The Pittsburgh Steelers had a big win against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. The storyline heading into the game was about Russell Wilson's calf issue and if he could play through it. The Steelers opted to let him rest and had Justin Fields play instead. Fields didn't have an amazing game, but he did not turn the ball over and made a few timely plays. The Steelers may have a true quarterback controversy, especially if Fields continues to show out and develop chemistry with his receivers.
Associated Press
Steelers' Justin Fields running with the football during camp while OC Arthur Smith gets hype.
During the postgame press conference, Mike Tomlin was asked about the decision to let Wilson rest in favor of Fields. He was very vague about it, and he seemed to not like the question at all.
"It's really not a long, drawn-out process. I'd rather deal with short-term misery to be quite honest with you. We're in Week 1. There's a lot of ball out in front of us. I just thought it was appropriate to put the healthy guys out on the field. I felt really good about both quarterbacks. I was very clear when I named [Russell Wilson] the starter; how confident I was with both quarterbacks, and so if that is true, why not be really comfortable with playing Justin under the circumstances, with Russ being in less-than-ideal physical shape. That was the thought process, it wasn't a lot of discussion."
Instead of praising Fields for the things he did on the field, as well as what he is capable of, Tomlin just talked about how he already told the media that he has faith in both of his quarterbacks. He mentioned a few times how his squad was fortunate enough to get the win, and the only player he praised was Chris Boswell (who definitely deserves it). It's odd for Tomlin to act defensive about his winning starting quarterback without actually praising the job that he did.
AP Photo / Matt Freed
Steelers' Justin Fields avoids a pass rusher as he throws the football.
Steelers Saw Big-Time Progress In Fields
Fields' stats definitely leave more to be desired. He completed 17 of 23 passes for 156 yards, along with 14 rushes for 57 yards. During the first drive, there were a couple of issues with him and Zach Frazier on the snaps, but he kept his cool and turned them into positive gains. His first drive overall was very rough, but once Boswell made that 58-yard field goal to get some points on the board, he started to settle in.
The Steelers ran a lot of hard play actions to get Fields moving while looking downfield. That helped buy some time for him in the pocket, and he was able to get comfortable hitting sideline shots for chunk plays. He even had a clutch play right before halftime, where he hit George Pickens on a 33-yard strike to set Boswell up for another field goal.
Steelers.com
Steelers' Justin Fields during running with the ball in a preseason game.
While Fields was not as flashy as many had hoped, he did exactly what the Steelers wanted him to. Their gameplan has been known for a while now: run the ball, make quality passing plays when needed, and give the defense a breather so they won't have to carry the whole game. It also helps that he could turn nothing it something with his legs when the opportunity showed up, and he did that a few times as well.
The offense had plenty of calm, conservative plays, along with the occasional big play when they needed it most. They took advantage of the turnovers, as they scored after taking the ball away on all three drives. Tomlin may not want to say it, but Fields did his job, and he did it well, even if the base numbers don't look good.
What do you think about Tomlin refusing to praise Fields while justifying starting him in Week 1? Should he start again against the Denver Broncos in Week 2? Let us know in the comments.
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