Russell Wilson debuted very successfully for the Pittsburgh Steelers while Justin Fields watched on Sunday night. Fields started the first six games, posting a 4-2 record in the process, but on Sunday, he didn’t even play. While the assumption was that Wilson would start, most also anticipated some package for Fields and his elite athleticism.
“That’s a little surprising that he didn’t get anything. But now I understand why”, Mark Kaboly said on 93.7 The Fan yesterday. “First game back [for Russell Wilson], you don’t want to throw Justin [Fields] in there for a handful. I mean, that might be disrespectful to Russell. It might be disrespectful for Justin Fields. Because there were plays where he could’ve, probably should’ve been in there”.
Heading into the regular season, many widely speculated that the Steelers would use Justin Fields in a sub-package to take advantage of his athleticism with Russell Wilson starting. Even head coach Mike Tomlin admitted that they were open to using it. But then Fields had to start for six games. Or at least five games, with Wilson dressing as a backup in Week 6.
Despite the Steelers continuing to express an openness to playing both QBs, Tomlin admitted that he never considered using Justin Fields on Sunday. There wasn’t even a discussion over whether they did any work on a Justin Fields package. We don’t know if they did or they didn’t, or if they will in the future.
It’s an undeniably enticing idea, however, and for good reason. Fields rushed for five touchdowns in his six starts, and he turned would-be sacks into first downs. “You’ve got endless possibilities with Justin Fields to have a package”, Kaboly said. “If it’s short yardage, red zone, or whatever it is to come in here. But let’s get this established first and move forward”.
The Steelers established Russell Wilson on Sunday, for sure. He played every snap, throwing 29 passes. While he completed only 16, he went 14-for-21 after his first eight. In all he threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for another. Unlike Fields, however, he didn’t use his legs to scramble. He rushed three times for three yards on two short-yardage situations and one scramble to avoid a sack.
But what will Mike Tomlin do moving forward with Justin Fields if Russell Wilson retains his starting job? Did his desire to “establish” Wilson have anything to do with Fields not playing? He said that he never even gave any consideration to putting him on the field, so what do we read into that?
What Tomlin did not say is that they don’t have a Justin Fields package. And presumably they do have something, even if it’s only the concept of a plan. I mean, the head coach himself already said that he was open to using Fields. Just because they didn’t consider using him on Sunday doesn’t mean they won’t next time.
Or they could work on it over the bye week. That way, Russell Wilson will have two full games immersing himself in the starting role, getting his feet back under him. And Justin Fields will have had two full games to clear his head and adjust to his new role, transitioning to a role player and backup. I’m sure he still wants to contribute, so any way he can get on the field is a bonus.
