Pittsburgh Steelers General Thread

[Don Wassall]

Andy Russell the long-time Steelers linebacker, has passed at age 82. He played alongside Jack Lambert and Jack Ham as part of a snowplow at the position during the Steelers first two Super Bowl years, 1974-'75. Russell was one of the few holdovers from the terrible Pittsburgh teams of the 1960s who Chuck Noll kept when he became head coach in 1969 and he became a key part of the Iron Curtain defense. Though not as heralded as Hall of Famers Lambert and Ham, Andy Russell was an All Pro selection 7 different times, including 6 straight years from '70-'75. RIP

 

[footballenthusiast]

Sources: Russell Wilson to sign free-agent deal with Steelers​

Nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback and former Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson plans to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, league sources told ESPN.

Wilson will sign a team-friendly, one-year deal in which the Denver Broncos, who told him last week that he would be released, will wind up paying $38 million of his salary while he wears the black and yellow.

In a social media post Sunday night, Wilson wrote: "Year 13. Grateful." With it was an accompanying video of the Steelers and their fans.

With permission from the Broncos since he was still under contract before the start of the new league year, Wilson visited with Steelers officials in Pittsburgh for over six hours Friday. He met with, amongst others, coach Mike Tomlin and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The two sides had a mutual interest that led to their one-year deal.

Wilson now heads to Pittsburgh with Kenny Pickett, the Steelers' 2022 first-round pick, being the only quarterback currently under contract to the team. Mason Rudolph is entering free agency after starting three games for Pittsburgh last season.

Wilson, 35, was told by the Broncos last Monday that they would be releasing him, ending a tumultuous two-season run in which Denver went 11-19 in his starts and failed to make the playoffs. He was benched with two games remaining in 2023, ending the season with 3,070 passing yards to go with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The Broncos signed Wilson to a five-year, $242.6 million deal after his arrival in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. They will take on an $85 million hit in dead money over the next two seasons because of the release.

Wilson spent 10 seasons with Seattle, making nine Pro Bowls and winning a Super Bowl. A third-round pick of the Seahawks in 2012, he has thrown for 43,653 yards with 334 touchdowns and 106 interceptions.

Sources: Wilson to sign 1-year deal with Steelers

Russell Wilson will sign a team-friendly, one-year deal with the Steelers. The Broncos will wind up paying $38 million while he wears the black and yellow.

www.espn.com

 

[white lightning]

He will be the starter despite what anyone says in my honest opinion. Wilson may bounce back as the Steelers have a some talent on both sides of the ball.

 

[Leonardfan]

Another young White QB gets screwed over.

 

[Bucky]

By Rooney Rule and AA coach to boot!

 

[Bucky]

Wilson is in trouble. That Pittsburgh OL is bottom dweller.

 

[Leonardfan]

Wilson is in trouble. That Pittsburgh OL is bottom dweller.

Watch the Steelers draft one of the elite White OL this year.

Wilson has been exposed the past 2 seasons on the field. He’s also a locker room cancer - no former teammates in Seattle or Denver seem that motivated to come to his defense. Says a lot about him if you ask me.

 

[Bucky]

Watch the Steelers draft one of the elite White OL this year.

Wilson has been exposed the past 2 seasons on the field. He’s also a locker room cancer - no former teammates in Seattle or Denver seem that motivated to come to his defense. Says a lot about him if you ask me.

lol! Wouldn’t doubt that it would take a fading black Star at QB, for Rooney’s to invest in OL!!

 

[FootballDad]

Watch the Steelers draft one of the elite White OL this year.

Wilson has been exposed the past 2 seasons on the field. He’s also a locker room cancer - no former teammates in Seattle or Denver seem that motivated to come to his defense. Says a lot about him if you ask me.

But, he's Mr Unlimited.. You've all seen this one before.

 

[Leonardfan]

But, he's Mr Unlimited.. You've all seen this one before.

lol. Well on the field he is very limited, his roll out, half field read schtick no longer works as he is too slow. On top of that the aforementioned Steelers poor o-line and mediocre run game won’t provide him much support either. Having bonehead WRs only adds to this comedy of errors.

 

[Don Wassall]

You can thank the Broncos for the Steelers signing Wilson. Denver is paying Wilson $39 million for the upcoming season, the Steelers just $1.2 million. Always tight-fisted in free agency, the Rooneys would have never signed Wilson if the Broncos weren't on the hook like that and Wilson was asking for say $40 million over two seasons.

The Steelers are getting a bargain by only having to pay $1.2 million, not much more than the league veteran minimum, nothing to lose if Wilson bombs and potentially something to gain if he plays well in what is probably his last chance at being a starting QB.

