Sunday was a great day for Russell Wilson. He managed to put up 37 points on the board against the Jets, while fans were booing him from the stands. Getting booed by his own home crowd must’ve been a tough pill to swallow.
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Not to mention, Justin Fields’ performance on the field has put Russ a little out of favor with the fans. As the offense sputtered in the first half, the crowd booed him and chanted Fields’ name. But the 35-year-old kept his chin up and routed the Jets 37-15 during his debut for the Steelers.
Talking about the obvious boos that were aimed at him during the game, Russ said,
“I really believe in being neutral; you know, not being too high, not being too low. My old mental coach, who passed away a couple of years ago, always said, ‘Stay the course.'”
Not getting pressured by the boos, Russ kept his emotions in check and as he said, he and his crew “got hot” as the game went along:
“We started off 0 for 2, but I felt like I was going to get hot. I kept telling the coach, ‘Hey, I’m going to get hot here,’ and sure enough, we did. The guys did a tremendous job up front, giving me enough time to make throws. Guys made plays down the field, and everything else just fell into place.”
Shaking off the rust of the past few inactive weeks due to a sore calf, Wilson threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score.
He completed 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards, and his 11-yard lob to George Pickens for a touchdown late in the first half set the tone for the rest of the game.
Going to Pittsburgh, Wilson was confident that he would find a chance to revitalize his career that sputtered in Denver. Although his opportunity came later than he had expected, the QB demonstrated that he still has plenty left in the tank during the victory over Aaron Rodgers’ Jets on Sunday night.
And he’s not threatened by Fields. The veteran QB gave his backup QB the flowers he deserved as he showered him and Coach Mike Tomlin with praises:
“Got to give Justin Fields credit, man. Just all the things that he was able to do and how great he’s been playing inspires me every day. We have a great relationship; he’s a tremendous quarterback, a franchise quarterback, and a leader. He’s got all the intangibles.”
Not about to miss the opportunity to sing the praises of his new coach, Russ said,
“Coach Tomlin believes in all of us. He does a tremendous job; he’s a tremendous football coach, and we trust him.”
Talking about his duty as the second black quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl, Russ highlighted the importance of him being a good example for Fields and setting him up for success:
“Whatever I can give to him, show him, and just be around him—that’s part of my job. I really believe that being the second Black quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl comes with an obligation to help him and everyone I encounter.”
Not only is he not threatened by Fields but Russ believes that they’ve got a great relationship building in the Pittsburgh locker room. Hopefully, the Steelers can keep up the momentum they’ve built with both QBs at center and the two QBs can keep up their relationship.
