Russell Wilson Sends Steelers Clear Message on What It Takes to Be a Champion

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson had a message for his team ahead of the NFL Playoffs.

Russell Wilson knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl and play like a champion, and he’s done a great job motivating and coaching this Pittsburgh Steelers locker room in the art of winning throughout the season.

That experience and leadership is one of the main reasons the Steelers pursued Wilson in the first place — and say what you want about his quarterback play at age 36, but he’s never once wavered in his public belief that this Pittsburgh team has what it takes to win a title. Wilson continued spreading any and all wisdom he has on playing championship football ahead of Week 18.

“It’s always great to stay on a momentum high, I think that’s always helpful, but it doesn’t determine anything,” Wilson told reporters on January 1. “Our present is going to determine [the outcome]. How we work is going to determine [the end result] and where we go.”

“Teams that I’ve been on that have been able to go a long way… like I said earlier a little bit, you’ve got to have a little bit of amnesia,” the Steelers QB explained. “You’ve got to be able to just embrace the moment. So addicted to the moment that nothing else gets in the way of it.”

“No matter what people write good [or] bad… you just stay focused on the moment, stay focused on the next play, stay focused on the next practice, the next meeting,” he continued. “And that level of obsession, that level of focus, that level of communication, that level of response — is everything. That’s what champions do, and if we want to be champions, we got to communicate that way, we got to think that way, we got to believe that way. We can’t blink.”

Russell Wilson Urges Every Steelers Player to Believe in Themselves Ahead of the NFL Playoffs

Wilson began his Wednesday press conference with more of the prototypical response on getting back to winning football.

“I think we just gotta get focused back on the fundamentals of the game and just play clean football, still be aggressive in our mentality and our approach — don’t play conservative in any way in terms of how we play — but just doing the little things right,” Wilson said.

Later, he dove into the mental side of winning, detailing why self-belief is more important than anything.

“I think the best players in the world are able to remain neutral,” Wilson noted, explaining: “The communication, the self-talk, the self-talk within the huddle, the self-talk on the sideline, the self-talk within your own ears is everything, and how you speak to yourself, how you believe and how you embrace it — how you embrace the challenges.”

“Every team that’s going to be in the playoffs has got great players too,” the veteran QB added. “[It’s about] how we respond and who’s going to respond the best more often than not.”

Has the Steelers Locker Room Lost the Belief That They Can Win a Super Bowl?

Wilson certainly has not lost belief in this team, but it would be fair to argue that a contingent of the locker room has wavered a bit in recent weeks. The finger-pointing, the bickering and the general public criticism are all signs of that — even if players have since walked back their comments.

Having said that, it’s not too late to wipe the slate clean and start fresh.

“Have a little bit of amnesia,” as Wilson suggested. But only just a little bit.

The Steelers must remember what’s gone wrong done the stretch, but they must also regain the belief that they’re much closer to the team that won seven out of eight games than the one that’s just lost three straight.

If they can do that — contrary to whatever media or fans argue publicly — they might just be able to stand toe to toe with any championship contender around the league.