For most of camp, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback “battle” was a one-sided affair. Justin Fields throwing, Russell Wilson watching. You know the story. Wilson suffers a calf injury during the conditioning test and the Steelers play it safe for the next two weeks, inching Wilson’s participation along at tectonic-plate pace.
It hasn’t been until the last few practices that Wilson acted, or was permitted to act, fully healthy. And it wasn’t until Monday that both quarterbacks could lay down on the gas pedal and have their first spirited competition of camp. It became a heck of a show.
During yesterday’s practice, both quarterbacks were slinging the football. Two of the best throws in camp came from each arm. Wilson got the party started with a 60-yard air throw in an 11-on-11 period, hitting WR Calvin Austin III in stride on a deep post from the Steelers’ 10 to the opposing 30. All air yards, on the money, a perfect pass.
Fields soon responded. In the next team period, he uncorked a similar throw on a post to Van Jefferson, perfectly placed in front of Joey Porter Jr. It was slightly shorter, 45 or 50 yards, but still an absolute dot and a high-level throw. In the 7-on-7 period that took place right before, Fields layered a throw perfectly down the middle to Quez Watkins while hitting Austin on a 7-route for another chunk play.
To put numbers to it, both had strong days and similar numbers.
Fields: 9-of-13, 123 yards 2 TDs
Wilson: 8-of-13, 118 yards
Fields’ two scores came in Seven Shots. Wilson only threw one pass during the session, a jump ball to TE Darnell Washington that Damontae Kazee made a great play to break up. Putting that aside, Fields and Wilson delivered strong downfield throws, were accurate, and efficient.
Though I still see Wilson as the Steelers’ starter and the framing of a “battle” is more rhetoric than substance, Mike Tomlin taking advantage of any opportunity to drum up competition to bring out the best in everyone, if you watched Monday’s practice in a vacuum, it felt like a real duel.
Fields has progressed throughout training camp, improving his short- and intermediate-area accuracy after a rocky start. The training wheels are finally off Wilson, the nine-time Pro Bowler scrambling and dotting the field with an arm that still has plenty of life in it. And he’s showing why he still has the advantage. His veteran resume, his leadership, and the details of his play. Like his cadence, loud and clear, getting the defense to tip its blitz before one play and Wilson changing the protection to pick it up.
Put the long-term view of the battle aside. Yesterday was just plain fun. Two quarterbacks with tons of arm talent, devilish as the term can be, slinging the ball on the football field. Toe-to-toe with big throw after big throw, showing each at their best. After the last two seasons, it’s fun to watch Wilson and Fields go at it. The only disappointment was that we didn’t get to witness it until the end of camp.
