Russell Wilson

[River Dog]

Respectfully he deserves all the criticism. I wouldn't faut anyone for having muddy feelings towards him. I am hoping he can have the Brett Favre type of career ending. Favre went to the Jets, and that looked like a lost cause and his career was over and then he went to the Vikings and had a magical run.

It's pretty safe to say that Wilson will most likely go to the Hall of Fame, and he will go in has a Seahawk and I would hope all will be forgiven. Enough time has passed, and I just want him to go out on a high note and finish his career as the best version of himself.

The type of career revival that Brett Favre had doesn't happen very often. Kurt Warner was about the only other one I can think of.

With regards to Russell's HOF chances, unless he's able to lead the Steelers to a SB and pick up an MVP along the way, I don't think he has a snowball's chance in hell of donning a yellow jacket. He was borderline HOF before he left here and his experience with the Broncos has all but ended his chances. HOF QB's don't leave a team the way Russ left Denver, with the team eating a huge chunk of money and getting nothing in return just to get rid of him.

I hope Russell is forgiven, too, and if I'm in the stadium when he returns to be inducted into our Ring of Honor, I'll stand on my feet and politely applaud. But we have to be realistic. Russell has never gotten so much as a single vote for league MVP, so I can't see how a HOF committee would be any more sympathetic.

Edit: The thread just hit 27 pages and 1041 posts. Gotta be a record.

[4XPIPS]

The type of career revival that Brett Favre had doesn't happen very often. Kurt Warner was about the only other one I can think of.

With regards to Russell's HOF chances, unless he's able to lead the Steelers to a SB and pick up an MVP along the way, I don't think he has a snowball's chance in hell of donning a yellow jacket. He was borderline HOF before he left here and his experience with the Broncos has all but ended his chances. HOF QB's don't leave a team the way Russ left Denver, with the team eating a huge chunk of money and getting nothing in return just to get rid of him.

I hope Russell is forgiven, too, and if I'm in the stadium when he returns to be inducted into our Ring of Honor, I'll stand on my feet and politely applaud. But we have to be realistic. Russell has never gotten so much as a single vote for league MVP, so I can't see how a HOF committee would be any more sympathetic.

A lot of what he does with the Steelers this season will certainly help his case of being a Hall of Famer. Does he necessarily need to win a SB or be MVP, nope I don't agree with that. To say he doesn't have a snowball's chance is something I don't agree with either. For what he had accomplished behind a subpar o-line for the majority of his career, and the ability to be a top 10 to top 5 QB for a long stretches of his career tells me had done enough to be a Hall of Famer. I don't think he is a first ballot HOF, but I think he gets in. Dree Brees never won a MVP, and probably should have but he will be first ballot HOF.

As you mentioned what happened in Denver is not exactly all of Russell's doing? They Broncos made a horrific decision to hire a coach who clearly wasn't ready to be an NFL coach, and canned him before the season was over. That rarely happens to first time HC's. I wouldn't count Urban Meyer, because he had been a HC coach at the college level. Sean Payton and Russell Wilson weren't going to match up well, and we all know Sean wanted to start over when taking the HC job with a new QB. Not everything that happened with the Broncos was Russell's fault, he should take some responsibility for not being able to live up to his own self hype, but I think it wasn't a good fit for him.

[trents]

I think we'll see the Justin Fields package sooner than later. Signing Wilson was not the answer to the Steeler's QB needs. And if the Steelers don't improve this year, Tomlin will be on the hot seat.

[River Dog]

A lot of what he does with the Steelers this season will certainly help his case of being a Hall of Famer. Does he necessarily need to win a SB or be MVP, nope I don't agree with that. To say he doesn't have a snowball's chance is something I don't agree with either. For what he had accomplished behind a subpar o-line for the majority of his career, and the ability to be a top 10 to top 5 QB for a long stretches of his career tells me had done enough to be a Hall of Famer. I don't think he is a first ballot HOF, but I think he gets in. Dree Brees never won a MVP, and probably should have but he will be first ballot HOF.

Brees had a lot more gaudy stats than Russell does. Brees is #2 all time behind Brady in passing yards and passing TD's. Russell ranks 19th and 13th respectively. Plus, Brees has something Russell doesn't have, a SB MVP.

This is just my take, but I seriously doubt that pollsters will excuse Russell's lack of an MVP or statistical prowess as not his fault. He needs to have something on his resume that separates himself from guys like Eli Manning, IMO a borderline candidate, who has 2 SB MVPs and ranks higher than Russell in the two big statistical categories, ie yard and TD passes.

