The debate regarding who the starting quarterback should be for the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road in Week One against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 8 continues to rage on.
Should it be the experienced, strong leader in Russell Wilson with his Hall of Fame resume? Or should it be the young, electrifying player in Justin Fields, who has all the physical talents in the world but still needs to put it all together consistently?
Right now, coming off of the preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills in which Wilson had a rough performance and Fields was up and down as well, the debate has never felt more real than it does right now.
With the Steelers’ offensive line having major issues protecting the quarterback and dealing with injuries, and the run game being non-existent at times, there are major concerns for the Steelers on the offensive side of the football.
To alleviate those concerns, former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up! Tuesday morning, stated that the Steelers should start the potential “ascending player” in Fields over Wilson, especially after Wilson showed the inability to get the ball out quickly and efficiently and avoid the sacks, which have plagued him his entire career.
“…Russell Wilson is a decade older than Justin Fields. Justin Fields still has the potential to be an ascending player. There are physical attributes that he has right now at this stage of his career that Russell just doesn’t have,” Hasselbeck said regarding why he would choose Fields over Wilson, according to video via ESPN on YouTube. “And then so if you say, ‘okay, well how about the experience?’ Is Russell playing like an experienced, knowledgeable, wiser player, that would give you the advantage to be more efficient a quarterback? And when you watch him and he is taking sacks and the ball’s not coming out on time, the answer is no.
“And so, I actually think that this is an easier decision than it was a month ago when you really didn’t know what you were getting from either guy. I think it’s more evident what you’re getting from each quarterback. I would clearly go with Fields here.”
On the surface, it seems a bit unfair to make a snap decision like that after Wilson attempted just 10 passes in his first preseason game, was under duress from the jump, and played just five series after missing time in training camp with a calf injury and was slowly being eased back into the fold.
But looking closer at the performance against the Bills, it was a rough one for Wilson. He didn’t exactly execute the quick passing game as well as he should have, making some incorrect decisions with where the ball should have gone based on what the defense was doing, leading to short or no gains through the air.
Wilson looked a bit rusty on the night, and then taking three sacks, even under duress, has many questioning if he’s the right fit.
It’s not as though Fields has been lights out, though.
Fields held onto the football too long in the preseason opener against Houston and took two sacks, and also had two fumbled center-QB exchanges. He showed some flashes against the Bills with his legs, ripping off a 20-yard run and then creating magic by getting out of a sack and firing a dart to wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick along the sideline for a nice gain.
However, with the struggles the offensive line is having, the issues in pass protection, and the Steelers wanting to be a run-heavy team under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, maybe it is better to roll with Fields due to what he brings to the table with his legs.
He still has plenty to clean up from a ball security and decision-making standpoint as a passer, but there is no denying the dynamic abilities he brings to the table in the run game. That just might help the Steelers’ offense early on, something that Wilson can’t provide.
