Throughout the course of the Steeler season, one of the most talked about things was the play of Mike Wallace. Wallace had a tough season, and became known for his poor effort on the field by fans. He was booed at times, to go along with people consistently saying they don’t want him to come back for the 2013-2014 season. After you finish reading this, you should all understand why Wallace is treated completely unfair by Steeler fans.
First off, we’re going to talk about the whole “drop” thing. Wallace had a rough patch in the middle of the season, dropping five balls in six weeks. He was criticized for his hands throughout the whole year, and people would constantly bag on him for showing poor effort on plays. The Steelers played a week seven game against the Cincinnati Bengals and that is where fans started to talk down on Wallace, when he finished the game with three drops. Two of the passes were clear-cut drops, and passes that should have been caught, but the third one was an extremely tough catch to make, on a ball that was tipped inches in front of Wallace. If you were to ask any Steeler fan “who lead the NFL in drops?” most of them would probably say Mike Wallace, but it’s funny when they find out that he had six all season, which was tied for 26th in the league.
Below is a list of wide receivers and tight ends that had more drops than Wallace throughout the regular season:
- Jimmy Graham
- Victor Cruz
- Calvin Johnson
- Brandon Marshall
- A.J. Green
- Dez Bryant
- Randall Cobb
- Julio Jones
- Wes Welker
- Aaron Hernandez
- Brent Celek
- Reggie Wayne
- Eric Decker
- Jermichael Finley
- Stevie Johnson
When you look at this list, you see some of the best receivers and tight ends in the NFL. 13 of the 15 players on that list were in the top twenty for receptions in the regular season, and eleven of those players caught for more than 1,000 yards in 2012. If I had to guess, none of those players were booed and consistently ridiculed by their fans after they let a pass get away. The majority of those players did have more targets than Wallace throughout the season, but either way you look at it, a drop is a drop, and no one on that list is repeatedly heckled by their own fans. I’m not saying Wallace is better than all of the people on this list, I am just throwing it out there that these players, some of the best in the league, are not booed when they were unable to hang onto a pass.
The next thing that comes into my mind when I explain why Wallace is treated unfairly is his hold out last offseason. Wallace did not participate in the majority of training camp because he wanted to bigger contract. Can you blame him? He put up solid numbers his rookie season and tremendous numbers in 2010 and 2011. His 24 touchdowns in three seasons were among the tops in the league to go along with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2010 and 2011. During last offseason, I don’t think there was much question that Wallace was one of the better receivers in the league. Not the best, but in the top-15, and a player that shouldn’t be the 32nd highest paid wide receiver in 2012.
His contract was up after he made a little over two million dollars in his first three seasons, and he wanted a big contract that would set him up as a Steeler for years to come. Wallace and the team were unable to meet terms on a long-term contract and he was eventually signed for only one year, worth 2.7 million.
Fans consistently say he won’t get the money he wants, which is most likely true, but that shouldn’t be a reason to hate a player who has been a huge contributor to the teams success in recent years.
Another point to add on to the holdout ordeal is that fans act like Wallace is the first player to ever do something like that. People don’t realize some of the bigger name players in the NFL have held out in recent years, and Wallace wasn’t any exception. Just to name a couple easy ones off the top of my head that have held out in just the last couple seasons are Chris Johnson, DeSean Jackson, Dwayne Bowe, Darrelle Revis, Maurice Jones-Drew, Matt Forte, and Vincent Jackson. And of that brief list, I don’t think any of those players get booed and trashed for their play.
My final reasoning is the deal with Antonio Brown. I enjoy watching Brown play, and I’m sure 99% of Steeler fans out there do, too. Brown was given a contract he wanted this offseason, which came right in the middle of the talks between Wallace and the team trying to work out a long-term deal.
Brown was voted team MVP in 2011 and a lot of Steeler Nation is convinced that he is a better all-around receiver than Wallace. Some can argue it, but any time Brown makes a mistake, it constantly annoys me how he is not trashed nearly as much as Wallace is. Brown had two huge plays this season in games the Steelers lost that he did nothing but hurt the team in, as he was unable to hang onto the ball on both occasions.
Week three against Oakland, the Steelers were in good position to win the game mid-way through the fourth quarter, holding a three point lead. Brown caught a pass over the middle of the field to get into Raiders territory, but fumbled the ball before the play was over. The Raiders scored points off the turnover and went on to win the game. Guess what Wallace did that September afternoon? Finished the game with eight catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.
Week fourteen against Dallas, the Steelers were once again in fantastic position to win the game, and possibly help clinch a playoff berth. With the Steelers up by seven points over halfway through the fourth quarter, Brown fielded a punt, and eventually fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Cowboys. Dallas scored a touchdown to tie the game up on that drive, and would go onto beat the Steelers in overtime. Incase anyone was wondering, Wallace finished that game with four catches for 95 yards, including a 60-yard bomb in the second half that would lead to a Steelers touchdown.
Another instance is the week thirteen game against the San Diego Chargers. Wallace breaks past his defender deep, and is forced to make a tough, over-the-shoulder catch while diving, but does not hang on. The ball hit off his hands and could have been caught, but was by no means an easy play to make. It was then the boos started to come down in Heinz Field, and all eyes were on Wallace as he walked back to the huddle. One drive later, Brown was thrown a pass down the field thrown right on point by Roethlisberger. Brown tried to make a sliding catch, but misjudged the ball, and it would eventually bounce off his helmet, falling incomplete. And of course, Heinz Field let it go, and did not boo a player who dropped an easier pass than Wallace. Wallace, after his “drop”, of course, picked up seven catches for 112 yards that game, which included two touchdowns.
So why am I telling you all this? Because Steeler fans don’t talk down on Antonio Brown after his two mistakes that cost the Steelers games. Things like that happen all the time, with players fumbling the ball in big time situations. I just find it extremely unfair to Wallace that he gets bagged for his poor play, but when his counter mate on the other side of the field makes a bad play and costs the Steelers the game, fans just let it go and find other ways to talk about how Wallace isn’t playing right. Wallace’s worst game was against the Bengals week seven, the one I referenced above, where he dropped three passes. The only thing is: the Steelers went onto win that game.
Despite a season that included a game winning 51-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter to beat the Superbowl champion New York Giants, an 82-yard touchdown catch against the Tennessee Titans, and a touchdown catch against the Kansas City Chiefs that is being discussed as the catch of the year in the NFL, this was a forgettable year for Mike Wallace, strictly because Steeler fans treat him unfair compared to other players.
The chances of Wallace returning next year are slim, and Steeler fans have mixed emotions on whether or not they want Wallace to be in the black and gold number 17 jersey next season. If he isn’t, I wish him the best, and also hope the next team he plays for has fans who actually treat him the right way.
