1 week Ago By LeeAnn Lowman, Steeler Nation
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin recently announced that Russell Wilson would be the starting quarterback Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons. This shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention. Tomlin has been touting Wilson's "pole position" since the team signed him.
Then, just days before the Falcons game, the news broke that Wilson is still bothered by an earlier calf injury . Wilson missed the first part of training camp because of calf tightness, which allowed Justin Fields to have an opportunity few thought he would get: running with the first-team offense. This gave the team time to see what he could do and allowed the chemistry to develop with the starting offensive players.
Then Wilson was deemed healed and returned to the lineup, even though rumors abounded that he might not be 100%. While Wilson has not been ruled out of Sunday's game yet, the conversation about Fields starting in his place and what that may mean for the team's future has begun. On a recent episode of the ESPN's show Get Up , former NFL quarterback turned analyst Dan Orlovsky said Fields needs to grab this opportunity and run with it.
"If Russell doesn't play, this is the best opportunity Justin Fields is ever going to have in his career," Orlovsky said. "It's the opportunity that many of us have been clamoring for. I think it's the best opportunity for Pittsburgh to be a competitive football team this year.
It's not the preseason. It matters now. Justin's finally got a team around him that can give him an opportunity, it's not going to be perfect.
Arthur Smith has the chance to kind of reinvent this offense with the quarterback-designed run a little bit like we saw with Lamar Jackson. It's a phenomenal opportunity for him if Russell can't go." The Chicago Bears picked Fields 11th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
After his outstanding career at Ohio State, he came with high expectations, but struggled in the pros. It is easy to blame Fields; he deserves some of it, but he also dealt with multiple offensive coordinators, a lack of weapons, lousy defense, and a reportedly dysfunctional franchise . It is pointless to play the "What if a functioning team had drafted Fields" game now, but the Steelers are certainly hoping that some time in black and gold will help him get his career back on track.
The other question is what if Wilson does start on Sunday? Is that a good thing? Orlovsky is concerned that he will be pushed into play when he is not 100%. That he feels is worse for the Steelers than allowing Fields to start. "If Russell can go, it gives me great concern because he doesn't move that great right now anyway, and I think this defense in Atlanta is going to be much better than people expect.
" The Falcons' defense is a bit of an unknown, similar to the situation with the Pittsburgh offense. Their new Defensive Coordinator, Jimmy Lake, was previously with the Los Angeles Rams and is reportedly changing it from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense. They have also added several new players, like Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons.
In general, the Falcons have spent a lot of money working to improve the team on both sides of the ball. Steelers Are Certainly Confident In Justin Fields Tomlin told the media that he is confident that Fields can do the job if called upon. The fact that Fields got so much time working with the starters appears to be even more of a blessing.
During the preseason, neither quarterback played a perfect game, but Fields showed flashes of his exceptional talent. That included rolling away from defenders and connecting with his receivers in improvisational ways. Unfortunately, Fields struggled during big moments in the preseason games, something he was criticized for in Chicago.
Those who support Wilson note that he has been in those big moments numerous times, including two Super Bowls and knows how to get it done. This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission.
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