The Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be barreling full-speed ahead towards a quarterback change ahead of Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed that Pittsburgh would give first-team reps to veteran Russell Wilson, who is fully healthy and off the injury report for the first time this season, rather than giving all of the starter reps exclusively to Justin Fields.
Fields has started each of the Steelers’ first six games, guiding Pittsburgh to a 4-2 start and a tie with the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North lead.
However, Fields has been wildly inconsistent, a point the 25-year-old acknowledged Thursday in a strong message to Tomlin, his teammates, and Steelers faithful.
“I don’t think I played good enough, if I’m being real with you,” Fields told reporters.
So far this season, Fields has completed 66.3 percent of his passes, but only for 1,106 yards with five touchdowns to one interception, while adding 231 rushing yards and five more scores.
Arthur Smith Defends Pittsburgh Steelers QB Justin Fields
Despite limited production through the passing game, Fields’ mobility has opened up offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s playbook, and seemingly been one of the few strengths for the Steelers’ middling offense, overall.
“I think sometimes some guys are too hard on themselves,” Smith told reporters. “You appreciate it about him. That’s why he works so hard, and nobody wants to be a martyr, but I mean I’m even guilty of the times. … It’s not ever as bad as you think, and sometimes you think you play well and you go back and say, ‘Hey, we got to wait with a few things.’
“I think that’s why you love working with Justin, because that’s real. That’s not just some cliché that some QB guru or somebody along the way told him to say. I mean a lot of these guys are hard on themselves and there’s so much that goes into playing quarterback, obviously the physical tools or you wouldn’t be at this level, but the mental component to me is what separates the great ones from the other starters in this league, and that’s what he’s pushing himself to be.”
While things seem to be trending towards Wilson getting the start, Tomlin and the Steelers hope that the move sparks the offense rather than potentially introducing an element of turmoil into the locker room and on the field if Wilson doesn’t deliver improved results.
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