Russell Wilson in Line for Parades at Steelers for Matching Denver Broncos Output Says Pat McAfee’s Friend

There are a lot of expectations from Russell Wilson this season! The narrative around the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback is that he is “washed” due to his Denver Broncos tenure. Now that he is potentially taking a strike as QB 1 for Steel City, Wilson will try to erase the reportedly mediocre stain from his sleeves in a black & gold jersey. But will he be able to?

Feelings are mixed. As Wilson attempts to replicate his achievement a decade ago with the Seahawks by lifting a Super Bowl, Pat McAfee’s friend harbors a doubt. While he remains optimistic about Wilson’s chances this year, he believes there is still an unresolved issue.

Is it the time for Mr. Unlimited?

In the July 1 episode of DraftKings, ‘The Pat McAfee Show’s’ co-host, Tone Diggs, joined to discuss his true feelings on the Steelers’ outlook. Not only that! He also expressed his mixed feelings about Russell Wilson as the new projected QB1. The topic came into the spotlight when three months back, on the Pat McAfee Show, Diggs mentioned, “Russell Wilson is super pumped to be a Steeler.. He’s gonna have his jersey on and this is what we like.” He also embraced the QB, but raised some doubts related to the team’s overall ability. Fast forward to the present: Talking about it in detail, Diggs shared that they were early critics of the “Let Russ Cook” approach in Seattle, believing a change was needed.

He highlighted Wilson’s first year in Denver, with questions about the blame lay with the coach, Nathaniel Hackett, or Wilson himself. But Wilson’s stats that recorded 26 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, were impressive compared to what the Steelers have had in recent years. So, does that mean the Steelers might finally have a victory parade this time?

As of now, Diggs is optimistic about the upcoming season, largely because of new offensive coordinator Ryan Smith, whom he believes understands what an NFL offense requires, unlike former coordinator Matt Canada. He said, “Things did not look obviously great in Denver Year One….whatever it was, numbers weren’t bad last year….if the Steelers had 26 and 8 any of the last two years, we would have been throwing parades.”

Although improved offensive line performance is a positive sign, Diggs remains cautious about the wide receiver position, currently centered on George Pickens (as his contract extension seems uncertain). Overall, Diggs is inclined to trust Wilson’s potential until proven.

Meanwhile, the whole team is working to build their empire in the league, including Mr. Unlimited, Russell Wilson.

Here’s why the Steelers have a chance with Wilson!

The Steelers have struggled to achieve success recently, prompting them to take bold actions during the offseason. They made significant moves like acquiring Russell Wilson and Justin Fields as quarterbacks, hiring Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator, and giving LB Patrick Queen a record breaking contract. The former Steelers running back Merril Hoge sees these moves as steering the team in the right direction for winning. Hoge mentioned on the Like A Farmer podcast, “….from a structural perspective of how you have to win in this league, I think they’re going about it in the right direction.”

He continued, “They’re building a running game. That’s not gonna be the best in football right off the bat, you got two offensive linemen who are rookies. Five guys working as one, doesn’t happen overnight, that’s gonna take some time. But the overall thought process to run the ball and then do run action, play action, boot-action off of that, then you get a great complement.” He also praised Wilson’s ability to excel in this style of football, describing him “tremendous” in such a role.

Additionally, Wilson, too, sees this as an opportunity, emphasizing his commitment to the team – as he said, “I want to be a part of the Pittsburgh community for a really long time, and I’m really excited about that. Hopefully we can add more championships here.”