Steelers Were Bland And Predictable Against The Browns With Justin Fields In Week 12: "Make It Creative"

The Pittsburgh Steelers got fans' attention when they followed through on using both of their quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in recent weeks. They could not do this earlier in the season because Wilson was out nursing a calf injury. However, with Wilson back and finding success under center, Head Coach Mike Tomlin implemented playing both of them for the first time in the win over the Baltimore Ravens. While Fields only had two carries for 17 yards in that game, fans applauded the creativity. However, when the Steelers lost to the Cleveland Browns in the snow the following week, how Tomlin and Arthur Smith used Fields came under scrutiny. 

Once again, they implemented Fields primarily as a runner in the Browns game. He had three attempts for 26 yards, including one run of 30 yards that seemed to change the tone of the game. The Steelers began to mount a comeback and even took the lead in the fourth quarter. However, they chose to have Fields throw a jump ball to wide receiver George Pickens late in the game, which wasn't successful. 

On 93.7 The Fan's Morning Show, former NFL General Manager Doug Whaley joined Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson. They asked Whaley what he thought of the offense's intended creativity and how Tomlin and Smith used Fields.   

"The thing that I saw that they struggled with was the lack of preparedness, meaning they shouldn't have had to have the clock running down, taking timeouts," said Whaley. "How they mixed him in and the plays that they ran, I thought they'd be a little more creative. Give him something that's going to put the defense on its heels. Throw in Russell and Justin at the same time. I don't have a problem with him being used. I have a problem with him being used in such a bland and predictable way. Make it exciting, make it creative where the defense is like, 'I don't know if he's going to run, if he's going to pass, I got to defend both,' which stresses the defense."

Whaley felt that instead of having a creative game plan that would throw the Browns' defense off, the Steelers' offense ended up looking confused. He said there should have been no question about the game plan. Every player would know exactly what to do in every situation. That would mean Fields would be ready to go in at any moment and the offensive line would be ready to run that play. 

He added that he expected more flair from Pittsburgh. Instead, he felt that their offense was too predictable, and the defense would just assume Fields would run every time he touched the ball. That's why he believes that he actually netted negative yardage on his runs, even though one was for 30 yards. 

Steelers Focusing On Weak Areas During Their Mini-Bye Week

What could be worse than playing two games in four days? Doing it twice in one season. The Steelers have to do exactly that, and both times, the games include the Ravens. They just finished the first set with their game against the Browns. The second set will come at Christmastime, as they play Baltimore for the second time on December 21st and then turn around and face the Kansas City Chiefs on December 25th. 

It is hard to find anything good about those situations, but the one positive is that they get a mini-bye week after the second game. The Steelers are currently in that phase and are regrouping before they play the Cincinnati Bengals.  

During his recent press conference, Tomlin indicated that they are using that mini-bye to examine some of the areas in which they've struggled this season. The biggest ones seem to be in the red zone and in short-yardage situations, particularly on third and fourth down.  

What did you think about the Steelers' use of Fields and the decisions they made against the Browns? Click to comment below. 

#SteelerNation