As you mentioned what happened in Denver is not exactly all of Russell's doing? They Broncos made a horrific decision to hire a coach who clearly wasn't ready to be an NFL coach, and canned him before the season was over. That rarely happens to first time HC's. I wouldn't count Urban Meyer, because he had been a HC coach at the college level. Sean Payton and Russell Wilson weren't going to match up well, and we all know Sean wanted to start over when taking the HC job with a new QB. Not everything that happened with the Broncos was Russell's fault, he should take some responsibility for not being able to live up to his own self hype, but I think it wasn't a good fit for him.

Of course, the Denver debacle isn't all Russell's fault. I never said that it was. And I agree, in retrospect, it was a bad fit, with a rookie head coach and all. But the press, with Russell's help, the special perks he received, the expectations he manufactured, created the impression that he was inextricably linked to Hackett to the point where many thought of them as co- head coaches. And while it certainly wasn't all his fault and regardless of whether or not it's fair, he has to accept the lion's share of the blame.

But the big thing is how he left the Broncos this past offseason, getting released with the team eating a huge chunk of money and his new team picking him up for the league minimum, all done by the coach who was the best on the market when the Broncos hired him and of whom Russell once desperately wanted to play for. That simply doesn't happen to HOF quarterbacks.

[NorthHawk]

I'm fine if Russell does well in Pittsburgh. It's the AFC and I don't really care much about them but he had a lot of good years here and I wish him well at the end of his career.

[NorthHawk]

But the big thing is how he left the Broncos this past offseason, getting released with the team eating a huge chunk of money and his new team picking him up for the league minimum, all done by the coach who was the best on the market when the Broncos hired him and of whom Russell once desperately wanted to play for. That simply doesn't happen to HOF quarterbacks.

I was watching one of those NFL shows and they were talking about Wilson and the comments were that because Payton inherited Wilson, he basically ran him out of town.
If you look at Wilson's TD/INT stats, they aren't that bad while on a poor overall team at that point.

[River Dog]

But the big thing is how he left the Broncos this past offseason, getting released with the team eating a huge chunk of money and his new team picking him up for the league minimum, all done by the coach who was the best on the market when the Broncos hired him and of whom Russell once desperately wanted to play for. That simply doesn't happen to HOF quarterbacks.

I was watching one of those NFL shows and they were talking about Wilson and the comments were that because Payton inherited Wilson, he basically ran him out of town.

Although Russell might have deserved an ass chewing, I thought that Payton showed himself as a real prick the way he exploded at him on the sidelines on national TV. However, Russell just didn't fit with what Payton wanted to do as he was always going off script. That and I think that Payton wanted his own personal stamp on the team, that he wanted Russell out from the get-go and was looking for a reason to get rid of him. Russell didn't play all that poorly last season,

f you look at Wilson's TD/INT stats, they aren't that bad while on a poor overall team at that point.

His stats weren't as bad as they were the previous season, but even still, they were nothing to write home about and not something that's going to pad his HOF resume. Russell ranked 19th in passing yards, 25th in ypg, 12th in completion percentage, 8th in passer rating. Those aren't HOF-worthy numbers. Plus, he was benched at the end of the season when his team was virtually out of the playoff hunt. How many times has that happened to a QB with a gold jacket?

Russell's big problem continues to be his holding onto the ball too damn long, and unless he fixes that, he's not going to do any better than he has the past 4-5 seasons.

[I-5]

If Russ had retired after his last year in Seattle, he would have a better shot at the HOF in my opinion, which I don't think is a slam dunk. He hasn't received one MVP vote as someone else mentioned. But each year since leaving Seattle, his putrid to mediocre play to me cements him NOT getting into the HOF. There is no asterisk for bad offensive lines when it comes to QB's in the HOF. Either you produce or you don't. He was certainly on track to do that in Seattle, but it's interesting how history will view him vs Pete.

[c_hawkbob]

Which is worse?

Russell Wilson without Pete or Pete Carroll without Russ?

Objectively I'd say the latter.

[River Dog]

I think we'll see the Justin Fields package sooner than later. Signing Wilson was not the answer to the Steeler's QB needs. And if the Steelers don't improve this year, Tomlin will be on the hot seat.

