The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing this week for another round with “Mr.” Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. The premier running quarterback in the history of the game and simply one of the greatest all-around players today, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin understands there’s no sense in making comparisons. He is in a class of his own with what he can do, and even a guy like Justin Fields doesn’t help you prepare for him.
That is how Tomlin ended his press conference yesterday, offering due deference to Mr. Jackson. Asked if having Justin Fields on the roster in any way helps the Steelers prepare for Jackson, the Steelers head coach offered a simple, pithy, “No”.
Because that’s all that needs to be said on the subject. Sure, Justin Fields is a superior athlete, but he’s not even the best quarterback on the Steelers. There’s a reason he hasn’t seen the field in three weeks while Jackson is on his way to another MVP.
The Steelers started Fields for the first six games this season, but only due to Russell Wilson’s calf injury. While he impressed with his mobility, rushing for five touchdowns, he couldn’t hold onto his job. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson is having a career year in a career that includes two MVP awards.
In 10 games, Jackson is 199-of-288 passing for 2,669 yards. He leads the NFL with 24 touchdowns passes and 8.3 yards per pass attempt yet has just two interceptions. And the Steelers are coming off a rare game in which the defense didn’t take the ball away.
And even if you isolate the discussion to athleticism, Lamar Jackson is still in a class of his own. Justin Fields has absolutely had some astounding mobile plays during his career, but Jackson is an unparalleled threat on every play.
In other words, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers aren’t blowing smoke up anybody’s butt. He’s simply observing the obvious. Even if you spend the week chasing Justin Fields around the practice field, that’s not going to prepare you for what Lamar Jackson can do ad-libbing in a game.
Is it more advantageous to have a Justin Fields or a Joshua Dobbs running the scout team this week than, say, Mason Rudolph? Of course. And in the past, the Steelers would obviously use non-quarterback players to simulate quarterbacks with exceptional mobility like Lamar Jackson.
But this is a case of the real McCoy. Often imitated, never duplicated, there has not been another quarterback like Lamar Jackson. For now, Steelers fans can point to his record against them and the fact that he hasn’t made a Super Bowl yet. But I hope none of them are fooling themselves into thinking Sunday will be a fun time.
