Nice to be in black and gold: Quarterback Russell Wilson made his first appearance in the preseason against the Bills and made his first appearance in a Steelers jersey.
Even though the results were not what he wanted, it was special for him to gain his first playing experience with his new team.
“We always want to win,” Wilson said. “That’s our mission every time. Obviously, we didn’t get that tonight. It was nice to be in the black and gold, just to have the honor of wearing the jersey and being out there with our teammates, it’s definitely a blessing.”
“I’m just back in this stadium playing, putting my boots on and getting ready. But we always want to be able to step on the field between the white lines and find a way to win and we didn’t do that tonight.”
Wilson played most of the first half, leading the offense through the first five drives.
Wilson completed eight of 10 passes for 47 yards, but was sacked three times, prompting coach Mike Tomlin to say they needed to better protect the quarterback.
The offense had only one third down attempt with Wilson at the helm, an 11-yard pass to receiver Van Jefferson at the Bills’ 37-yard line midway through the second quarter. That pass was followed by what Wilson thought was a beautiful pass from George Pickens down the sideline, but it was ruled out.
“I thought I’d try to play in rhythm, get the ball out when we can and also just hang on on third down. Those plays (Van) worked well,” Wilson said. “GP (Pickens) did a really good job on his chosen route. We thought he was in on that go ball. That was a great catch. I thought he double-tapped the ball with his toe.
“Every preseason is different. There are ups and downs, there are great practices and we’ve had a lot of those, the guys have been working their asses off every day. We had a great practice on Thursday. So there’s a lot of good that sometimes goes unnoticed and there are some things we need to fix and get right as well.
“That’s the care we need to take. We feel the urgency every week, every day you walk into the building, every day you cross the white lines, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
“I think the biggest thing is staying on schedule. I think we had too many third and longs in the first two drives in particular and we did some good things on offense, but at the same time we have to give ourselves the best chance possible to be successful and that’s third and shorts and third and mediums and we converted one of those later in the second quarter, Van did a good job sitting in the middle.
“I think the best thing we can do is keep our heads down and get back to work.”
What Wilson likes, however, is that the offense is moving in the right direction and you can see progress every day.
“The practices, the things we do, the extra work, the time the guys put in, I’m really excited about this football team. I really am,” Wilson said. “You can’t blink an eye. They’re all important. Every play is important. Every kickoff counts. But you also have to understand the process to understand what we do really well and then continue with that, and then improve on the things we don’t do so well. Then you give yourself the best chance, but you can’t run away from improving the little details.
“To be honest, we’re closer than we think. I think that — I love the work ethic of our guys. Pat Freiermuth, just the details that he puts into it. GP, obviously a very special player, Calvin (Austin), Van really rose to the challenge. I love Scotty Miller. Obviously, our backs are as physical as they can be.
“I think about our offensive line: We’re young but talented, and I think that’s a great thing. The guys have the will to do it, and we have that, and then of course we have a great defense.
“I think the best thing we can do is watch the film and study it. I’m just grateful. Every time I get to play this game, I feel so much gratitude and joy. And putting on this jersey for the first time – I put it on last week, but this time I’m playing real football. It’s a good feeling. I’m excited about our football team.”
