One thing that’s been abundantly clear throughout the offseason as well as the first three games of the 2024 season is that former NFL running back and FS1 analyst LeSean “Shady” McCoy is 100%, without a doubt, a non-believer in Justin Fields.
In some aspects, he could be characterized as a bona fide hater of the young quarterback.
On Friday in the latest episode of “The Facility” on FS1, McCoy continued his criticism of Fields as the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are off to a 3-0 start with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft under center.
“We keep talking about Justin Fields as if he’s like carrying his team, a game-changer,” McCoy said, according to video via FS1. “We talk about him more than we talk about Josh Allen carrying a team and then we really break down the team and really watch the tape and look at the stats. Any quarterback in America can do that. Daniel Jones, as bad as I think he is, I think he will be a winning quarterback in his system and then we can keep going, right?”
While McCoy has a point that the Steelers aren’t asking Fields to do all that much, it’s a stretch to say that any quarterback in America could play this style for the Steelers and win football games.
To Fields’ credit, he’s avoiding the mistakes, isn’t taking sacks and isn’t giving the football away. When he’s called on to make big-time throws, he’s delivering. Not every quarterback can do that. Bringing up Daniel Jones as a guy who could do this feels like a stretch, too, especially when you watch Daniel Jones.
Sure, the Steelers’ offensive output isn’t all that great. They have just three offensive touchdowns on the season. But the fact of the matter is that the Steelers are converting on third downs, controlling the ball and dominating time of possession, keeping an elite defense fresh and off the field.
That’s a formula that works, period. And, as McCoy points out, it’s helped Fields get back on track. Still, that doesn’t allow McCoy to believe in the Ohio State product, at least through the first three weeks.
“I will say this though. If you could put a quarterback that’s been struggling like a Justin Fields in his whole career, you put him with the Steelers and they run the ball, they play great defense, I mean, any quarterback can win in this system,” McCoy added. “So when you talking about like, do we believe in him? I can’t believe in that because we’re talking about a defense that are getting turnovers, they getting great field position and you still only put, you never even put up 20 points yet.
“So no, I do not believe in Justin Fields, but I do think in this system you can succeed in.”
Well, the Steelers scored 20 points last week in their 20-10 win over the Chargers and realistically should have scored 27 points before kneeling on the ball on the 1-yard line to end the game. Context matters.
The Steelers’ offense isn’t lighting things up, but it is playing efficient football. As a team, Pittsburgh plays to its strengths, which is a dominant defense and a physical run game. Having a quarterback who is playing smart, efficient football is key, and that’s exactly what Fields is doing, period.
Not every quarterback can do that. See Mitch Trubisky last season, if you need a reminder. McCoy needs to stop finding ways to discredit Fields.
