Sometimes in life we don’t realize how good things are until they are gone. The Steelers went almost twenty years with an established leader, almost to the point we took it for granted. Now that we’ve had that void at such an important role on a team, it echo’s throughout not only the building but within the entire city.

Leadership can be a difficult position for most people to be in. There aren’t many natural born leaders that are capable of being the Alpha of Alpha’s on an NFL team. When Ben Roethlisberger was lining up under center you knew he was in control, at times he didn’t even have to speak and you knew what was expected. Big Ben not only had command of the team through what he said, maybe more importantly he had control of the team by what he did on the field. Ben was a warrior, he was a winner and whether all of his teammates liked him or not, they knew they had a guy they could count on. Not only did the players look at Ben as a leader, the entire city of Pittsburgh looked at him just the same.

It has been two seasons since Big Ben took a snap for the Steelers and now in comes Russell Wilson. Wilson is coming to Pittsburgh as a former Walter Payton Man of the Year recipient, Super Bowl Champion and face of a franchise. Before Russ even touched down in Pittsburgh there was a presence about him that radiated throughout not only the organization but throughout the entire Steelers Nation. Coaches, players and fans were all excited about the news that we are potentially signing Russell Wilson. When the leaders of our team in Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and TJ Watt are calling and facetiming a quarterback to come to Pittsburgh, that speaks volumes to the type of impact Wilson can have on a team.

We have seen Najee Harris at times step up and try to be a leader but I don’t believe it is natural for him to be the type of vocal leader that is sometimes needed. Every team needs players to lead by example but teams also need players to step up and say what is needed to be said, even when it’s uncomfortable. Wilson has already established himself as a leader in the NFL for over a decade. Outside of winning an MVP award Russell Wilson has done everything a quarterback strives for in the NFL, as many would say he’s “been there, done that”. Along with his accomplishments, Wilson has shown to be even tempered and positive. Although he may be too positivity and optimism can be looked at as “corny” at times, I would rather that than somebody that is extremely emotional or too negative.

An NFL season has its ebbs and flows, and Russell Wilson has been through the extreme highs and lows of an NFL player. He has experienced the highest of highs in winning a Super Bowl to the lowest of lows of being called “washed” and not being wanted by a team, twice. He showed maturity when he was being berated on the sideline by his head coach, I have never heard him speak badly of a former teammate or coach and he has never brought negative attention to an organization.

With a young offensive side of the ball, Russell Wilson can be exactly what they need. When things go wrong, which at some point in a season they will, the players will need somebody they can look to in a huddle and believe “this guy can get us out of it”. The player that I believe will benefit most from Russell Wilson’s leadership is Justin Fields. Fields is still a young player that has not had the success he wanted as of yet but he gets to sit behind somebody that has. There’s an opportunity for this offense to take a big step forward and Russell Wilson may be just the person to lead the charge.

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Stay Blessed and Stay Positive… “Here We Go”