The Steelers once had a head coach who was never afraid to make the tough choice. That head coach went on to win four Championships in six seasons, while Mike Tomlin is still working on his second. Perhaps the decision to sit Russell Wilson for a second straight week shows Tomlin lacks the guts to make the tough call to make it back to the Super Bowl, let alone win one.
When games were on the line, Chuck Noll usually found a way to win them. He knew his team's talent and exactly what to expect from them. In 1983, with the playoffs on the line, Chuck Noll made one of those gutsy calls, for better or for worse. In 1983, in week 15, the Steelers had to beat the Jets in order to make the playoffs.
Even though Cliff Stoudt had started the first 14 games, Noll had lingering doubts as to whether they could beat the Jets with Stoudt. So He opted for Terry Bradshaw.
While recovering from an elbow injury in 1982, even though physicians had cleared Bradshaw to return, there were some doubts about whether he should.
Despite the risks, Noll gambled that Bradshaw could win the game. He did that with two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 133.9. However, halfway through the game, he injured his elbow again, promptly ending his career.
For those of us who remember the game, it was bittersweet. The Steelers had made the playoffs while ending the Steelers 1970s dynasty once and for all. Yet it's doubtful any fans who watched the game would question Noll's decision.
Mike Tomlin making the wrong decision with Russell Wilson
It would then take the Steelers 21 years to find their next special quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. He also turned out to be one of the most durable quarterbacks in NFL history. No Matter how many bumps and bruises he endured, he still managed to walk back onto the field on Sunday until his 16th season rolled around, the only season he never played in more than 12 games.
The Steelers' efforts to find Ben Roethlisberger's eventual replacement led them to sign Russell Wilson, one of the only NFL quarterbacks who has been more durable in terms of games missed than Russell Wilson in his career.
Now that he has come to Pittsburgh, he can't manage to take to the field. Thanks to a very timid and conservative Mike Tomlin. Don't forget Tomlin couldn't come around to starting Mason Rudolph in 2023 ahead of Trubisky after the Pickett injury until it was much too late.
That aside, Tomlin knows Wilson's history of durability. Throughout the preseason, we heard Tomlin talk about how they (the Steelers) and Wilson are getting to know each other and do not want to take chances. That talk is acceptable in the preseason, not in the regular season.
Especially each year when there is an injury, we hear Tomlin, like a broken record, talk about how they play the hand dealt to them and turn to the remaining guys on the roster to pick up the slack in that player's absence. Especially when, by all indications, Wilson seemed capable of taking the field. It's doubtful the calf tightness would have stopped Wilson from playing like it wouldn't have stopped Big Ben.
Hence, Tomlin is coaching scared, so scared of losing Wilson that it could cost them the game against the Broncos. Honestly, Justin Fields could be the Steeler's savior at some point, but not in 2024. That is not hard to see. He is perhaps a season away from taking the reigns if that's his destiny.
However, the longer he does not want to take chances and roll the dice, the longer the Super Bowl will elude him! The Steelers need Russel Wilson now rather than later. If by doing so, Wilson does get injured worse, then by Tomlin's own philosophy, Justin Fields is the man.