Steelers keeping door open for Wilson, Fields
By Dale Lolley
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
There have been various “reports” of this or that happening with the Steelers’ quarterback situation.
Realize that nearly all of it is conjecture at this point.
Or, perhaps more to the point, the people reporting those things simply aren’t talking to the people who actually make that kind of decision for the Steelers – because they aren’t talking to reporters.
The NFL’s free-agency period doesn’t begin until March 12, with the legal tampering period opening two days before that.
The Steelers have made no decisions regarding whether they will move forward with Russell Wilson or Justin Fields in 2025. Any statements to the contrary are false.
See, the thing is, they can favor one quarterback over the other. But that doesn’t mean they’re going to close the door on the other.
Free agency is a door that opens both ways. It’s free agency for the teams and the players. And if the player chooses to see what else is available in terms of opportunity or money, then that is his prerogative.
For the Steelers, that means keeping options open for Wilson or Fields until one player is signed.
Team president Art Rooney II said his preference is to have one of those two quarterbacks as the team’s starter in 2025. Nothing has changed in that regard. And the Steelers aren’t about to move on from one or the other until they have someone under contract – no matter what some people in the media are saying.
• Some things in the NFL don’t change, no matter how much we might think they do.
The Super Bowl showed again that if you can get to the other team’s quarterback and put him on his back consistently, then you can have a great deal of success, regardless of the talent of that quarterback.
The Eagles simply overwhelmed Kansas City’s makeshift offensive line.
• So, Sidney Crosby wasn’t healthy enough to play in the Penguins’ past two games, but he was healthy enough to take part in the 4 Nations Face-Off that took place in Montreal last week?
Imagine, just for a second, if a Pirates or Steelers player tried to pull that off. They’d be skewered – and rightfully so.
The Penguins pay Crosby handsomely to play hockey for them, not for Team Canada.
Yes, he’s earned the right to play in tournaments such as this. But not when he wasn’t healthy enough to play for the Penguins in the past week.
Imagine telling your boss that you’re not healthy enough to do your job, but you can play in a pick-up softball game over the weekend.
But, hey, the Penguins are apparently OK with it, so you’re supposed to be good with it, too.
• The Pirates didn’t exactly have the kind of offseason fans had hoped they would.
And when pitchers and catchers reported last week, things went from bad to worse. Spencer Horwitz, one of the “big” offseason acquisitions, will be out six to eight weeks after having surgery to repair a wrist injury.
That’s not the way to get people excited about your chances in 2025, especially since Horwitz is expected to be the starting first baseman.
• Officiating sports at any level is difficult. Many times people expect perfection, and that’s just not realistic given the quick nature with which things occur in sports, regardless of the level.
High school athletics have been dealing with a dearth of officials in all sports for several years.
That has trickled down to the youth level.
The Founders League, from which the Washington County Pony World Series team is selected, is no different.
Because of limitations with the local umpire associations, Washington Youth Baseball utilizes its own in-house crew of umpires as opposed to using the professional groups.And WYB’s in-house umpires, with the expansion last year of the Founders League to encompass the entire county with the exception of Peters Township, finds itself covering games everywhere from Burgettstown and Avella to Charleroi and Bentleyville and everything in between.
But more umpires are needed. And they could be used at every level and across the area.
If you’re looking to make some additional money for short hours – most games are completed in about two hours – and have a working knowledge of the sport, umpiring youth baseball might be the perfect side job for you.
Anyone interested in umpiring games in 2025, or just learning how they can help, can contact Washington Youth Baseball at washyouthbaseball.com.
Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.