I’m that guy.
I’m that guy that goes to a popular parade and rains on it. I’m that guy who says “The heavy stuff won’t be coming down for awhile” when it’s already pouring. It should therefore come as no surprise that I’m the guy who is going to temper all of the excitement about Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
To be 100% clear, I’m extremely excited about both Wilson and Fields being brought into the Steelers’ fold. Omar Khan has absolutely lived up to his mantra that he ‘isn’t aggressive, he just wants to win Super Bowls.’ But at the same time we have to also recognize some potential issues could arise.
There is a very old saying in football… “If you have two (good) quarterbacks then you don’t have one.”
This references the fact that history has shown us that many teams have entered seasons with “two good QBs” but neither did enough to warrant being the starter. Thus, the team struggles due to average QB play and fractured locker rooms as factions grow. One supports one guy while the other supports the other guy. Not sure what I’m talking about? Look back no further than the 2023 Steelers where it was obvious the locker room wasn’t “all-in” on any one particular QB.
Is the 2024 version of the Steelers headed for the same fate? Maybe.
Mike Tomlin has made it crystal clear that Russell Wilson is the starter. Justin Fields is the backup. You know how long that remains ‘crystal clear’ though? Not very long at all if Wilson isn’t playing well. Remember that the Steelers have Wilson on a one year, vet minimum deal meaning there isn’t much tying the two together. If the Steelers are healthy and the defense is playing well but Wilson isn’t? The questions will mount and demands for moving to Fields will grow louder.
In a perfect world, Wilson plays well and leads this team to a postseason win (or better) leaving Khan and company with the difficult decision on whether to sign a 36 year old QB to a lucrative deal. Fields would have (hopefully) already signed an extension to eliminate that big fifth year option hit and boom! The Steelers would be set!
This isn’t a perfect world though and who is to say that Fields would come in and play significantly better than Wilson? What if both of them exhibit play that’s – as the kids say – “mid?” THAT is exactly where the phrase I mentioned above comes from. Having two ‘good’ QBs means you actually have none.
If I’m raining on your parade then I really do apologize but I like being realistic and being prepared for anything. Because there’s no guarantee of what we’ll get in 2024.
