Even with Russell Wilson starting and playing every offensive snap against the New York Jets, Mike Tomlin won’t officially name a starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 8 game against the New York Giants. At this point, he’s doing it for sport more than gamesmanship. His tune about Justin Fields also isn’t changing. Be ready to be the starter because even if you’re not, you’re one play away from taking the field.
“I just want Justin to be prepared to get ready to play, like he’s done,” Tomlin said during his Tuesday press conference when asked his message to Fields. “I’m refusing to acknowledge whatever changes you just acknowledge. We’re building a plan to beat the New York Football Giants this week. We’ve got two capable guys, we’re gonna ready them. They both need to be ready to work.”
Tomlin’s non-acknowledgment came from a question about Wilson now being the starting quarterback. But that was the reality for Week 7 and will remain true for Week 8 against the Giants. Wilson took the Steelers’ offense to another level in his debut, their 37 points the most in a Pittsburgh win in four years.
While many expected Fields to be used situationally against the Jets, and Pittsburgh had a handful of moments where he could’ve been deployed, he spent the entire game on the bench.
Known as a transparent coach – except when it comes to declaring a current starting quarterback – Tomlin isn’t losing sleep over Fields’ new role.
“I don’t worry about the difficulty of conversations,” he said. “It’s about whether or not they’re necessary. We are pursuing big business here. Comfort is not a component of what we’re chasing.”
Some analysts wondered if Fields’ confidence would be crushed after being swapped out for Wilson. Only Fields can truthfully answer how he’s handling the change. It’s never easy for competitors like him to sit, especially one who spent his final three seasons in Chicago and first six games in Pittsburgh starting. But he’s shown maturity and composure in wins and losses this season, never getting too high or too low. It’s reasonable to assume that won’t change no matter what his role is for the Giants game and beyond.
