Former NFL quarterback and current Fox analyst Mark Sanchez went on First Things First on Fox Sports One today and discussed the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback room that includes Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. Sanchez was asked if Fields could beat out Wilson for the starting job. Although Sanchez thinks there’s a formula to winning with Fields, he said having both Wilson and Fields in the same room could be an issue.
“Just knowing when you have two forces like that in one quarterback room, you almost have none,” Sanchez said. “You almost cancel each other out. And the team’s looking around just like you are, as to okay, who are we following?”
Sanchez added that “everything in your organization needs to be seen through the eyes of your starting quarterback.”
Well, Mark, that’s why the Steelers have reportedly made it clear to both quarterbacks that Wilson will be the starter. The idea of a competition has been drummed up a little bit by the media (of course First Things First, a show that features Chris Broussard and Nick Wright, is going to be as hot takey as they can). But all the reporting after the Fields trade was that the Steelers were quite clear that Wilson is going to be the starter. I don’t think there’s any confusion over who the team is following, and I don’t think there’s going to be any issues with Fields, who was traded to Pittsburgh for a conditional sixth-round pick, coming in and being a backup.
The idea that having two quarterbacks who are both capable starters is a negative is pretty dumb. We saw the Eagles win a Super Bowl when Nick Foles took over for Carson Wentz, and we’ve seen teams crumble with poor backup quarterback play. Wilson and Fields aren’t two mega-stars coming in and fighting for attention.
Wilson was released by the Denver Broncos, who are paying most of his salary, and the Steelers are paying him $1.2 million this year. Fields was traded for a future conditional sixth-round pick. Sure, both are big names, but I don’t think the two of them are “forces” who are going to all of a sudden cause issues and cancel each other out among debates over who’s starting.
It seems as if the Steelers have been very clear about who’s starting, and the idea that there will be separation and confusion among the team doesn’t make sense. Maybe Sanchez is projecting from when the Jets brought in Tim Tebow during his last season with the team (even though Tebow barely played).
It’s not as if Fields was going to start anywhere this year with how his trade market looked and the Bears holding the No. 1 pick, and I think Sanchez here is just conflating both Wilson and Fields being household names to assuming that they’ll both have egos and expectations of starting.
