HOFer Maintains Russell Wilson Doubt With Blunt Assessment After Mike Tomlin Went ‘Lone Ranger’ for Steelers QB

The Pittsburgh Steelers emerged victorious in the Week 7 game. And this time, the win was brought by their QB1 Russell Wilson, after coach Mike Tomlin benched Justin Fields. Now, starting Wilson against the New York Jets, was a decision that gained a fair amount of attention from the fans.

Many wondered why Fields was benched even though he led his team to a 4-2. Hence, breaking the silence on his decision, Tomlin stated the reason saying that he went “Lone Ranger” for the quarterback. Russell Wilson proved his worth in his Steel City’s debut game. And, despite saving Tomlin from embarrassment, there is a HoF who still has questions about the quarterback.

While speaking on The Rich Eisen Show, Kurt Warner, who joined the hosts Suzy Shuster and Amy Trask, expressed his doubt about Russell Wilson. He believed that to him, “This is one of those situations where I know after the fact that it looked really good in making the change.” But the fact is, “I thought it was a pretty easy game for Russell Wilson, coming in.” Wilson was able to defeat Aaron Rodgers‘ team 37-15, who was initially ahead of them.

But due to continuous and the QB’s interceptions, Wilson’s team took advantage of the opportunity. Hence, for Warner, he feels, “he [Wilson] and Justin Fields are kind of the same guy in terms of where they’re at in this stage of their career, meaning, that they don’t see the field extremely well in terms of being a pocket passer, and they’re more about managing games, getting completions.”

Moreover, the former quarterback thinks Fields, being younger and more athletic, can still make more plays with his legs. But both the quarterbacks are still game managers at this point in time. Explaining his point about Wilson, Warner took an example of the previous game. He highlighted that the quarterback didn’t have to make many difficult decisions during the game.

According to him, Russell Wilson had a lot of simple plays. He relied on turnovers by the Jets, running the football. And also favorable man-to-man situations where he just needed to throw the ball up. Hence, he doesn’t feel convinced that Wilson offers more than Fields. But that doesn’t mean Warner thinks it was useless to bring the 35-year-old in Week 7. For this, he acknowledged that the Steelers likely wanted to see if Wilson could perform better or provide more offensively. That might be because Fields wasn’t playing his best football despite making some athletic plays. But, in conclusion, Warner feels both the QBs are on the same stage for now. And probably that’s why coach Mike Tomlin too couldn’t figure out whom to name as their permanent starter.

Will Russell Wilson be the starter again for the Steelers vs Giants?

Russell Wilson had a brilliant Sunday game. Many thought that coach Mike Tomlin would finally announce his starter for the remainder of the season. This was also speculated because, despite reportedly the locker room showing interest in Justin Fields, Tomlin went ahead with Wilson in Week 7.

Explaining his decision, he even said, he “went Lone Ranger,” and that “if it doesn’t work out, I’ll take the heat, I’ll shoulder the blame, no problem. The reason I did this, is I knew I had two quarterbacks going into camp that are very capable, but I wanted to see both of them before I made a long-term decision. Well, I haven’t seen the other one [Wilson]. I want to see at least what I have from him, exhaust all options, and then make a decision down the stretch.” Hmm, seems like a fair deal to give opportunities to both the quarterbacks.

And obviously, if the aim Tomlin is “not trying to win games,” but “trying to win a world title here,” he needs to see both the QB’s potential. As of now, Tomlin has confirmed that Russell Wilson is “scheduled to take first-team reps.” He wants Justin to be prepared to play, as he has done before.

Currently, the major aim, in the coach’s mind, is to win against the Giants in their next game.