If Tomlin were working for anyone else besides the Steelers, he'd already be on the hot seat. But the Steelers have had just 3 coaches over the past 55 years. He's not getting fired.

[I-5]

Which is worse?

Russell Wilson without Pete or Pete Carroll without Russ?

Objectively I'd say the latter.

Hard to say. We've seen Pete with only one other QB - Hasselbeck - and made the playoffs once and missed the playoffs the next year. Russ has struggled after Seattle. I'd say it's TBD, but this year will help answer it.

[River Dog]

Which is worse?

Russell Wilson without Pete or Pete Carroll without Russ?

Objectively I'd say the latter.

I dunno. Russell's performance w/o Pete has been pretty bad. I'd say it's a toss-up. Both of them got fired two seasons after they split.

[c_hawkbob]

Which is worse?

Russell Wilson without Pete or Pete Carroll without Russ?

Objectively I'd say the latter.

Hard to say. We've seen Pete with only one other QB - Hasselbeck - and made the playoffs once and missed the playoffs the next year. Russ has struggled after Seattle. I'd say it's TBD, but this year will help answer it.

Russ was traded 2 years before Pete was replaced so he also had Geno for 2 seasons, not to mention stints in NY and NE.

Guess I should have for their respective NFL careers.

[River Dog]

Russ was traded 2 years before Pete was replaced so he also had Geno for 2 seasons, not to mention stints in NY and NE.

Guess I should have for their respective NFL careers.

Not that it makes any difference, but Pete also had TJack for a season.

Russell was definitely a critical component of Pete's early success but suggesting that Pete couldn't have done he did w/o Russell is unfair and inaccurate as it tends to trivialize the LOB and Beast Mode. There were a lot of QB's that weren't HOF worthy that could have won with a defense like that and a running back of that caliber on their team. The 2000 Ravens won with Trent Dilfer and the 2002 Bucs won with Brad Johnson. I don't think either of those defenses were any better than the LOB.

Besides, I don't know what the point is in making such a comparison. Pete was 19-15 with a one and done playoff appearance in the two years before Russell was traded, 18-17 with a one and done playoff appearance in the two years following. I don't see much of a difference. Do you?

[jshawaii22]

I'm just jumping into this, but I will admit I was wrong about Geno at the time we traded Russ. Without a doubt Geno has outplayed him since that day and we scored some draft picks and our starting TE on top of it. That's my take.

[Aseahawkfan]

That period of Seahawks football was special. All the players and coaches involved made it great fun. They all came together for a magical era of Seahawks football. I'll never think back poorly of any of them, not even Earl who went out badly. It was such a fun time to be a Seahawks fan. Russ was a part of that and always will be. He set the bar nice and high for any future QB in Seattle. It may be a while until someone surpasses all those fun times we had during the Carroll, Russ, Beast, and LOB years. Just a great team and a great time. Our Legendary Seattle team. Would have been nice to get that back to back Super Bowl win, but it wasn't in the cards. But we got one and we got to watch a team for the ages with a monster defense that could hold its own in any era and a fun offense with one of the best improvisational QBs I've seen and a throwback power RB that was the most physical in football.

That time is always going to hold a special place in my memory. I like all those players. They were great fun. Interesting characters. They made football fun not only for us, but league wide which is why they got ratings when they played and Frisco and Seattle matchups were must watch football.

That time was a blast. I'd love to see it happen again, but magic like that is hard to capture once in a team's lifetime, much less again.

[c_hawkbob]

My point is that the two of them were critical to each other's success as neither has been worth spit without the other. Russ still has a chance to change the dynamic, but effectively the two up until this point seem to fare best together.

And check your facts Riv, we won a playoff game with Matt playing for Pete, not "one and done".

[Aseahawkfan]

That New Orleans Beastquake game. 7-9 losing season, but division winner home game. When the talk of changing the rules because we were a losing division winner hosting a wild card team with a winning record. We beat Sean Payton's New Orleans Saints with Drew Brees.

[River Dog]

My point is that the two of them were critical to each other's success as neither has been worth spit without the other. Russ still has a chance to change the dynamic, but effectively the two up until this point seem to fare best together.

And check your facts Riv, we won a playoff game with Matt playing for Pete, not "one and done".

I beg your pardon my friend, but I think you're the one who needs to do a fact check. Here's what I said in relation to the one-and-done playoff appearances:

Pete was 19-15 with a one and done playoff appearance in the two years before Russell was traded, 18-17 with a one and done playoff appearance in the two years following. I don't see much of a difference. Do you?