Wilson will likely begin the '24 season as the starter but that doesn't mean the end of the world for Pickett. Wilson could get injured or if his decline continues and he sucks, Pickett will get some starts. It does mean that Mason Rudolph won't be re-signed unless no other teams want him and Pittsburgh can again sign him for the league minimum or close to it. Hopefully Rudolph will land somewhere where he has a chance to compete for a starting job but I won't hold my breath.

I've watched the Steelers more the past two seasons than I have in a long time, mainly because I'm rooting for Pickett to succeed. That said, he hasn't been very good. He showed some promise in his rookie season, leading several fourth quarter comebacks. But he noticeably regressed in his second season in '23. I'm aware of and have mentioned some of the factors working against him such as a bad o-coordinator, a poor offensive scheme, and a bad o-line. But Pickett last year was often inaccurate and was bad in the pocket, not sensing pressure well and often running right into sacks. He's also semi-injury prone. Rudolph was a big upgrade when he started at the end of the season.

In 24 starts Pickett's thrown just 13 TD passes, including just 6 in '23, and he also rushed for just 54 yards last season. That's not gonna get it done in the NFL. The days of teams waiting years for QBs to develop, especially White ones, are long gone. Pickett can still succeed, maybe even this season if Wilson fails, but he'll likely have to go a longer route now to do so. Maybe he'll be the next Baker Mayfield or Ryan Tannehill, overcoming previous adversity and thriving in a new situation. It's also possible he's just not NFL starting caliber; that hasn't been definitely decided yet but for now he's headed for backup status.

 

[icsept]

The Steelers are poised for another 9-8 season. Russell Wilson is average at best, same as Pickett and Rudolph.

 

[Don Wassall]

They've been stuck in mediocre for a while now and I agree Wilson won't change that. It's a stale organization with a very stale head coach.

 

[Leonardfan]

They've been stuck in mediocre for a while now and I agree Wilson won't change that. It's a stale organization with a very stale head coach.

Agreed!

 

[Bucky]

Kosher controlled media approves of Wilson to Pittsburgh. Over half of sports talk is Black. They love it too.

 

[Don Wassall]

Not sure how this impacts Cole Holcomb yet, but the articles I've read about Holcomb aren't promising. He had a serious knee injury and it's still unknown if he'll be ready for the start of the season or if he'll play at all in '24.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Steelers have agreed to terms with LB Patrick Queen, formerly of the Ravens, on a three-year deal.
Queen heads to the Ravens’ biggest rival in the Steelers after a breakout campaign where he tallied 133 tackles, 3.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl. The deal is worth $41 million and fills a need in the middle of the defense for the Steelers. Queen now gets a chance to lead a defense as he played alongside Roquan Smith for the past two seasons.

 

[Don Wassall]

Steelers pretty much give away starting WR Diontae Johnson to the Panthers. He has some good qualities as a receiver and some bad ones (hands of stone, rarely scores), but most importantly he was the latest in a long line of prima donna/bonehead receivers during the endless Tomlin regime -- Martavis Bryant, Antonio Brown, Ju Ju Smith Schuster, Chase Claypool, George Pickens. So now they'll undoubtedly be taking a receiver early in the draft, but I hope it's not McConkey or Pearsall. The Steelers are a toxic environment for White players, other than someone like T. J. Watt, who's the best in the league at his position and thus can't be screwed. Same with Big Ben, who carried the prima donnas and the rest of the team on his shoulders during his long prime.

 

[Don Wassall]

Good analysis of what Russell Wilson has devolved into:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1765153034315706614

Also an interesting take from super cuck/caste clown Mark Schlereth: “The way Russ played the last couple of years, he’s a deficient quarterback,” Schlereth said on Thursday’s “Pat McAfee Show.” “He’s diminished, he doesn’t throw the ball in the middle of the football field, he doesn’t anticipate throws. You can sit here and tell me all day long, 26 TDs and 8 interceptions, I’ll tell you garbage numbers. The things he does, he’s just not good enough anymore, so we’ve got to move on from that.”

 

[Leonardfan]

Good analysis of what Russell Wilson has devolved into:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1765153034315706614

Also an interesting take from super cuck/caste clown Mark Schlereth: “The way Russ played the last couple of years, he’s a deficient quarterback,” Schlereth said on Thursday’s “Pat McAfee Show.” “He’s diminished, he doesn’t throw the ball in the middle of the football field, he doesn’t anticipate throws. You can sit here and tell me all day long, 26 TDs and 8 interceptions, I’ll tell you garbage numbers. The things he does, he’s just not good enough anymore, so we’ve got to move on from that.”

Funny to read Schlereth bad mouthing a black qb.

Wilson was good because of a strong run game and the ability to roll out and read half the field. It’s not rocket science. His legs are gone therefore negating his ability and reducing him to a shell of what he once was. The Steelers offensive line is abysmal, Harris is an overrated running back. To the Steelers credit they got rid of locker room cancer Diontae Johnson but Pickens remains. The Broncos did have a better WR group than the Steelers and Wilson still struggled. Rooting for this experiment to fail!

