Justin Fields did not receive the most favorable reviews during spring practices from Pittsburgh Steelers reporters. Numerous sources reported on his inaccuracy and inconsistency, reaching the point that it drove national media coverage. Granted, it is a major storyline, but some already have him down for the count.
Yet not even those who made the reports actually feel that way and are now urging caution. Ray Fittipaldo’s observations drew the most attention, and he spoke on the matter recently to clear some things up. More specifically, he put his report into context both for June and for the future.
“The knocks against Justin Fields coming in, a lot of it was his accuracy. Can he put the ball where it needs to go on a consistent basis? And just from observing and talking to people in that building, that was a little bit of an issue”, he told Joe Starkey and Paul Zeise on 93.7 The Fan. “But I wouldn’t make it a big deal in May and June”.
In the NFL, very few things happen on the field that can be a big deal. Nearly all of those things are injuries and very little else. Indeed, a quarterback having accuracy issues is not the end of the world during OTAs, mainly because there can be several reasons for it.
“I think you have to remember, number one, [Fields is] coming in, he’s with a new team, he’s with a new OC, he’s with a new quarterbacks coach”, Fittipaldo said. “They’re probably trying to tinker with his game a bit before they throw him out there in July. I think that might be one aspect of it”.
Given that Justin Fields’ reputation precedes him, it’s reasonable to assume the Steelers were actively working on his mechanics. When you’re working on changing the way you’ve always done things, you will have growing pains. It’s possible that the Steelers’ efforts to improve Fields’ accuracy made him temporarily look more inaccurate.
“I want to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. I want to see what he does in a different system. He had a couple of OCs, a couple of quarterbacks coaches in Chicago. Let’s give the guy a chance”, Fittipaldo added regarding Fields’ future in Pittsburgh. “I want to see him for a full five, six weeks in training camp before I make any determinations on whether he’s good or not”.
What we actually see in training camp is the question. Is Justin Fields actually going to compete with Russell Wilson for the starting job? If that is what the Steelers ended, then he better work hard on his mechanics and improve his accuracy.
While Fields’ athletic talent is phenomenal, the Steelers still ultimately need him to be a better quarterback. Unless or until he proves that he can get the job done throwing the ball, he will be a backup and potentially a gadget player in situational football. But let’s not overreact in June.