The period of time I was talking about was from 2020-2023, which IMO is the most recent and most relevant.

But I do agree with your last sentence in your first paragraph.

[Aseahawkfan]

I think Pete was good with QBs. He made a lot of his college guys look good enough to get drafted high from Carson Palmer to Mark Sanchez to Matt Leinart. He got productive years from Matt, Tarvaris, Russ, and Geno.

Russ and Pete were better together, but Pete already showed he can develop a QB and build an offense to their strengths or at least turn them into playoff runs, even if not deep.

[River Dog]

I think Pete was good with QBs. He made a lot of his college guys look good enough to get drafted high from Carson Palmer to Mark Sanchez to Matt Leinart. He got productive years from Matt, Tarvaris, Russ, and Geno.

Russ and Pete were better together, but Pete already showed he can develop a QB and build an offense to their strengths or at least turn them into playoff runs, even if not deep.

Pete's legacy is his defenses. He will not be remembered as a great quarterback's coach or offensive genius.

IMO the success Pete and Russ had together was one of timing and not because one succeeded due to the presence of the other. Pete could have won with a number of good but not great quarterbacks, and Russell could have played for another team/coach and enjoyed similar success as he did with the Hawks.

In the end, both had 'lost it.' Pete's defenses became a major weakness...he didn't field a top 10 defense in his last 7 seasons...and Russell couldn't or wouldn't adjust beyond the scrambling/ad lib playground style to compensate for his advancing age.

[c_hawkbob]

You're right Riv, I thought you were comparing the two years before Russ to the two years after Russ (which made no sense to me), my bad.

[Aseahawkfan]

Pete's legacy is his defenses. He will not be remembered as a great quarterback's coach or offensive genius.

IMO the success Pete and Russ had together was one of timing and not because one succeeded due to the presence of the other. Pete could have won with a number of good but not great quarterbacks, and Russell could have played for another team/coach and enjoyed similar success as he did with the Hawks.

In the end, both had 'lost it.' Pete's defenses became a major weakness...he didn't field a top 10 defense in his last 7 seasons...and Russell couldn't or wouldn't adjust beyond the scrambling/ad lib playground style to compensate for his advancing age.

No, that isn't true. Pete will be remembered as a great head coach. You want to limit him, but anyone that followed his career will remember him for getting the most out of his players including his QBs. He was great with QBs. His record shows this.

Not sure why you feel you can limit someone to a certain thing when they've done more than just that one thing. Pete had a long career, developed a lot of players, and reached the pinnacle in college and the pros developing a ton players on offense and defense getting the best out of them from QBs to RBs to defensive players.

Pete will be remembered for being a great head coach from top to bottom. About the only real weakness I saw in Pete over the years of watching him was the offensive line.

I don't care about what happened at the end as that happens to every head coach and QB and player period. Father Time gets everyone from Pete to Holmgren to Knox to Belichick to Knox to Landry to Shula. No one beats Father Time.

[River Dog]

I don't care about what happened at the end as that happens to every head coach and QB and player period. Father Time gets everyone from Pete to Holmgren to Knox to Belichick to Knox to Landry to Shula. No one beats Father Time.

The reason I mentioned what happened to Pete and Russell at the end of their careers was to contest the assertation that one was dependent on the other for their success. With Belichick and Brady, you can use as evidence the fact that after Brady changed teams and coaches, he didn't miss a beat, winning another SB MVP while Belichick's Patriots floundered following Brady's departure and conclude that the major reason for the Pat's success was Brady and not Belichick.

You cannot say that about the relationship between Pete and Russell. Pete's teams performed almost exactly the same in the two years prior to the RW trade as they did in the two years following.

[4XPIPS]

I wanted to circle back to the MVP worthiness for Russell Wilson. I am no MVP expert, and nor do I claim I am. I am not discounting stats at all, and I believe they have a huge part of being in the HOF, but Russ does not have bad stats. He has put up some pretty good numbers during his time. For what I have read from various sources about HOF selection, it's based on the complete body of work of a player, this would include achievements, ie MVPs, OPYs. What was their "peak" performance during their prime. Their longevity, was said NFL player consistently performing for a long stretch in their career. How much of an impact the NFL player exhibits during his time, and this impact helps a player standout among their peers. Total value, which is encompasses the total worth a player had to his organization and to the game of football. I sourced bleacher reports breakdown of Hall of Fame process.

