Despite the bumpiness the Pittsburgh Steelers are experiencing figuring out how and when to use QB Justin Fields and Russell Wilson that’s brought plenty of criticism, not everyone is taking their shots. Former QB Chase Daniel still offers his full support of the idea and saw its value even in yesterday’s loss to the Cleveland Browns.
“Hot take. I actually loved it,” he said on FS1’s The Facility Friday. “Guys, we’re, we’re complaining about seven plays in the game.”
Fields snap count ticked up from last week, logging seven total snaps in the loss. His performance featured one excellent outcome, a 30-yard gain, but six others that could generally be considered duds. Here’s the result of each of his touches.
– Loss of 2-yards (on fourth down)
– Run for 30-yards
– Loss of 2-yards
– Incompletion (roughing the passer called)
– Deep ball incompletion (on third down)
Daniel highlighted Fields’ mobility as an asset and his overall point is the package forces defenses to prepare and account for him.
“He’s an elite runner of the football.”
Throughout his film room, one sometimes obscured by the winter weather, he highlighted how defenses stack the box and play the run against him. That made throwing the football smart, though his one attempt that stood was costly, stopping the clock late in the fourth quarter and leading to Corliss Waitman’s 15-yard punt that set the Browns up in Steelers’ territory.
“If you’re game planning for a defense, give them as many looks as you can,” Daniels said.
This dimension puts more on the opponent’s plate. But it also does the same for Pittsburgh. And it’s clear they’re still working out the bugs. On the first failed fourth down, linemen began leaving the field causing the Steelers to break the huddle with time running out. It led to a hurried and messy play that ended in failure.
With a full slate of practices next week, Pittsburgh can reset and figure out the best way to implement Fields to make sure it’s an asset and not a hindrance to their efforts.
