two games for the Steelers (542), surpassing Earl Morrall’s 504 yards in 1957. The Steelers are now 6-2 and top of the AFC North and the win over the Giants was their 22win in a row in an MNF game. However, in between his praise for Wilson, Schlereth was quick to remind that his earlier assessment of Wilson was based on what he saw from the QB during his Broncos stint.

He added, “It doesn’t take away from what happened here in Denver and how bad he was, and he was awful. And it doesn’t take away that it didn’t work in Seattle and at the end of that thing that relationship was fractured. It was not good. It doesn’t take any of that away so I wasn’t wrong about what I saw in Denver for two years you witnessed it as well and it was awful.” However, he still praised Wilson for what he has done in the last two games.

Dissecting Wilson and Arthur Smith’s gameplan, Schlereth added, “There’s not even an attempt in the middle of the football field not one so the quick game is all outside which I think is really smart and Russell is very good at that stuff and he’s very good at completing those.”

Wilson is playing on a league minimum salary because the Broncos have to pay him about $40 million dollars as a part of his injury clause and the terms of the trade. So maybe, Wilson has decided to buckle up and get serious about his future at his new franchise. Given his history at the Broncos and the Seahawks, this would be the right thing to do.

He has made it to the Pro Bowl 9 times, and has won a Super Bowl with Seattle, but as Schlereth pointed out, a few things about his past stick out like a sore thumb.

Russell Wilson’s troubled past

Wilson stopped being the champion that he was towards the end of his tenure with the Seattle Seahawks. There were instances where Seattle players said that Wilson was coddled by Pete Carroll during his time there. Ironically, the QB reportedly asked the Seattle management to fire Pete Carroll because they were preventing him from winning Super Bowls.

The Seahawks didn’t fire Carroll and their GM at the time and instead traded the 9x Pro Bowler to the Broncos, where he played for two seasons (2022-2023). In his first season, the Broncos finished 5-12 where the QB threw for 3,524 yards, 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a monumental 55 sacks in a single season.

The next season (2023), the Broncos improved and finished their season 8-9. However, Wilson’s numbers took a hit as he finished the season with 3,070 yards, a 26 to 8 TD/Int ratio, and 45 sacks. Wilson, taking a lot of sacks cost the Broncos many games. 100 sacks in two seasons isn’t something to rave about.

Hence, Mark Schlereth’s early skepticism might be understandable. However, Wilson has shown that he still has some gas left in the tank and with the right coaching and system he can yet prove to be a valuable asset to the Steelers team. Having your most vocal critic praise you, showcases the job Wilson has done so far.