Mike Tomlin teased it, and Raheem Morris acknowledged it – Justin Fields could very well have a role in the Week 1 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons as the backup quarterback off the bench.
Ever since he was acquired via trade in March and Russell Wilson was given pole position to be the starter, there has been chatter about the Steelers using a special package of plays for Fields. Some reporters have even claimed it is 100 percent happening and that every opposing coach expects it.
It is possible that Tomlin was just stating the obvious when he told Morris to “be prepared” because it wasn’t worth trying to hide the worst-kept secret in football. Or he was employing some good old fashioned misdirection and forcing the Falcons to dedicate valuable practice time to what could end up being a waste of their time.
The answer will be revealed on Sunday, and Fields’ usage (or lack thereof) could be based on the flow of the game.
Dan Orlovsky chimed in with his thoughts on using Fields off the bench, and he overall seems to be against doing that type of thing.
“I don’t see a ton,” Orlovsky predicted of Fields’ minimal usage via ESPN’s Get Up on Thursday morning. “I’m always hesitant with this because the rhythm of an offense matters so much, especially for an offense that’s not going to be incredibly explosive. And if you take the quarterback off the field and you bring Justin on and then it doesn’t go well, now a noisy situation becomes an even bigger one because that’s when you can start to fracture a locker room.
“As much as there is the appeal to do it in the red zone, maybe. But I’m so hesitant in always doing that.”
There is a reason that you don’t see multiple quarterbacks being utilized by too many teams around the NFL. It can get the starting quarterback out of rhythm. And you also have to rely on a player who presumably sat out the majority of a game entering and performing in big-time situational football moments.
One of Wilson’s strong suits has been his performance in the red zone, even with his recent struggles over the last two or three seasons. Do you really want to take him out of that area where he performs well and risk some cold legs taking over during the most crucial moments of a game?
If Fields performs well, there is the potential for unwanted media chatter. Hopefully the Steelers’ locker room wouldn’t fracture. The players seem pretty unified behind Wilson, whom they just voted as a team captain. But if Fields does really well in his limited role, there is at least the possibility of some behind-the-scenes drama.
The way I see it, the Steelers would likely need to have a comfortable 7- to 10-point lead to start entertaining a Fields package, at least as they are starting to work it in at the beginning of the season. If it is a tight game and the offense is struggling to get into rhythm, they could be tempted to use it for a spark. But it could also have the opposite effect and throw them further out of rhythm.
“I understand the appeal of it, and I understand the benefit of it in certain situations,” Orlovsky said. “But I always think the rhythm of the offense is more paramount than trying to get too cute.”
Where do you guys come in on the Fields package question? Would you like to see it regardless of the game circumstance? Or should it be used sparingly only if the offense has produced up to that point of the game? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below!
