It seems one of the hardest things for some fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers to do is to give credit. Maybe it’s one of the differences between the current generation and those that came before it. Sure, we had our favorite players “in the old days”, but we didn’t get upset and defend them when those players didn’t perform well. I suppose the same could be said for some coaches too.
Sunday night in Pittsburgh there were a lot of fans hoping their hot takes on Russell Wilson, Mike Tomlin and others would be fulfilled. For those that believed in Tomlin’s decision to go with Wilson over Justin Fields, they were proven correct. For those hoping that Wilson would be an utter disaster? They weren’t so fortunate.
The larger issue however is even though the Steelers won – handily as it turned out – there were still fans struggling to accept that Wilson had proven Tomlin correct. Do not be fooled. There is a segment of this fan base who cannot stand Mike Tomlin. He could pay people thousands of dollars weekly out of his own pocket and they’d still hate the guy. I’m not crazy about Mike Tomlin either in recent years truth be told.
No postseason wins in seven years will do that. Add in the fact that the losses in the playoffs were each brutal in their own way and you’ve got every right to question Tomlin. One thing you learn (I hope) as you get older is that it’s OK to admit when you’re wrong. If you admit that Tomlin rolled the dice and came up a winner with Wilson that doesn’t mean you are suddenly Tomlin’s biggest fan. It just means you’re willing to own up to a poor opinion.
I couldn’t believe the number of people trying to justify that Russell Wilson “didn’t play well Sunday night” despite his numbers. They cited poorly thrown balls that happened to be caught suggesting that Fields could have done that too! Are these people like, seven years old?!? They act like the kid that denies he got into the chocolate despite the evidence being all over his face. What do they get out of constantly trying to disprove something that’s already been established?
Egos these days must be as fragile as ever and I guess that’s due in large part to social media. The unwillingness to accept facts is just bizarre to me. Are fans really so willing to stay on their soap box despite being wrong?
There are absolutely things that Fields can do that Wilson can’t but that runs the other way too and those were largely the things on display. The decisiveness, the throwing with anticipation and the overall command of the offense were evident. But yet the anti-Tomlin crowd and the crowd unwilling to see Fields as anything but the starter were given proof that the move to number three was the right one.
Some of these people would rather be right than see the Steelers win and that’s just sad to me. In fact I don’t get it at all. And honestly? I’m glad that I don’t. Give Tomlin and Wilson credit. It doesn’t make you any less of a person or fan.
