NEWS FLASH: Good news to Steelers as Russell Wilson Arrive in Steelers.
A former Pittsburgh Steelers adversary appears to be pulling Russell Wilson toward Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger makes an intriguing comparison between Mike Tomlin and Bill Cowher. We look into the legal difficulties involving a rising Baltimore Ravens star.
In addition, we say farewell to an all-time legendary actor from sports movie history.
That’s everything in Wednesday’s “First Call.”
“A little birdie told me, and I said this many shows ago, Russell Wilson is coming over to the Steelers,” Johnson stated.
Up until now, I’ve known Johnson to have as many sources as he had Super Bowl rings (0), but if he hits this one, it’ll be a grand slam.
I’m just curious whether Johnson’s “birdie” has ever perched at the Steelers’ South Side facility or Wilson’s agent’s office. Because if not, this “birdie” is meaningless to me.
Almost as worthless as I believe Wilson would be at QB for the Steelers.
Too old. Too much baggage. Too little return on investment. Prioritize Kirk Cousins, Justin Fields, or a top-100 draft pick above Russell Wilson.
Big Ben on Bill Cowher
Ben Roethlisberger just joined the “Alpha 5 Method” podcast alongside former Steelers Bruce Gradkowski.
Gradkowski, a Seton LaSalle graduate, inquired about Roethlisberger’s early relationship with his first NFL coach, Bill Cowher.
“He treated me like a crappy rookie,” Roethlisberger stated. “He’s like, ‘Ben, I could have treated you like the greatest thing since sliced bread and put you up there because you were winning games, or I could have treated you like I did, and I chose that route because I felt like that was what was best for you.”
That is consistent with Cowher and what we’ve heard about how he treated Roethlisberger. Although I believe “treated me like a crappy rookie” is a bit exaggerated. Under Cowher, the Steelers had a slew of subpar rookies. He handled them extremely differently than he did Roethlisberger.
But what Roethlisberger said next piqued my curiosity.
“It wasn’t like you were with Coach Tomlin,” Roethlisberger explained. “You were like, kind of buddies—you could go talk to him or whatever.” What about the former ‘open door policy’? I never entered the open door. I did not want to go in and speak with Coach Cowher. “That was the last thing I wanted to do.”
Roethlisberger’s confirmation of Tomlin’s more laid-back approach to players’ coaching than Cowher’s is not surprising. However, using the term “buddies” to characterize player relationships with Tomlin would further fuel the perception among Steelers fans and the media that Tomlin isn’t tough enough on the guys who need it.