An open letter to Cedrick Wilson

"It's frustrating ... because I want statistics, just like anybody else that's on offense. That's the only way you keep a job in this league. But, at the same time, there's nothing I can do. I guess I could gripe about it."

-- Cedrick Wilson

Dear Mr. Wilson,

The purpose of me writing this letter to you is to give you an objective and reasoned response to your plight. I am a Christian and that is my first and foremost obligation. I am also a life-long fan of the Steelers and I am all too aware of the tenuous relationship between Steeler Fans and players who express anything other than unmitigated gratitude towards them and the team they love so much. Much of this stems from the exorbinant salaries that are commanded by professional athletes. Some of it, sadly stems from a racial element that is too tangential to be discussed here. What is evident here is a simple issue, in my estimation.

Mr. Wilson, you are one of maybe 1000 men on the planet who can play NFL wide receiver. Of those 1000 men, you are probably better than 90% of them, and you believe you are better than 99% or maybe even all of them. But at the midway point of the season, you have 9 catches. That is not representative of the kind of money you make, and it is NOT going to get you Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens, or even Hines Ward money.

Mr. Wilson, let me let you in on a secret. I am positive the Steelers saw in you a player who would fit into what we do here. I am indeed sorry that you didn't do more research into how Bill Cowher likes his offense run, but you are in a much better situation professionally than you were in San Francisco. No, you will not get the ball thrown to you like you did there. Nor will you have to go home with an L more often than not. Success in this town has its own reward. There is a love we have for good soldiers on this team. You were brought here to be a STEELER wide receiver and that, as you have seen, is a bit different than it is in other cities. At no point in the history of this team as I have known it, have the Steelers been a pass-first team (and successful at the same time). The Steelers throw to keep the defense from bunching up the line, and if they have a lead...they do not throw the ball at all. The unfortunate thing, Mr. Wilson, is that the better the Steelers play, the less they throw the ball. So the decision ultimately becomes this: Do you want stats...or do you want to win?

THAT answer, Mr. Wilson, will ultimately determine your success in Pittsburgh, and in life.

Let me close this letter by saying that I thank you for taking millions of dollars to play for a championship contending team, and that I appreciate your sacrifice of statistics for victories, so long as that is what it is. I miss Plaxico Burress, but I see that he is happier in New York and I wish him well. You are our receiver now, and as long as you wear the black and gold #80 I will continue to cheer for you and wish you well. Let me close with this:

And let us not be weary in well doing:
for in due season we shall reap,
if we faint not.

Galatians 6:9