With Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson’s status for Sunday’s season opener in question following an aggravation of a calf injury in practice on Thursday, Justin Fields may unexpectedly be making his first start with the Steelers. Even with the potential change in plans, Fields said his process isn’t changing.
“I have the same process, every week. I learned my rookie year how fast things can change. I remember my third game, rookie season, [Bears starting QB Andy Dalton] was running out of bounds. It looked like a normal play, and he tweaked his knee, and right then and there I was in. So I always prepare like I’m a starter and like I said before, you just never know what can happen,” Fields said via Chris Adamski of TribLive on Twitter.
One play can change the course of a game or season at the quarterback position, and Fields saw it his rookie season when he took over for Dalton. Keeping the same mindset week in and week out is important, and Fields sounds as if he’ll be ready to step in for Wilson if need be.
Wilson said he’s hoping to play Sunday in Atlanta, and Mike Tomlin said yesterday the game plan isn’t changing, but the door is open for Fields. He competed with Wilson during training camp and the preseason for the starting job, which went to Wilson, who entered camp as the starter. But Fields got plenty of first-team reps in training camp when Wilson was initially sidelined with the calf injury. That experience working with the first team will help if he does start on Sunday, and the offense is familiar with what he brings to the table, and it seems as if the door is open for that to be a possibility.
The familiarity with Fields makes it a little bit different than a normal situation with a starter getting hurt right before Week 1, and there was reportedly a push from some inside the organization for Fields to open the season as the starter. If Fields does play on Sunday and plays well, the calls for him to start are only going to get louder.
The Wilson injury makes for an interesting dynamic and adds another layer to what’s been an offseason full of quarterback debate surrounding Pittsburgh. Fields sounds as if he’ll be ready to step in on Sunday, and he will look to seize the job beyond Week 1 if Wilson is unable to play.
