Russell Wilson and Ben Roethlisberger now have both worked with Mike Tomlin for a solid chunk of time and it’s time for comparisons.
Russell Wilson is coming off the second 400-yard performance of his career. After seemingly every last analyst turned against him in Denver, the quarterback was picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tomlin was around in the NFL when Russell Wilson came to the forefront of the NFL conversation, so he remembered what he could do. After years of attempting to get Russ cooking, the head coach may have finally cracked the code against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The oft-talked-about Wilson appears to have had the opposite effect as Aaron Rodgers this season, but that bar isn’t exactly sky high. While the experiment appears to have been a success, one analyst believes that in some ways, the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach may have something even better than it had with Ben Roethlisberger.
Colin Cowherd compares Russell Wilson to Big Ben
Speaking in a December 2 edition of “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” NFL analyst Colin Cowherd explained one way Wilson has been better than Roethlisberger thus far.
He explained: “The one thing the Steelers haven’t been, and I mean even in the Big Ben prime days, they’ve always been loose, a little overly dramatic, loud, and undisciplined offensively.
“And Mike Tomlin needed Russell Wilson. And frankly, Russell Wilson needed Mike Tomlin, a head coach who isn’t looking over his shoulder in the meeting rooms.
“Tomlin and Russell Wilson are perfect. Russell is the adult in the room for an offense that’s desperately needed that for years.
Cowherd appeared to be referencing Wilson’s previous head coach with the “looking over his shoulder” phrase. Sean Payton was notoriously believed to have disliked working with Wilson, although now one can only wonder why.
Russell Wilson’s mixed bag of production in 2024
While Wilson has been more disciplined with the football than the gunslinger Ben Roethlisberger, he also hasn’t had too many looks at being as explosive this season. Taking out Wilson’s 400-yard, three touchdown game this season, the quarterback hasn’t had a game over 300 yards passing. While it has been promising early, there is room for improvement with his completion percentage, which has dropped compared to his season with Sean Payton. Still, when it comes to playoffs conversation, the prospects are encouraging.
At 9-3, Wilson is in line to play in his first playoff game since 2020. At this point, there is a real question of if he could hit a new ceiling with the Steelers not seen in his career since the mid-2010s. Will the former Seahawks quarterback leave both the Broncos and Seahawks fans questioning their franchise, despite reasons to remain positive without Wilson?