There are so many factors that decide or eliminate someone from being voted into the HOF. I know Troy Aikman played in a different time than Russ, but given his 12 year career, one single MVP vote, and was surround by entire offense of Hall of Famers, not to mention a HOF coach. Troy's stats are far less that what Russ has put up in 12 years. To think that Russ was on a run heavy offense and a defensive minded head coach.

Troy Aikman Hall of Famer (12 Year Career)
165 TDs
141 INTs
32,942 Yards

6 times voted to Pro Bowl
5th Place MVP Vote 1993
6th Place Offensive Player of the Year vote 1993 This a year where he


Russell Wilson (12 Years to this point)
334 TDs
106 INTs
43,653 Yards

9 time voted to Pro Bowl
3rd place Offensive Rookie of the Year Vote 2012
4th Place Offensive Player of the Year vote 2013
3rd Place Offensive Player of the Year vote 2015
4th Place Offensive Player of the Year vote 2019 Made All Pro Team 2 behind MVP Lamar Jackson

Again I know its different times, but I think Russell had plenty of league recognition through out his tenure in Seattle as a top player to get these votes. He is clearly going down as the greatest QB to wear a Seahawk's uniform. I am just saying if Troy can get in with less votes than Russ this far, then I am pretty confident Russ has a chance to be a Hall of Famer.

[River Dog]

I wanted to circle back to the MVP worthiness for Russell Wilson. I am no MVP expert, and nor do I claim I am. I am not discounting stats at all, and I believe they have a huge part of being in the HOF, but Russ does not have bad stats. He has put up some pretty good numbers during his time. For what I have read from various sources about HOF selection, it's based on the complete body of work of a player, this would include achievements, ie MVPs, OPYs. What was their "peak" performance during their prime. Their longevity, was said NFL player consistently performing for a long stretch in their career. How much of an impact the NFL player exhibits during his time, and this impact helps a player standout among their peers. Total value, which is encompasses the total worth a player had to his organization and to the game of football. I sourced bleacher reports breakdown of Hall of Fame process.

There are so many factors that decide or eliminate someone from being voted into the HOF. I know Troy Aikman played in a different time than Russ, but given his 12 year career, one single MVP vote, and was surround by entire offense of Hall of Famers, not to mention a HOF coach. Troy's stats are far less that what Russ has put up in 12 years. To think that Russ was on a run heavy offense and a defensive minded head coach.

Troy Aikman Hall of Famer (12 Year Career)
165 TDs
141 INTs
32,942 Yards

6 times voted to Pro Bowl
5th Place MVP Vote 1993
6th Place Offensive Player of the Year vote 1993 This a year where he


Russell Wilson (12 Years to this point)
334 TDs
106 INTs
43,653 Yards

9 time voted to Pro Bowl
3rd place Offensive Rookie of the Year Vote 2012
4th Place Offensive Player of the Year vote 2013
3rd Place Offensive Player of the Year vote 2015
4th Place Offensive Player of the Year vote 2019 Made All Pro Team 2 behind MVP Lamar Jackson

Again I know its different times, but I think Russell had plenty of league recognition through out his tenure in Seattle as a top player to get these votes. He is clearly going down as the greatest QB to wear a Seahawk's uniform. I am just saying if Troy can get in with less votes than Russ this far, then I am pretty confident Russ has a chance to be a Hall of Famer.

Those 3rd and 4th place votes are laughable. That's not anything that a HOF committee is going to even notice let alone consider. 9 Pro Bowls, yes. But not a 4th place finish in OPOY.

Aikman had a couple of advantages that Russell doesn't have: First and foremost, he played for the Cowboys, a.k.a. "America's Team". Russ played in South Alaska. There are several Cowboy players whose resume wouldn't be considered if not for the fact that they played in Dallas, especially during that period of time, with Drew Pearson coming to mind. Aikman played at the most influential position on the field for a team that was unquestionably the best in its era, winning 3 SB's in 4 years.

Aikman also has a SB MVP to his credit. Rusell has one ring and no MVP's, SB or league, and to make matters worse, hasn't received a single vote for league MVP even in his best years. Voting on a league MVP is similar to the way voting is done on HOF candidates in that there is a regional component. IMO that fact is very telling of Russell's chances for a gold jacket.

But what's hurting Russell's resume most is his past 3 seasons where his teams posted sub .500 seasons. HOF quarterbacks don't get benched at the end of a season dumped the way Russell did this offseason, with his former team wanting to get rid of him so badly that they ate a huge chunk of change with nothing in return. It's hard for me to imagine an objective voter setting those facts aside.

