Multiple reports surfaced after the Pittsburgh Steelers ended their season with a five-game dropping streak that was capped off with a wild-card playoff defeat on the Baltimore Ravens claiming that quarterback Russell Wilson and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith “didn’t have an excellent working relationship” and skilled “some sort of disconnect” in the course of the second half of the marketing campaign.
Per Steelers insider Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Publish-Gazette, it appears points between Wilson and Smith first arose following Pittsburgh’s Week 13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 1.
“According to a number of sources,” Dulac defined in a bit revealed Tuesday, “Smith didn’t need Wilson altering performs on the line of scrimmage, like he did in Cincinnati, and deviating from the sport plan. Wilson’s need to assault with the move and throw down the sector clashed with Smith’s run-first mentality, inflicting philosophical friction between the 2.”
The 36-year-old Wilson and backup Justin Fields, 25, are each on observe to achieve free company when the brand new league yr opens on March 12. Head coach Mike Tomlin reportedly remains an enormous Wilson supporter after Tomlin began Wilson from Week 7 by the postseason although Fields went 4-2 as a starter in the course of the first month and a half of the marketing campaign. Nevertheless, a recent story revealed that “there’s
positively break up opinion” on Wilson inside the Steelers.
In the meantime, Steelers proprietor and president Artwork Rooney II made it clear following the loss to the Ravens that he by no means thought of firing Tomlin or buying and selling the one-time Tremendous Bowl champion head coach to a special group. There’s no signal as of the primary Tuesday of February that Tomlin will exchange Smith earlier than springtime exercises start.
“Partwork of the method will likely be ensuring Wilson and Smith can work collectively and never butt heads over how the offense ought to function,” Dulac added. “If that can’t be resolved, then Fields, who seems to be favored by a few of the teaching employees, turns into the seemingly option to be re-signed.”
Briefly, it seems like Wilson ought to most likely do no matter is important to fix fences with Smith as quickly as doable if the signal-caller truly wants to complete his profession as a member of the Steelers.
