Entering this season, Justin Fields wasn’t supposed to be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting QB, but circumstances changed things. Russell Wilson dealt with a nagging calf injury, and suddenly, Fields was the starter for the first six games. He played well, but Mike Tomlin wanted to see what Wilson could give the Steelers when healthy. At times, it felt like Fields didn’t have full command of the offense, but Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth states that isn’t true.
“We really did not limit Justin [Fields’] calls at the line of scrimmage,” Arth said Wednesday via the team’s media department. “We put as much on him in the first few weeks of the season, first six weeks of the season, as we’re asking Russ to do at the line.”
Earlier this year, Fields did reveal just how much freedom he has at the line of scrimmage. It sounded like he couldn’t really change plays, so based on what Arth is saying here, Wilson shouldn’t be able to do that either. However, considering Wilson’s veteran experience, it would be odd to not allow him to make changes based on the coverages he’s seeing.
It’s likely that Arth just doesn’t want to make it seem like Fields is worse than Wilson. Everyone on the team has made it clear that Fields impressed them. If Wilson has any more freedom than Fields, it’s probably more about his time in the league, rather than a difference in ability.
Arth also spoke about how the offense hasn’t really changed with Wilson in the lineup as opposed to Fields.
“Not necessarily. The offense changes in certain ways, depending on who your quarterback is,” he said. “I think that’s true, regardless of what offensive system you’re in. But I wouldn’t say that there’s anything that we weren’t able to do with [Fields] that we can do now with [Wilson].”
That’s a fair answer. The Steelers’ offense does look basically the same. They still prioritize running the ball, taking deep shots when they need to. It isn’t like the Steelers are a pass-happy team with Wilson under center. However, some things obviously have to change because Wilson and Fields are different players.
For instance, Fields is much more mobile than Wilson. As a result, there were more designed runs for the quarterback with Fields as the starter. At the same time, Wilson is giving the Steelers a little more consistency in the passing game, which may be influencing the play calls.
When he was starting, Fields took his fair share of deep shots down the field. His style as a passer is a little different compared to Wilson, not throwing with as much touch, but he was given similar opportunities. Arth doesn’t want to put either quarterback down, so he’s giving the right answer. It’s unclear whether it’s true or not. Either way, it doesn’t seem like Fields or Wilson care. They look happy to be winning.
