Russell Wilson's preseason debut as a Steeler didn't go as planned and with the season opener against the Falcons on the horizon, he's looking to improve, gain greater familiarity with the offense and play efficient football against the Lions.
Mike Tomlin announced Wednesday that he still hadn't decided who was starting Saturday in Detroit, or how the snaps would be split at quarterback. But Wilson did say that he was planning on playing and using it as another opportunity to get comfortable for the regular season.
"I think the most important thing for us to accomplish is to play efficient football, move the ball up and down the field," Wilson said. "Obviously, we wanted to celebrate in the end zone. That would be fun. We need to make sure that happens. That's the standard of football that we want to be able to play."
Efficiency will be key moving forward and to this point, the offense has been up and down. There have been splashes of its brilliance throughout training camp but the Steelers have been trying to build up this offense without Wilson at the helm. He sat out for the majority of training camp after suffering a calf injury while pushing a weighted sled during their conditioning test in Latrobe, Pa and he's been working his way back ever since. That contributed to fewer reps with the first team, fewer live reps and until Saturday, no in-game reps.
For a quarterback joining a new team who is still looking to build an on-field rapport with teammates, those types of reps are important. Pat Freiermuth alluded to it when I asked him about it saying, "They are very valuable. Obviously, he missed a little time in training cramp so in-game reps, in-stadium reps, are big for the whole offense and it's been great so far."
The first on-field product Wilson put together with the Steelers wasn't the greatest. He completed eight of his 10 passes for 47 yards against the Bills and was sacked three times. The plan was for him to play two or three series but they went so quick that Wilson asked to stay in the game so that he could get more reps. Arthur Smith commended him for that on Tuesday when he spoke. I asked Wilson what that conversation with Smith entailed and this is what he had to say:
"I think the plan was to play two, two or three series', maybe this and that. But, the first series went a little quick so we wanted to say, 'Hey, let's get some more plays in.' We knew we weren't going to win the game in the first quarter or anything like that. But it's just 'Hey, let's see if we can get some more plays in.' And, obviously, I'd been out because of my calf injury, and everything else, unfortunately. So, you know, it was the first time that I got to put the shoulder pads on and go out there and go on the field, and so we wanted to be out there as much as we could with our guys and just compete at the highest level."
That's exactly what the offense needs at this point, time to mesh and come together. On top of the fact that they aren't utilizing all of Smith's playbook, both Wilson and Freiermuth mentioned that they are putting in the work during practice, they just need to translate it to the stadium.
"We've executed, we've done what we've been asked to do in practice, we just have to translate it from the practice field to the game field," Freiermuth said. "That's what the preseason is about. It's about getting the rust out and preparing for September 8."
When Wilson was asked what he's seen in practice that he thinks will translate to the stadium, he mentioned "explosive plays" and the play of the offensive line. He said he's seen spurts of both throughout the preseason and believes at some point they will translate to the stadium.
Wilson and the Steelers are also putting a focus on the small details that can make or break a game and help the offense become more efficient. When I asked Calvin Austin how this offense can improve moving forward he said, "Just being detailed and everything, that's what the game comes down to."
To do that, Austin said Wilson has put an extra emphasis on walkthroughs so that all of the players are focused and on the same page when it comes to putting the game plan together.
"It's just making sure you're in the right alignment, the right split, who's on the ball, off the ball, those little things because you don't want to, early on, put that bad smell in the air of mistakes and stuff," Austin said. "So it's just being clean there."
Despite the lack of offensive efficiency throughout the preseason, the Steelers aren't panicking. Freiermuth said there's no concern within the locker room and Wilson echoed that sentiment. It's the preseason. They are working out the kinks of the offense and are moving forward with the mindset of continuing to improve each day.
"There's some things that we've done really well, there's some things that we need to be better at," Wilson said. "That's part of playing, it's part of the fun about the preseason. You learn things and you translate that to the practice field."
