One of Pittsburgh Steelers QB Justin Fields’ defining traits is his big-play ability. He can hurt defenses with his legs as shown by 18 career rushing touchdowns and 6.2 yards per carry. He can also hurt defenses with his arm as he showed on the first day of Steelers training camp, hitting WR Van Jefferson deep.
Justin Fields deep to Van Jefferson on first day of 2024 camp, via @Mazursky8895 #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/VJgYzSR12b
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) July 25, 2024
There is little doubt that Fields has physical tools that a lot of quarterbacks would covet. The problem is putting it together consistently. Fields’ play is high variance. For every big play he makes with his legs or arm, he has a negative one. It’s something that he needs to clean up, and part of that can come from simply understanding what the offense is trying to accomplish during a given play.
“You’ve just got to kind of know when it’s the right time to take those risks downfield, when it’s that time to take a shot downfield,” Fields said Thursday per a transcript provided by the Steelers. “I think we talk a lot about the intent of the play. You’ve got plays where you’re just looking for a completion, and you’ve got plays where you’re trying to take shots down the field, so just knowing when it’s that time of the game to take shots downfield, to try to make a play. And you also know there are other times where [it’s] just get the ball out of your hands or just try to get a completion or get back on track to try to score some points.”
One of the biggest problems Justin Fields has had in his first three NFL seasons is that he holds on to the ball too long. Among qualifying quarterbacks in 2023, Fields held the ball longer than any in the league on average. He held the ball for 3.12 seconds before attempting a pass on average. He was the only qualifying quarterback who held the ball over three seconds.
Consequently, Fields was sacked 44 times in 2023, the second most in the league. Ironically, fellow Steelers QB Russell Wilson was sacked a league-leading 45 times. He held the ball on average for 2.99 seconds, just behind Fields.
There are a lot of reasons quarterbacks hold onto the ball. The play could be long developing. They could purposefully be hunting for the big play. They could be scrambling for their lives as the pass rush bears down. It can even be due to a lack of vision.
But what Fields is speaking about has to deal with the mental approach to quarterback play. There is a time to hunt for the big play downfield. But there are also times to take the layup.
Football games are a marathon, not a sprint. Do fans and players love big plays? Absolutely. But teams will have the most success when they engineer sustained scoring drives. And that requires keeping the offense on time and making smart plays. Not holding the ball for over three seconds and taking a sack while hunting for the 40-plus-yard bomb downfield.
There is a time and a place for the big play. And Justin Fields has the tools to deliver it. He just needs to work on the small details and fundamentals of the average play. Once he does that, the big plays will come even easier.