Russell needs to take the Steelers at least deep into the playoffs and have an MVP-worthy season in doing it to get rid of that stench of the recent past if he is to get back into the HOF conversation. IMO at this point, he doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell.

[4XPIPS]

Those 3rd and 4th place votes are laughable. That's not anything that a HOF committee is going to even notice let alone consider. 9 Pro Bowls, yes. But not a 4th place finish in OPOY.

Aikman had a couple of advantages that Russell doesn't have: First and foremost, he played for the Cowboys, a.k.a. "America's Team". Russ played in South Alaska. There are several Cowboy players whose resume wouldn't be considered if not for the fact that they played in Dallas, especially during that period of time, with Drew Pearson coming to mind. Aikman played at the most influential position on the field for a team that was unquestionably the best in its era, winning 3 SB's in 4 years.

Aikman also has a SB MVP to his credit. Rusell has one ring and no MVP's, SB or league, and to make matters worse, hasn't received a single vote for league MVP even in his best years. Voting on a league MVP is similar to the way voting is done on HOF candidates in that there is a regional component. IMO that fact is very telling of Russell's chances for a gold jacket.

But what's hurting Russell's resume most is his past 3 seasons where his teams posted sub .500 seasons. HOF quarterbacks don't get benched at the end of a season dumped the way Russell did this offseason, with his former team wanting to get rid of him so badly that they ate a huge chunk of change with nothing in return. It's hard for me to imagine an objective voter setting those facts aside.

Russell needs to take the Steelers at least deep into the playoffs and have an MVP-worthy season in doing it to get rid of that stench of the recent past if he is to get back into the HOF conversation. IMO at this point, he doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell.

3rd or 4th place in OPOY is laughable? This is the league recognizing his value as the 3rd to 4th best offensive player in the entire league. I know there isn't an award for it, but it is commendable that he was viewed as one of the top offensive players in the league during his prime. I agree with you the last 3 years haven't helped his cause. However, if anyone can have a Brett Favre type of story book ending, it would be Russ. I know he is well past his prime, and this his is last chance to be highly regarded as a starting QB, but I feel there is something left in his tank to show he can still carry a team. The Steelers are taking no risk with Russ, considering they are only tied to him on a league veteran minimum contract, so this is very low risk for Steelers . Fields has not shown anything at the pro level to prove he is a franchise worthy QB. I don't have a crystal ball, but I think Russ has the skillset and enough left in the tank to make the last few years of his career worth watching. I do believe he gets in the HOF.

Last season Russell put up 26TDs and 8 INTS, and just for comparison Patrick Mahomes put up 27TDs and 14 INTS. So it isn't Russell is played that horrific stat wise. He didn't set the world on fire with the Broncos.

[River Dog]

3rd or 4th place in OPOY is laughable? This is the league recognizing his value as the 3rd to 4th best offensive player in the entire league. I know there isn't an award for it, but it is commendable that he was viewed as one of the top offensive players in the league during his prime.

Take a look at what Wiki lists as Russell Wilson's accomplishments. They include a lot of things, but they don't include 3rd and 4th place finishes in OPOY. It's not something that gets talked about because it's so trivial.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Wilson

I agree with you the last 3 years haven't helped his cause. However, if anyone can have a Brett Favre type of story book ending, it would be Russ. I know he is well past his prime, and this his is last chance to be highly regarded as a starting QB, but I feel there is something left in his tank to show he can still carry a team. The Steelers are taking no risk with Russ, considering they are only tied to him on a league veteran minimum contract, so this is very low risk for Steelers . Fields has not shown anything at the pro level to prove he is a franchise worthy QB. I don't have a crystal ball, but I think Russ has the skillset and enough left in the tank to make the last few years of his career worth watching. I do believe he gets in the HOF.

For the last few years that Russell was with us, I kept hoping that he'd make the changes necessary to compensate for his advancing age and he never did it, so I wouldn't put any money on him having a Bret Favre-like revival. His offensive line is a huge question mark, he doesn't have all that many weapons, and they play in a killer division. Like you said, the Steelers are taking virtually no risk so there's no financial incentive or high draft pick to save face with that might otherwise motivate a team to do everything they can to make it work, especially when they have a young quarterback with a high ceiling waiting in the wings. My guess is that he'll be on a short leash.

