Since the Pittsburgh Steelers turned to veteran QB Russell Wilson as their starter, the talk about there being a special package for backup QB Justin Fields has gotten louder and louder.
It reached a crescendo last Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens as the Steelers finally dusted off the Fields package and had some success with it.
On a short week against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football, they utilized the package of Fields even more, which led to some frustrating results and left many questioning some coaching decisions.
While Fields did have a nice 30-yard run, he also was on the field for a failed 3rd and 4, looking deep to George Pickens on a low-percentage throw in a big spot, a spot for which Russell Wilson should have been on the field.
That decision alone has former NFL wide receiver James Jones frustrated with the Steelers’ usage of the Fields package.
“Hate it. And the main reason why I hate it is because the best quarterback on the football team is Russell Wilson. We know that, right? We’ve seen that. That’s the best. He gives you the best chance to win. Jared Goff don’t come off the field on fourth downs, man. And they [Lions] go forward a lot. They got two good running backs like the Steelers do. They have good wide receivers, and you put the ball in the quarterback’s hands,” Jones said, according to video via FS1. “Matthew Stafford don’t come off the field. There’s a lot of gadget players in this league. The Niners have a lot of them. Have we seen Deebo Samuel [at] quarterback? No, Brock Purdy’s on the dang field and we have fourth-down plays.”
The Steelers have made it a point of emphasis to state to the media that they believe they have two starting quarterbacks and have all the faith in the world in both signal callers. Wilson and Fields have a great relationship and continue to push each other to be great.
But in big spots like what happened Thursday night, there should be no question what quarterback is on the field when tasked with dialing up a deep ball. It’s Wilson all day.
And yet on a 3rd and 4 late in the game, it was Fields on the field throwing a deep ball to Pickens, one that ultimately fell incomplete.
Earlier in the game with Fields in the game, he was largely a blinking red light for the defense that he was going to run the ball. It didn’t help that the Steelers were sloppy in their decision making, and communication wasn’t great, leading to a rushed snap and poor execution.
Later in the game he ripped off a 30-yard run thanks to a great block from TE Connor Heyward that took out two Browns defenders. But even then, the Browns knew run was coming. So, the Steelers got cute and asked Fields to throw the football a few times.
The deep shot on 3rd and 4 with Fields in the game instead of Wilson is just inexcusable, especially considering how good Wilson was playing to that point.
“I don’t understand why you are putting Justin Fields in the game. I don’t care if it’s the run, the read-option, none of that. Leave Russ in the game and have some fourth-down plays that you like with Russell Wilson,” Jones added. “And then like Shady [McCoy] said, man, it’s third down, man and you throwing a bomb. Defenses is not just…you’re not just gonna come out here and trick defenses.”
The Steelers were seemingly trying to trick the Browns in those moments. There’s plenty of tape on Fields to this point, though, in Pittsburgh, so teams are going to be prepared for the run and the pass.
It’s not gadgety, nor should it be. It’s just another wrinkle with Fields for defenses to be prepared for. But in that moment, the Steelers tried to go galaxy brain and outthink the Browns, and it backfired.
Having that package is fine for Fields to give a different look, but it needs to be utilized in the right moments, and on Thursday night the Steelers botched those moments.
“Leave Russell Wilson in the game, man. I absolutely hate it. You know, they always say if you got two, you ain’t got one. Leave the one in there. He gives you the best chance. He was on a five-game winning streak. Leave him in the football game,” Jones said. “I do not understand. He’s gonna make the right throws whether the play is made or not. And he is showing you that he can move outside the pocket and make some plays with his legs. It’s crazy.
“And I absolutely hate it because I played with a lot of good quarterbacks, and they never came off the field. On third down, on fourth down for no gadgets.”
Wilson should have been in the game in that big moment, period. The fact that he wasn’t is coaching malpractice, and it backfired on the Steelers.
He was on a four-game winning streak as the starter, not five. But he’s shown time and time again that he can make plays, still looks rather mobile at times, and throws a great deep ball. He should have been in the game, period.
The Steelers simply botched it.
