Ben Maller - Steelers Should've Added Jameis Winston Over Russell Wilson

and let's go here Ben malor uh the Steelers they're they're they've they have their quarterback Situation's been abysmal been just awful like kind of like the Jets the last few years just nobody who can deliver the football or or score in the offense or make things happen so they go out not only do they get Russell Wilson for uh $3 in a bag of balls but they also uh pick up Justin fields and they get him from nothing like a six round pick like nobody wanted this young top pick you know quarterback who played in Chicago and uh nobody wanted him either so they got two quarterbacks I think that without question you got to you got to go with Russell Wilson you go with the 35 year old you go with the guy who went to the Super Bowl twice you go with the guy who had a decent season last year in Denver I know Shawn Payton hated him from day one and tried to sabotage everything and just didn't want him there which is fine but there are people think that Justin Fields should be the quarterback the young guy and all this I just think if you're Mike timelin and I know he got a new contract extension but if you're the Steelers and you got a defense and you got a lot of other pieces Parts but you're missing the quarterback I would go with the proven veteran the start once Russell Wilson proves to me that he's no longer a starting quarterback or he's not that good anymore then you can move on but you don't go the other way where you put the kid in first and then have the kid falter and then try to go back to the veteran I just think this is obvious Russell Wilson first let him play and let's see what he can do and if not then you could talk about maybe The Season's lost maybe you realize that things aren't going to happen and you put the kid in but I you Ben don't like either Choice well I don't because I and what I what I've seen you can't judge too much on these practice games because it's it's pretty paying for watching these exhibition football games but that said listening and parsing the words of Mike Tomlin it sounds like he knows he is stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea here either direction that he goes and uh I would argue Rob that Russell Wilson's been done for three years that it he just hasn't gotten the memo well wait a minute Ben he had a decent year last year for Denver be honest come on now he didn't actually I mean he had a decent if he showed any you think Shawn Payton would have gotten rid of him like the numbers were okay didn't like him but he didn't like him before he got there go back but those were empty stats that Russell Wilson had last year in Denver he put up empty numbers for the Broncos last year and they they dumbed down the offense or whatever yeah Mike Tomlin could do that in Pittsburgh for Russell Wilson and and you look at the the numbers on your tablet and they're like well Russell's not that bad but even at the end in Seattle uh the the Seahawks were not devastated to get rid of him because he was showing signs of falling off the table and I look at Justin Fields every year Justin Fields since he's gotten to the NFL has all the razzled Dazzle he wins the highlights on social media there's people campaigning him for him to be the starting quarterback and he's got this panach he won the MVP from the TV people in the offseason before the 2023 season but then when he actually has to play it's a hot mess so it's like it's like the side if you're Mike Tomlin on one side you have manure and on the other side you got fertilizer so it doesn't matter which direction you're going to go at this particular point now what they should have done cuz I I have the answer I activated the out think I figured you must have the answer consider they screwed this up yeah they screwed this up what they should have done is added jamus Winston in the off season who was available but they're not going to get him now he's in Cleveland he's the backup which means he'll probably play because deshan Watson will get hurt but that's the guy I would have gone after and instead they got Russell Wilson who's on his last legs and Justin Fields who's good for three or four highlight plays a game and that's about it the only problem is you got to pick between these two that's that's what they have well I know I I I understand and so you you think they have no shot with either one of these guys I think I think that when you consider that somehow every year they have a record over 500 with really no quarterbacking like that's the part that's that's amazing with like zero quarterbacking it's like the Jets they went they won seven games with no quarterback I mean if Aaron Rogers isn't worth three wins or four games I don't know what who is because they haven't had anybody and the same thing with Pittsburgh I I I just think Russell Wilson did enough last year uh for me to give him an opportunity to see him play and and and if it's I know he's 35 I get it I I I didn't see what you saw I know I know the numbers were all right what do you mean but the the numbers were fine like I I don't understand what numbers you have an issue with you can't you can't have it both ways if a guy if a guy plays well you got to give him some credit I I I didn't think he played well though watching the Broncos like I didn't see every game last year but when I watched him Shawn pay do a good job coaching last year to Broncos when they gave up the 70 piece did they get well they quit on him that game in Miami you don't give up 70 if the team's trying so quit on a 70 Burger yeah and uh and all that but no I mean they they they ran a rudimentary offense Rob in Denver last year and yeah the Steelers could do that and the numbers will look okay but the Broncos offense was not it was not good it was not a an effective offense it was a putrid poooa was what it was for the Broncos last year on offense so while individually if you look at the numbers that well Russ wasn't that bad when you actually watch on a game by game basis not that good not impressed that's a this is if you want to be a legit Contender yeah can the Steelers win eight or nine games again can be right around mediocre they won eight or nine games with no quarterback but they have a defense they have an elite they have a year to so you're saying that you're not going to get any kind so they'll be this what I'm saying is they're going to be the same as they have been it's not going to be any better with Russell Wilson they might as well they should have kept Kenny picket who also stinks pick's terrible I mean I I I disagree I just think the the Shawn Payton thing with Russell Wilson he didn't want him there and and it was just a bad whole VI or even before going in on that and that that's fine I just think if if I'm the Steelers I got to go with the veteran you you went out you got him let this guy play I'm not going to sit here and talk about some pre-season game and what they look like and oh my God you know they couldn't move the fo they move you know move the football or whatever it was they couldn't get the offense going I'm that that preseason doesn't do that for me I once watched the Lions go 4 and0 and destroy their opponents in all four G games and guess what happened that year Ben do you remember well course R they they went 0 and 16 yes that was the year was that was the uh who was the quarterback that year for the Lions was that uh was who was it Dan olavsky was he part of that yeah he might have been a part of that yeah that's when he ran out of the endzone you remember that famous play yeah but I'm a I'm a Mike Tomlin fan I love Tomlin he's great for what we do rob you know all the quotes the fat and sassy and all that and and whatever you know he's got a million different sound bites which are great and he'll he'll coach up whoever's there but don't tell me that Russell Wilson's good all he's not I don't he's better than what they've had and I'm I don't think he is I think he's more of the same the sequel is the equal to what they've had and you know the Broncos last year Russell Wilson you said he had a good season they the Broncos offense was 26 in the NFL look at his numbers I know but that's what I'm saying that's like that's can you instead of instead of giving me that give me his numbers last year he didn't turn the ball over a lot he played fine was he great was he an all pro no they played safe they played safe you you you have to play both you have to you can't just play conservative all the time you know that Rob you've done columns about that over the years you've gota you've got to be an attack mode and the numbers individually look okay but the office you know what it reminds me of Daniel Jones the Giants a couple years ago made the playoffs they actually won a playoff game against the Vikings they did did I remember that people said look at Daniel Jones he's arrived the Giants gave him some more money they paid him and yet that season the Giants passing offense was like 25th in the NFL but yet if you looked at Daniel Jones numbers he was fine and it was very similar it was like a a carbon copy what the Broncos did with Russell Wilson last year with Shawn Peyton was similar to what Daniel Jones did the year prior with the Giants where you looked at the numbers like well that's not bad but that you watch in the context of the game and it stinks that's my point that's what I'm saying I I I hear you I mean I you're not alone there are people who just don't think that it was good but if I have the two quarterbacks I'm going to go with Russell Wilson