Russell Wilson is technically a Pittsburgh Steelers captain, but Justin Fields leads them out onto the field. At least he has done so for the first three weeks, and that seems likely to continue for now. The Steelers named Wilson their starter but a calf injury has kept him sidelined.
While Wilson has a reputation for leadership, Fields hasn’t necessarily captured the same for himself. Even his teammates admit that he isn’t a big talker. “I wouldn’t say vocal leadership is his thing”, WR George Pickens said yesterday, via the Steelers’ website.
But he didn’t say that to complain by any means—if anything, he relates. “For me, that’s what I like to see”, he said of Justin Fields leading by example rather than through words. “That’s what I pride myself on. But I feel like both are good”.
Both WR Roman Wilson and TE Darnell Washington also acknowledged that Fields is “not really vocal”, until he has to be. “I feel like he’s one of those lead-by-example-type leaders, Washington said. Again, neither were complaining, Wilson saying he loves having Fields as his quarterback.
“He’s not really vocal, so when he calls a play, he calls a play. You just get lined up”, Pickens said of Fields’ style. “[But] you see his leadership as the play is going. You see it play by play”.
Justin Fields is still a young player in a very delicate time of his career. He worked through three seasons of mostly misery in Chicago and is trying to remake himself with the Steelers. But he is still himself, and he is still fairly new to the team.
While Fields will tell you that he has always possessed the basic leadership qualities that come with the quarterback position, he has never been the forward-presenting, rah-rah guy. Not every quarterback needs to be that, though, and ultimately it comes down to one thing.
Do the guys in the huddle look into your eyes and believe that you’re going to win? That’s what leadership comes down to as a quarterback on the field, and these guys see that in Fields. Even those on the outside see it, with J.J. Watt saying the Steelers are rallying around him.
With Russell Wilson as the offensive captain and QB1 but Justin Fields as the starter and focal point, one wonders if the Steelers aren’t heading into a leadership dilemma. Perhaps Fields can resolve this simply by continuing to win and dissuading the coaches from taking him off the field.
You might expect your quarterback as leader to be more vocal, but it’s not always a necessity. Even Joe Burrow is trying to be more vocal, but nobody questions his leadership chops because he wins. Or he used to. If you can convey your message through non-verbal means, it doesn’t make a difference. Fields seems capable of communicating to his teammates without so many words, and that is exactly why they believe in him. They don’t need the pep rallies from him—he is the pep rally. At least while he’s winning. Winning will make you believe; losing will make you question. And Fields, after going 4-26 to start his Bears career, is done losing, now 9-2 in his last 11 starts.
