Merriam-Webster defines temporary as, “one serving for a limited time.” Webster also defines the word disposable as, “designed to be used once or only a limited number of times and then thrown away.”
The old saying used to be, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” However, in the case of the “free slinging” Pittsburgh Steelers, “March came in like a lamb and is departing like an ‘entire pride of lions.’”
In just a matter of days the Black and Gold pulled off player acquisitions and trades that, less than a month ago, would have been viewed as unrealistic. They retained the services of two top-tiered NFL quarterbacks for less than the cost that most teams pay for inviting a star NFL QB out to lunch. However, instead of lauding and applauding such great business decisions, (as they did in the case of the Atlanta Falcons new 180-million-dollar QB Kirk Cousins), many right-leaning sports pundits are strangling the Black and Gold QB room before the QBs take a single snap in 2024. A few of these “storytellers” are not fly-by-night scribes trying to hack into the NFL database, these are so-called “legitimate” sports reporting outlets.
It would be OK if Russell Wilson was to beat out the younger QB Kenny Pickett but would stay on as a mentor for Kenny Pickett. But no, Russell Wilson can’t serve as a mentor to the young ex-Chicago Bears starting QB, Justin Fields. These two QBs of color must participate in a 2024 symbolic “cockfight,” a modern-day gladiatorial “battle to the death.” Remember Russell Wilson and Justin Fields signed one one-year contracts, so that makes them expendable. Jenna Lemoncelli recently posted an article on nypost.com titled: “NFL exec ‘could see’ Steelers cutting Russell Wilson before season.” She wrote: “One NFL executive isn’t sold on the Russell Wilson-Steelers marriage. During Tuesday’s installment of ‘NFL Live,’ ESPN’s Adam Schefter discussed the quarterback’s one-year contract with Pittsburgh worth $1.21 million, and said he heard Wilson might be on the chopping block in training camp.”
Remember, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields signed one one-year contracts, so that makes them expendable.
Let’s push the rewind button and travel back to the 2017 season. That year, Ben Roethlisberger had 28 touchdowns versus 14 picks. However, Russell Wilson had 34 touchdowns versus 11 picks that same season. Wilson had far better stats in 2017 when compared to Ben Roethlisberger. In 2023, Wilson had 26 touchdowns, versus 8 interceptions, even when he was disrespected and disregarded by a devious and dark-spirited head coach for Denver. Compare Wilson’s 2023 numbers to Kenny Pickett, the former heir-apparent of Ben Roethlisberger, who had 6 touchdowns versus 4 picks. When it was all said and done, Russell Wilson was a better QB than the Steelers past and ill-fated “future savior.”
HHAW, HAW, HAW as Mark Madden of 105.9 The X would say. Makes me think that Sean “the original gangsta” Payton was blatantly disrespectful to Russell, “just because.” If Mike Tomlin had exhibited the same vitriol toward Ben Roethlisberger publicly, that Sean Payton showed toward Russell Wilson with malice and forethought, there is a distinct possibility that Tomlin would have been the one on the “hot seat.” Sean Payton was just itching to get rid of the generally laid-back and pretty much soft-spoken Wilson, “by hook or by crook.” News flash: Sean Payton, the ex-New Orleans Saints Head Coach and the current Denver Broncos “big man on campus,” was suspended for the entire 2012 season, for overseeing a program called “Bountygate” that paid Saints players to inflict bodily harm intentionally and illegally on opposing players, so yeah, Monsieur Payton is an authentic and genuine “crook that is on the hook,” not the performance or the character of Russell Wilson. It is readily apparent that Sean Payton would rather destroy the character, value, and legacy of Russell Wilson than create and be led by his own “personal morality and character compass,” if he has one.
Remember, earlier in this article I wrote that “two QBs of color must participate in a ‘cockfight,’ a symbolic modern-day gladiatorial “battle to the death.” Is it possible that in 2011 and before that Sean Payton had his version of cockfighting firmly in place when he was the headmaster of the Saints and before he and his dastardly deeds were exposed? Recently, Matt Lombardo posted a story, “Pittsburgh Steelers Praised for Biggest Bargain Free Agent Signing,” on Gridiron Heroics. Lombardo writes: “Russell Wilson has to compete for the starting quarterback job, his signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers could wind up as the biggest bargain of the offseason. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed Justin Fields will have every opportunity to supplant Wilson as the starting quarterback. But, even if Fields leads the Steelers’ offense onto the field Week 1, there’s still a lot of reason to like Pittsburgh taking a flier on Wilson.”
Meanwhile, CBS Sports lists the Steelers signing Wilson as the biggest bargain of free agency, so far. Jared Dubin writes for CBS Sports that it’s the biggest bargain of free agency, “even in the seemingly unlikely event that Russell Wilson is beaten out for the starting gig by Justin Fields.”
In my most astute opinion, the only value that is currently being diminished is the value of players of color. The reason is, and has always been, that their services of Black players are temporary and the minute that there is a question about their performance,
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