 

[Leonardfan]

https://nfltraderumors.co/breaking-steelers-trading-qb-kenny-pickett-to-eagles/

Pickett traded away after 2 seasons, never given a fair shot in Pittsburgh. Now he gets to ride the bench in Philadelphia. Steelers will more than likely draft a black quarterback and become Browns East.

 

[Don Wassall]

https://nfltraderumors.co/breaking-steelers-trading-qb-kenny-pickett-to-eagles/

Pickett traded away after 2 seasons, never given a fair shot in Pittsburgh. Now he gets to ride the bench in Philadelphia. Steelers will more than likely draft a black quarterback and become Browns East.

Surprising at first, but in retrospect not at all. The Pittsburgh sports media has always been servile to the Steelers and the Rooneys and after being supportive of Pickett, the Pitt star, for most of his first two seasons, they turned against him late last year. When Mason Rudolph was named the starter late in the year, the media instantly planted an urban myth that Kenny Pickett refused to be the backup to Rudolph for even a game and refused to dress. It's possible but highly unlikely this actually happened, especially because Pickett was admittedly struggling at the time and was in no position to act like a black prima donna. Certainly no evidence was given to back up the allegation.

If you read the link it mentions Gerry Dulac, a long-time hack writer, also claiming that Pickett "poorly" handled the signing of Wilson. Again, no evidence offered and none needed as the die was already cast. Team ownership and management feed the "reporters" an off the record narrative and they duly report it, going back to when Danny Farmer the record setting UCLA receiver was drafted in the fourth round in 2000 and suddenly fell victim to an organized hate campaign after the "locker room" decided they didn't want him and he was cut in training camp, the highest drafted player to be cut that year in the preseason.

Mark Madden, who I've mentioned on occasion both positively and negatively as he's the only semi-independent sports voice in Pittsburgh, has been especially vicious toward Pickett going back to last season, saying literally hundreds of times that he "stinks" and regularly ridiculing his "small hands." He also started the claim that Kenny refused to back up Rudolph, but never gave any sources.

Philly actually is probably the best landing spot for Pickett. Hurts likely peaked in '22 and could well continue to decline. If he does and/or the offense continues to struggle or Hurts gets injured, Pickett could get a shot. He grew up in New Jersey, so the Eagles are his "hometown" team more than the Steelers. Hoping for the best for him in spite of how he's been treated so far.

 

[Leonardfan]

Thanks for the insight into the local media’s relationship to the Steelers. I thought Kevin Colbert was an awful GM but Khan is taking it a step further if you ask me. Like I originally stated the Steelers will become a hyper black team now. Black GM and overrated black head coach protected by the national media.

Pickett was given an awful deal and Pittsburgh put a masterclass on in how not to develop a 1st round QB. Tomlin stood by the awful Matt Canada until he could not cover for how poor of a play caller he is. It’s obvious that the scheme was the problem. Pickett gets injured soon there after and loses the gig due to injury.

I apologize if I come off as hyper-critical and cynical but to me it’s the logical conclusion to following the caste system. Black fatigue is real and is prevalent everywhere. Sure blacks are tools of the elites but that does not mean they aren’t part of the problem themselves. The blacks that now wield power as decision makers do not have to cover up their preference to field almost universally black teams. The owners could care less because they are making money hand over fist, the media is of course the tool of the marxists pushing the racial agenda - being hyper critical of White athletes while protecting and hyping black ones. It’s all a great mirror into greater society.

End rant.

 

[Don Wassall]

Depending how the draft goes and what they do at the center position, the Steelers could start the '24 season with Watt and Freiermuth as the only two White starters. And Freiermuth became pretty much an afterthought in the offense in '23, so even his starting position isn't written in stone.

After signing Patrick Queen and Cole Holcomb facing a long rehab from a serious knee injury, my guess is Holcomb has played his last down as a Steeler, at least as a starter. Nick Herbig is a big-time talent but he's buried on the depth chart behind Alex Highsmith for an indeterminate length of time.

Looks like it's time to go back to calling the Steelers the Crawfords.

 

[Leonardfan]

I just hope none of the White outliers in the draft end up in Pittsburgh. Just double down on blacks at every position and go the way of the Ravens, Browns, Texans, Seahawks and a growing number of hyper black teams.

 

[Don Wassall]

That's why I've been writing of late that I hope they don't draft McConkey, Pearsall or Shipley. Same goes for Payton Wilson, Cooper DeJean, Braden Fiske and any others. Tomlin has always been one of "the (black) boys," enjoying the prima donnas on the team and former ones like his good buddy Joey Porter. He needed Big Ben big time and Watt is an all-time great, but I can't see him ever being fair or close to fair to any other Whites.