But one thing's for sure: It's going to be great drama. I'm not going to go out and buy a subscription to Sunday Ticket just so I can watch all the Steelers games live, but I'll be paying attention. If he plays well, I'll be the first to tip my cap to him.

Last season Russell put up 26TDs and 8 INTS, and just for comparison Patrick Mahomes put up 27TDs and 14 INTS. So it isn't Russell is played that horrific stat wise. He didn't set the world on fire with the Broncos.

You're right, Russell did have a decent year statistically, at least when compared to his previous season. But let's keep it in perspective. Russell ranked 19th in the league in total yards, 9th in TD passes, 12th in completion percentage, 8th in passer rating, and 21st in QBR. The only QB category where he was top 5 was in sacks taken as he's been sacked exactly 100 sacks over the past two seasons. Those kinds of numbers aren't going to get him noticed by the HOF committee. He and his team have to do better if he wants to get back into the HOF conversation.

[NorthHawk]

I think Russell would have been a much different QB had he been on a team with a modern Offense.
Pete's philosophy can help a QB learn quickly how to play at the NFL level, but the development seems to stop after about the 3rd year. The Seattle Offense didn't really change for all of Pete's tenure and it can be frustrating for a QB who sees other QBs developing and prospering while he has to drag out the same old and tired plays. Wilson got a taste of what a modern Offense could be in the year our Defense was on track for the worst of all time and he pretty much won the first 5 games with a much wider open Offense until Pete got up on his hind legs and said it was a brand of football he didn't understand. After that, the trouble with Wilson wanting out became more apparent - and I would suggest that any QB who has had a lot of success would have become just as jaded as Wilson did.
I'm not sure it hasn't ruined what might have been a slam dunk HoF career and I hope he can break out of it this year even if he's playing for the Steelers.

[4XPIPS]

I know Russ didn't play in the Falcons game, but Justin Fields does not look like the long term answer. He was used quite a bit as a runner, and could not get the Steelers near the redzone. Luckily for them Boswell is an excellent kicker and nailed all of his kicks. The only time they got in the redzone was off a Kirk Cousins INT and it was returned into the redzone, and even then Justin Fields couldn't lead the offense to a TD. Regardless they got the win, and it's funny to think that the Steelers were considered the weakest team in the division, yet they are the only team to get a win after week 1. If Fields would have done more with his opportunity I would see him keeping the starting gig, but looks like Russ will be the starter next week and I am curious to see how he does.

[River Dog]

I know Russ didn't play in the Falcons game, but Justin Fields does not look like the long term answer. He was used quite a bit as a runner, and could not get the Steelers near the redzone. Luckily for them Boswell is an excellent kicker and nailed all of his kicks. The only time they got in the redzone was off a Kirk Cousins INT and it was returned into the redzone, and even then Justin Fields couldn't lead the offense to a TD. Regardless they got the win, and it's funny to think that the Steelers were considered the weakest team in the division, yet they are the only team to get a win after week 1. If Fields would have done more with his opportunity I would see him keeping the starting gig, but looks like Russ will be the starter next week and I am curious to see how he does.

Yeah, I watched that game, too, or at least multi tasked between it and the Red Zone.

Both quarterbacks and offenses looked horrible. They were both with new teams with little familiarity with their new coaches and teammates. I wouldn't feel nice and comfy if I'm a Steelers fan. They have a very weak schedule to open up the season. The big concern is Russell Wilson's injury. His game is predicated on his mobility as he does not perform well as a pocket passing QB, and an injury such as he has can linger for weeks. Maybe he needs to be doing some knee highs like he did on their flight to Europe a couple years back.

I wouldn't read much into the fact that the Steelers are the only team to have won in the opening weekend. The Ravens lost on the road to the defending SB champs by literally a toenail and the Brownies lost to a superior team in the Cowboys. Only the Bengals were expected to win and were upset, and that was by a one score margin. But I do agree that the division appears to be a little overrated. The Browns might have a worse QB room than the Steelers.

[NorthHawk]

It's interesting to compare Stroud to Fields considering they both came from the same College program and had the same coaching and almost identical success at the College level, yet Stroud is so much better.
It really puts an exclamation mark on not letting statistics deceive you when evaluating QB play before the draft.

[4XPIPS]

It's interesting to compare Stroud to Fields considering they both came from the same College program and had the same coaching and almost identical success at the College level, yet Stroud is so much better.
It really puts an exclamation mark on not letting statistics deceive you when evaluating QB play before the draft.

