Steelers defense ready for first look at Wilson
Steelers linebacker coach Joey Porter and defensive coordinator Keith Butler, left, will look to find a way to stop Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson Sunday in Seattle.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has rushed for nearly 400 yards and thrown for just under 2,400 this season.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, right, talks with linebacker Ryan Shazier during a game earlier this season.
PITTSBURGH – When Russell Wilson burst onto the NFL scene in 2012, he was considered to be the next generation of NFL quarterbacks.
A gifted passer and runner, Wilson could beat opponents with his legs or his arm, playing the game the same way the Steelers envisioned Kordell Stewart would when they drafted him in 1995.
While many scrambling quarterbacks fizzle out when they lose some of that ability to run after taking a multitude of big hits, four seasons into his career, Wilson is still going strong.
The Steelers (6-4) will get their first look at the young star Sunday when they travel to Seattle (5-5) to face Wilson and the Seahawks.
While other scrambling quarterbacks such as Colin Kaepernick in San Francisco and Robert Griffin III in Washington have fizzled out with their respective teams after strong starts, Wilson has continued to thrive in Seattle because he isn’t just a scrambler. He’s also shown that he can throw from the pocket, as evidenced by his 64 percent career completion rate.
His play has helped the Seahawks become an NFC powerhouse as he’s led Seattle to the past two Super Bowls, winning it two seasons ago.
Fortunately for the Steelers, they have a player on their roster who can closely mimic that style in veteran backup Mike Vick, the last next big thing at quarterback in the early 2000s.
“They discouraged me and I thought I couldn’t do it,” said Vick, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher among quarterbacks with 6,109 yards. “That was the only way I knew how to play. I just went out and played my game. It worked. You can do it. Wilson won a Super Bowl. Kaepernick went to a Super Bowl. I went to the NFC Championship game. Steve Young won the Super Bowl. John Elway won, guys who were mobile and could move. Ben (Roethlisberger) won two and he’s mobile.”
The Steelers did win two Super Bowls with Roethlisberger scrambling around in the pocket, buying time for receivers to get open. As a result, he took a lot of sacks early in his career. The same is true of Wilson, who has been sacked 35 times this season, the most in the league.
“Wilson is great and creates a lot of splash for them when he extends plays,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “When you extend plays, there’s negativity associated with that or potential negativity associated with that. I know that we’ve experienced that with Ben’s unique skill set over the years.”
That ability to scramble for yardage or extend plays is something that can’t always be mimicked in practice. It’s often unscripted and telling a quarterback such as Vick to run around and make the defense continue to chase him just isn’t always possible.
The Steelers feel they got some practice for what they’ll face in Wilson two weeks ago when they faced Cleveland’s Johnny Manziel.
While not as polished or perhaps talented as Wilson, Manziel is a scrambler. The Steelers largely kept him in the pocket in that game. And though he completed 33 of 45 passes for 372 yards, he scrambled for just 17 yards on three runs and accounted for just one touchdown in a 30-9 Pittsburgh victory.
The Steelers sacked Manziel five times in that game and have allowed quarterbacks to scramble for just 90 yards this season, the seventh-lowest total in the league.
“You’re never going to get those type of reps in practice,” said Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats. “Johnny, he’s a shorter guy, he moves around in the pocket a lot. Russell does a lot of those things. The one difference that I do see was with Manziel, he was holding the ball, looking to throw. Russell, when he commits to it, he’s tucking the ball and running.”
Wilson scrambled for 849 yards last season, while also throwing for just under 3,500 yards. This season, he has nearly 400 rushing yards to go along with just under 2,400 passing.
Manziel might have been a quiz that the Steelers passed. Sunday, they’ll face the final test with Wilson.
“No disrespect to Johnny whatsoever – I thought he did a great job and he’s going to be a great player – but I think Russell is that next level of what Johnny was doing to us in that game,” said Steelers safety Mike Mitchell. “So, we’re going to have our hands full.”
Odds and end zones
Four Steelers are currently in the top 10 in fan voting for the Pro Bowl. Wide receiver Antonio Brown is second at his position, while Jordan Berry is a surprising third among punters. Tight end Heath Miller and fullback Will Johnson are 10th at their respective positions. … Roethlisberger said Wednesday he still plans on wearing a knee brace on his left knee this week but will ditch the reinforced shoe he wore on his injured left foot two weeks ago against Cleveland. Roethlisberger suffered a sprained left knee earlier this season.