Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called the read-option offense the "flavor of the day" in the NFL. He doesn't believe it will have lasting success in the NFL.
"We look forward to stopping it," Tomlin said. "We look forward to eliminating it."
Quarterback Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks didn't lean on the read-option until late last season, but they were very effective when they broke it out. Wilson isn't a player who lacks motivation. Tomlin's comments -- and the line of thinking about the read-option -- sounds like it rubbed Wilson the wrong way.
"To be honest with you, people try to take away from the ability that guys have in terms of what Colin Kaepernick and other guys like him can do, for whatever reason, because they're young, or they're different," Wilson told the Tacoma News-Tribune on Wednesday. "But I think it brings excitement to the game. It brings a challenge to the defense.
"It doesn't matter what style of offense, I'm ready to play any time, anywhere, anyplace. I just want to play football. Some people try to take away from our ability to throw the football because we can run. But I think it just adds another dimension to what we do."
Some of the greatest players in football history have taken minor slights and used them as fuel. Wilson isn't trying to just be another good player. He's trying become a legend, and part of that journey will be to show that this new style of quarterback is here to stay.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
