Good football players come in all different shapes and sizes. There may be an “ideal” build or prototype for certain positions, but at the end of the day all that matters is if a player is able to maximize their individual talents and get results on the field. The best NFL coaches will not try to bend their players to fit into a certain scheme but rather tailor the scheme to fit the skill set of the players. How the Steelers want to approach QB Justin Fields is a perfect example of that.
Head coach Mike Tomlin was asked by Kay Adams if there has been a consistent message that he’s been relaying to QB Justin Fields throughout training camp.
“I guess the big thing, the message that—informally, formally, whatever you want to call it—that I wanna continue to relay to him is, I don’t wanna squash his natural instincts,” Tomlin said in a video posted on Kay Adam’s YouTube channel. “His mobility and escapability [are] a weapon, and we don’t want to minimize that. We don’t want him overthinking. We want him to play fast and fluid…I don’t want him to overanalyze what we might be thinking. I want him to do what comes natural as it pertains to his game.”
One of the best examples that I can point to is how the Baltimore Ravens have approached the development of Lamar Jackson over the years. They surrounded him with a run-first attack at first under offensive coordinator Greg Roman. That helped take pressure off him and allowed him to play to his mobile skill set rather than trying to force him to be a pocket passer.
As he grew into the quarterback that he is today, they replaced Roman with Todd Monken, who runs a more balanced offense. That propelled him to his second MVP season last year. He threw the most pass attempts of his career by a good margin and still rushed for 821 yards. But he also threw for a career-high 3,678 yards on 457 attempts.
The Steelers have gotten an extended look at Fields throughout training camp so far with Russell Wilson limited due to a calf injury. From some of the notes in Alex Kozora’s training camp diaries, Fields has been steadily progressing. That was topped off by a stellar performance on Friday’s practice under the lights where Fields led the offense to a sweep in Seven Shots, including three touchdown passes.
“Rest assured, both guys are gonna be given an opportunity to show their skills over the course of the next month,” Tomlin said. “And I’m excited about watching them sort themselves out.”
Wilson entered training camp in pole position. I still think he has the inside track to be the starter, but there’s no denying that Fields had made the most of these opportunities. Adam Schefter reported that Fields has “opened some eyes,” while Steelers insider Gerry Dulac noted he has piqued the Steelers’ curiosity earlier than expected.
