Russell Wilson is officially questionable for Sunday's season opener in Atlanta. He aggravated the same calf he injured at the start of training camp Thursday, then was listed as a limited participant on Friday.
However, if you not only read what Wilson said, but watch the way he answered the question of whether or not he expects to play Sunday, the 'questionable' designation might become much more clear:
"Trying to get my body ready to go and rock and roll," he said. "Just doing everything we can."
Yeah ... it sure doesn't seem like a guy who's ready to rock and roll.
Wilson said he didn't do much in terms of team participation in practice. And from what I was allowed to observe and report on in practice, Wilson didn't even stretch and warm up with his teammates. He did it off on his own.
Also, Wilson wouldn't confirm which leg is injured. However, a good pair of eyes can see he's worn some sort of wrap under his socks on his right calf.
However, he did say there was good news from the scans; that there wasn't "something worse" from the injury that happened on the first day of training camp.
But, all signs right now point to Justin Fields starting at quarterback for the Steelers. And regardless of what happens with Wilson, Fields is preparing as if he will start:
"I have the same process every week," he explained. "I learned my rookie year how fast things can change. In my third game in my rookie season, Andy Dalton, he was just running out of bounds, looked like a normal play, then he tweaked his knee. Right then and there, I was in. I always prepare like I'm a starter."
Fields said his reps increased in practice as expected with Wilson, at the very least, limited.
"Of course, since he's out, or since he didn't get reps," Fields said. "There were full periods where me and him were splitting that stuff, then I'll go full reps with the 1s and stuff like that. Yeah, you could theoretically says that because he wasn't a participant today."
It may have just been an accident or maybe an accidental slip for him to say, "Since he's out." But, again, it might just be another sign of the inevitable.
Calf injuries can be tricky. And even though Wilson said nothing was made worse of the initial injury, the fact is he's now dealing with a second injury to the same calf before the season even gets underway.
This is a problem. Wilson seldom looked comfortable during the preseason. It wasn't the hero-ball Russ that so many of us watched in Seattle. It wasn't even the same guy we saw in Denver a season ago. For a guy who's nickname is Mr. Unlimited, he has seemed very, well, limited.
At this point, don't be surprised if Fields is the one who starts Sunday. Maybe the next 36 hours will go as well as humanly possible for Wilson. But, based on everything seen and heard over the past 24 hours, Wilson would need a miracle to start Sunday.
