The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be content allowing Russell Wilson to be the starting quarterback going into this season, but beyond that, they may want Justin Fields to become the long-term starter. Wilson actually didn’t play too bad for the Denver Broncos last year, so he should be an upgrade for the Steelers this year, but his age is a concern.
Fields, on the other hand, should still have plenty of mileage left on his tires, if he can manage to fix some of his issues. Based on some reports, it doesn’t seem like that’s happening yet, and one major analyst says Fields’ story won’t be one of success, but failure instead.
Colin Cowherd is a sports media personality for Fox, and he hosts his show The Herd on their network FS1. During a recent episode, Cowherd spoke about the report that Fields has been struggling, saying that may have explosive moments on the field, but he doesn’t do the majority of things correctly that a starting quarterback needs to do.
”It’s a cautionary tale. You can see him peel off a 40-yard run once a game, or make a big time throw down the field. You see the gifts, but quarterback is the only position in American sports that much of the greatness you can’t see. Brady, Brees, Peyton Manning, pre-snap movement, audibling into yards and out of trouble. That accounts for about 30-40% of this game. The ability for a quarterback to feel the game and see the game. This has been my knock on Justin Fields.”
It doesn’t happen often, but Cowherd has a point here. One of the biggest knocks on Fields so far has been his inability to properly read the field and trust his eyes. It’s a crucial aspect of the game that has made quarterbacks like Brady and Brees so effective. They aren’t the most physically gifted or the most athletic, but they have a gift when it comes to seeing a defense and knowing how to beat it. If Fields wants to start in the NFL for a long time, he’ll at least need to become average at that.
Luckily, Fields doesn’t need to be perfect right now. It’s June, and there’s a lot of time before the regular season begins. Just as well, he should start the season sitting behind Wilson, learning and honing his skills. Wilson might have taken a step back on the field, but he still has that knowledge about how to take advantage of a defense. Even if he isn’t the starter for the full year, passing that kind of wisdom on to Fields would be crucial. If the Steelers want to escape quarterback purgatory, they’ll need to see that kind of improvement from Fields.
