Steelers QBs Take O-Line Out for Dinner
PITTSBURGH — Russell Wilson revealed at OTAs on Wednesday that he and Justin Fields took the offensive linemen out to dinner at the Capital Grille in downtown Pittsburgh to build camaraderie. It’s one of many examples this offseason that Wilson has stepped up as a leader.
“It’s been cool. These guys are so focused,” Wilson said. “They work their butts off in the weight room, on the field, in the film room. Just to be able to share life experiences with one another as much as we can. It’s been hectic, it’s been busy. The more we spend time together, the better. It was a good dinner for sure.”
Wilson had a bad rap in Denver and Seattle for lacking leadership and not being a good teammate. A lot of the reports out of Denver suggested that Wilson was out of touch and an elitist. Wilson has certainly not displayed such characteristics in Pittsburgh.
Wilson sat next to Steelers offensive lineman Spencer Anderson at the Penguins game in April. Anderson was a seventh-round pick out of Maryland last year. He also took a group of the offensive linemen to the Pirates game in April as a tribute for their hard work in the team’s first phase of workouts.
“They’ve been working their butts off every day,” Wilson said. “How hard they’ve been working, it was cool. We had the weekend off, so we wanted to be able to celebrate together, hang out together.”
It doesn’t end there. Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth also gave Wilson props for organizing an offseason workout in San Diego. Freiermuth, Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson attended the workout.
“That was big time,” Freiermuth told Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. “He invited us to San Diego and a couple of us went there and got to work out and run routes and get to know each other. That’s big. The relationship on the field is big but building that off field is a big thing. It’s that trust you can bring over to the football field.”
Wilson doesn’t want credit for his leadership, however. He wants the focus to be on the team.
“Everybody’s been working,” Wilson said. “It’s not just about me, it’s about them, it’s about us all together. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a cool experience so far. We are just putting the work in, staying focused and doing everything we can to stay successful.”
Nick Farabaugh contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.
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