This is the Bobby Slowick effect. He has worked with Mike and Kyle Shanahan previously and will be a head coaching candidate this upcoming season. I think Bobby is far superior of an offensive mind than what Fields has been able to work with. However Stroud and Fields are two different types of QBs when at OSU. Fields is a running QB, and wasn't a standing pocket passer that Stroud is today.

Last two seasons at Ohio State, Fields rushed for a total of 867 yards, and that included a shortened 2020 Covid Season

Last two seasons at Ohio State, Stroud rushed for a total of 88 yards(this included a negative yards for the 2021 season of -20)

This just goes to prove that scrambling QBS need to adjust to the NFL level and become the stand in pocket passer that can move the pocket and throw off script, and at at times use their legs to make plays, but not rely purely on being a scrambling QB. How many scrambling QBs we have seen year after year flash amazing runs and make plays, but go down with injuries. Josh Allen in the Bills game had to literally put the team on his back to win that game, but it came at a cost as he injured his arm. He won't miss games, but all that running will take it's toll.

[4XPIPS]

I wasn't aware this made headlines, but Russell was inactive before the game, but yet he chose to wear his full pads while hanging out with his team on the sideline? Talk about living with in your own headspace Russell.

[River Dog]

I wasn't aware this made headlines, but Russell was inactive before the game, but yet he chose to wear his full pads while hanging out with his team on the sideline? Talk about living with in your own headspace Russell.

He wasn't just in full uniform with pads. He wore the eye black that many players use to reduce glare. I honestly don't understand why he went to all that trouble if he knew that there was zero chance of him playing. Does he think he's being an inspiration to his teammates by putting on his uniform? Was he expecting a team picture to be taken and didn't want to be left out of it?

It's just one more cringeworthy thing that makes Russell look like a bit of a 3 dollar bill, like doing knee highs up and down the aisleway on an international flight for 4 hours while his teammates slept that he claims he did to keep a hamstring from tightening up. The guy is weird. SMH.

[4XPIPS]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/101 ... vs-broncos

They gave Russell a game ball, dubbed " the petty game ball " for the win over the Broncos. Ok I was trying to ignore it, but this Russell Wilson thing is as "cringy" as people are calling it. Who get's a game ball that signed with a team just 6 months ago and didn't even play in the game?

[River Dog]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10135522-justin-fields-russell-wilson-got-a-petty-game-ball-after-steelers-win-vs-broncos

They gave Russell a game ball, dubbed " the petty game ball " for the win over the Broncos. Ok I was trying to ignore it, but this Russell Wilson thing is as "cringy" as people are calling it. Who get's a game ball that signed with a team just 6 months ago and didn't even play in the game?

Yeah, I don't know what to make of it. Apparently, it's a tradition with Tomlin for Steeler players to receive a game ball when they beat their former team, and there were several other Steeler players who received game balls yesterday. But was the team being sarcastic with their "pretty ball", that he suits up, black eyeshade and all, knowing that he's not going to play? Or do they genuinely like Russell, feel that he's an inspiration? Or a combination of both? I guess it depends on how you view Russell, if you're a lover or a hater. I know how Hawktawk would interpret it.

It will be an interesting dilemma for Tomlin when Russell gets healthy enough to play. Fields hasn't been lighting the place on fire, but he doesn't have any turnovers and the team is 2-0. You generally don't bench the starting quarterback when your team is undefeated. At this point, I think that the Steelers should ride with Fields until he shows he doesn't deserve to be the starter.

[c_hawkbob]

Jeez now y'all are really gonna add on to the anti Russ crap in here over a weird Steeler tradition that has nothing to do with him?

[River Dog]

Jeez now y'all are really gonna add on to the anti Russ crap in here over a weird Steeler tradition that has nothing to do with him?

Anti-Russ crap? In all modesty, I don't think that I fit the profile of an "anti-Russ crap artist."

There were two things that made the awarding of a game ball to Russ a bit unusual. The first one is that he didn't play and was inactive, and the second being that it was designated as a "pretty ball," which could be interpreted as sarcasm.

You'll have to admit that an inactive player that dresses up in full uniform complete with the eye shade isn't an ordinary thing. Most inactive players are in street clothes.

[c_hawkbob]

They give game balls to the former players of teams they just beat. That's their tradition. They didn't just start doing it for Russ.