Russell Wilson Shuts Down Steelers HC Mike Tomlin’s ‘Scalded’ Claims; Seemingly Credits Broncos’ Sean Payton for Tough Lessons

Russell Wilson and Sean Payton had an ugly breakup with both parties having a chip on their shoulders. While both must prove themselves this season, it seems Russell Wilson has more pressure on him to set matters right in his name. Wilson’s coach, Mike Tomlin appeared in a presser nearly a month ago and labeled Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Arthur Smith as “scalded” after their unpleasant departures.

A month later, Wilson appeared in a presser at the end of the first day of OTAs and Mike Tomlin’s comments caught up to him. But if there’s one thing Russell Wilson learned during his time at the Broncos, it’s taking criticism with a grain of salt. Wilson is still navigating through a tough storm but is prepared for “challenges and opportunities.”

Russell Wilson negates Mike Tomlin’s personal assessment

A quick background rehash will reveal that Russell Wilson and Sean Payton didn’t exactly get off the right foot from the get-go. Payton took a massive issue with Wilson taking a lot of sacks, which is not a hallmark of Payton’s offense; or at least Payton didn’t want those blemishes on his CV. After a nasty end to Wilson’s tenure, Mike Tomlin thought that Wilson had something to prove to his former side.

A reporter asked Wilson what he thought of Mike Tomlin’s “scalded” comment and the QB mentioned that he doesn’t harbor any ill will at all. In fact, Wilson, along with Arthur Smith and others hell-bent on making the Pittsburgh team better offensively. However, the Super Bowl winner needs to let go of his old ways if he wants to persevere through the season.

“I wouldn’t say I’m scaled. I would say that if anything, I’ve just learned a lot you know,” said Wilson and expanded, “I think that internally you get better, you get tougher, you use your experiences, you use the challenges that you’ve gone through to be the best version of you. And so, I don’t blink and I’m looking forward to the challenge and opportunity.” 

With a restructured team, Mike Tomlin feels like the Steelers are a collective and mentioned that he’s very excited to negate apprehensions about him in the coming season.

Can Mike Tomlin have a winning season again?

A fact that most people forgot about is that this is Mike Tomlin’s last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is infamous for not having a losing season in his career and the coach might intend to keep it that way. Despite the controversies about Justin Fields being used as a returner, the ex-Chicago QB has a positive frame of mind about the Steelers head honcho.

“Yeah, I think just listening to the team meetings today, Coach [Tomlin] and just the way he talks to the team, he might go down as the best coach I’ve ever played with, just speaking to the team, like as a leader and a vocal standpoint. He’s been great,” said Fields.

Even with QBs like Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph, the Steelers HC managed to have a winning season as the team finished 10-7 in 2023. But despite this non-losing streak, the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016 and also, this is Mike Tomlin’s last year as the Steelers’ HC, unless things change in the future. Having his last season a losing one with Russell Wilson at the helm might leave a bad taste in his mouth.

When he was inquired about his stay, the HC chose to leave the podium. That was after the Steelers lost to the Buffalo Bills 38-3. But things have changed since the team fired Matt Canada for withholding the full potential of the Steelers offense. Canada, who has a 20-38 record as the Steelers OC was replaced by Smith who shows 21-30 in his stint as the Falcons HC. Arthur Smith also has more NFL experience than Canada, which might be a defining factor for Mike Tomlin’s success.

On the field, Tomlin would still have to deal with Russell Wilson who took a league-high 100 sacks with the Broncos, which becomes a problem down the line and hinders game-winning drives. Wilson’s decisions have sometimes resulted in wasting game-winning drives, which Tomlin might not be happy with. The Steelers HC has a lot to look forward to in the coming season with new quarterbacks and a new offensive coordinator, both of whom might have been shaky at times in their pro football careers. It’s like Mike Tomlin has a Pandora’s box in front of him and he won’t know what to expect until his troops hit the grass.