Russell Wilson has officially been named the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it doesn’t seem like everyone agrees with that decision. Although Justin Fields flashed during training camp and the preseason, he never did anything to take the job from Wilson. ESPN analyst Louis Riddick seems to be of the mindset that Fields should be the starter, not believing in Wilson’s abilities.
Appearing on ESPN’s NFL Live, Riddick was asked if he agrees that Wilson gives the Steelers the best chance to win.
“No, not necessarily,” Riddick says. “I don’t, but Mike Tomlin has more information at his disposal than I do. He was with these guys every single day. Although he says he tends to weigh the stadium work much more heavily than the practice work, he’s quite honestly made his decision based on the opposite. Russ didn’t have a whole lot of stadium work, but he did have a lot of practice work.”
Riddick has been advocating for Fields to be the starting quarterback throughout this process, so seeing him take this stance isn’t surprising. He was an executive in the NFL from 2001 to 2013, so Riddick does have experience in player evaluation. He might not be wrong, either. Until we see a full game of Wilson with the Steelers, it’s tough to definitively say he gives the Steelers the best chance to win.
The argument for Fields is that he would provide more splash plays for the Steelers, but he would also probably have more mistakes than Wilson. Wilson might not be as explosive and athletic as he once was, but he’s still got a strong deep ball. He gives the Steelers a veteran presence that a young offense like theirs probably needs.
Tomlin said that he weighs stadium work more than practice work, and Wilson had less time in the preseason than Fields. However, in Wilson’s final bit of action, he looked sharp after shaking the rust off, helping lead the Steelers starting offense to a touchdown. Fields had more time, but he also struggled more as a result.
Wilson might not be perfect this year, but he should give the Steelers their best quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger. That isn’t saying much, but it is significant. Wilson will likely hold on to that job as long as the Steelers are winning games. If the team falters, though, Tomlin probably won’t hesitate to give Fields a shot.
