Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields is becoming known as a man of few words after his response to media members when asked about the still simmering quarterback battle between him and Russell Wilson. The long presumption out of Steelers training camp was that Wilson was the leader, and it was up to Fields to overtake the incumbent.
When asked where Fields saw himself within the competition, he was firm but fair in his assessment and delivered eight words via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.
“I think I’ve shown what I can do.”
This story has been in the news for so long that even former players and coaches are making headlines for chiming in. Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher recently shared his preference on The Pat McAfee Show.
“What I saw is this, if I’m Mike Tomlin, you sit there and look at this situation, has anyone distinguished themselves?” Cowher said. “Yeah you see a lot of the flash plays with Justin Fields. But you also see an offense that’s trying to also get (its) feet under the ground. I think they are going to want to run the football. It’s going to be a major part of what they want to do.”
Speaking of Tomlin, he hasn’t been impressed, as he made clear after the Steelers’ 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills in their second preseason game.
“I was really up-front with the group about it in that regard, [quarterback play] can’t be a problem for us. We’ve got to be better than we were tonight in that area. You know, still not what we’re looking for. It was better in some areas but still JV in too many others,” Tomlin said.
Why Justin Fields shouldn’t start for the Steelers
The problem with Fields since before he entered the league is he can’t diagnose defenses efficiently. His natural instinct is to take his eyes off the play and look for running lanes. Fields has improved since becoming a pro; however, he’s never been able to take that next step.
Fantasy football managers may appreciate his stats from his 2022 season, when he rushed for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns. But the Bears finished 3-14, losing 13 of their last 14 games. Perhaps if the Bears hadn’t lucked into the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, they’d have given Fields another shot this year in the final season of his contract.
Unfortunately, the Bears did the math and decided a fresh contract and a second chance at a franchise quarterback made more sense.
While Wilson will likely start in Week 1, he must manage the football and play within the offense. It seems inevitable that he will struggle, and Fields will get a chance to play in a limited capacity.
Tomlin doesn’t appear any closer to a final decision on who to start when breaking down their performances.
“It’s somewhat of an incomplete study because you just don’t get a chance to see them operate or us operate or us establish rhythm and personality when you’re not winning possession downs. We weren’t. The first three or so series of the game, it was three and out, and you’re not going to get an opportunity to establish a rhythm or play the way you’d like as an individual or a collective.”
The Steelers will have to decide soon as they open the season on the road against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, September 8 at 1:00 p.m. EST.
