The Justin Fields era with the Pittsburgh Steelers is still in its infancy, but he’s already smitten with the Black and Gold, and especially head coach Mike Tomlin.
On his third NFL head coach in four seasons, Fields is now in a stable situation with the Steelers under Tomlin. Ahead of his first Organized Team Activities session Tuesday as a member of the Steelers, Fields was impressed with how Tomlin spoke to the team.
Following his first OTA session, Fields stated to reporters that he believes Tomlin “might go down” as the best coach he’s ever played for, period.
“Yeah, I think just listening to the team meetings today, Coach T[omlin] and just the way he talks to the team, he might go down as the best coach I’ve ever played with, just speaking to the team, like as a leader and a vocal standpoint. He’s been great,” Fields said of Tomlin, according to video via the Post-Gazette on YouTube. “When I got here, he was straight up with me, straight up and honest with me, so I appreciate that.”
Being straight up and honest while being demanding and straight to the point has always been Tomlin’s calling card. He’s very transparent with his players, makes expectations known, and is always in constant communication with them.
That’s led to a great deal of respect generated for him over the last 17 years in his role as head coach for the Steelers, not only with his own players but with players around the league as well.
Tomlin has a way with words and really captures his audience in any setting, but the way he commands a room behind closed doors in team meetings is something that players consistently talk about and praise. Fields got to experience that Tuesday for the first time, and it had a profound impact on him.
He also learned right away just how honest and transparent Tomlin is as a coach in the professional setting. He’s not going to mince words. He’s not worried about bruising egos or anything like that. He’s going to tell the player how it is, be upfront and honest, and then go from there.
Fields, to his credit, says he appreciated what Tomlin had to say in their first meeting together, in which Tomlin likely laid out what he expects from Fields and how things are going to look from a pecking order standpoint at quarterback, at least early on.
That transparency has made Tomlin so successful to date. Fields seems very excited to play for him, joining a long list of players who feel the same way.
