The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a tricky situation with the quarterback position. Justin Fields has been the starter for Pittsburgh and has led them to a 4-2 start to the season. However, now that Russell Wilson is healthy, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin wants to hand the reins to Wilson.
Steelers fans, as well as many in the NFL media, are skeptical of Tomlin's decision to bench Justin Fields for Russell Wilson.
Mike Tomlin has certainly earned the benefit of the doubt. He is one of the NFL's best coaches and is on an absurd streak of consecutive winning seasons. However, it is the great start to the season by Fields and the Steelers that has fans skeptical.
Fields has been playing good, not great, football through six weeks. He has thrown for 1,106 passing yards for five touchdowns and only one interception. Fields has a completion percentage of 66.3%. The Steelers coaching staff clearly believes that Fields is leaving some points on the table. The hope is that Russell Wilson will further unlock the offense, particularly with routes over the middle of the field.
Some of the frustration around the move seems to be the fact that Justin Fields has not struggled. Or at least, not struggled enough for some fans to want to pull the plug.
Regardless, the silver lining is that the Steelers are in a blessed situation. If it doesn't work out with Wilson, they can always go back to Fields.
Paul Pierce's take on Steelers starting Russell Wilson over Justin Fields
Former NBA player Paul Pierce of all people weighed in on the Russell Wilson vs. Justin Fields debate.
Pierce believes that Tomlin and the Steelers coaching staff could be focusing on the bigger picture when evaluating these two players. Specifically, which player gives them a better chance of winning the Super Bowl.
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“He's looking at his team like, ‘Uh oh, hold on. We 4-2, we got a defense that can win a championship. You know what? I'm looking at big picture now,'” Pierce explained regarding his perspective on Tomlin's mindset.
It will be interesting to see how Wilson performs out of the gates, because fans will be expecting a better product than what Fields has provided. After all, that's the logic of making the move.
“‘Can I win a championship with Justin Fields at the quarterback? Hmmm, big picture, I'm not too sure. But I probably can with Russell Wilson,'” Paul Pierce continued.
Pierce went on to emphasize that Wilson's wealth of NFL experience, which includes multiple trips to the Super Bowl, give him a clear edge over Fields.
