Justin Fields is set to be replaced by Russell Wilson as the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback, and the former first-round pick has admitted he has not been good enough
Justin Fields, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, has come clean about his performance and concedes he hasn’t performed up to par to keep his starting role, as Russell Wilson steps in to replace him.
Despite leading the Steelers to a 4-2 opening season record and showcasing his talent as an agile running force, Fields’ shortcomings in passing efficiency ultimately led coach Mike Tomlin to switch things up at the quarterback position.
Both Fields and Wilson were new signings for the Steelers this offseason, with ex-Seattle Seahawks hotshot Wilson pegged for the starting spot before a calf injury put him on the sidelines. Now, after taking the primary practice snaps, Wilson is prepped for his Steelers premiere against the New York Jets on Sunday night.
With Fields at the helm securing a positive tally of wins, some sports commentators are skeptical about the change at quarterback. However, the former Chicago Bears player is shouldering responsibility.
Fields, in his candid address to the media, said: “I don’t think I played good enough if I’m being real with you. If I’m being real myself, I think if I did play well enough, I don’t think there would be any sort of, ‘Who should be playing, who should not?
“At the end of the day, we got a few wins and, of course, I’m glad about that, but there are areas that I could do better at and I’m going to continue work on those and continue to get better.”
Fields expressed his discontent with how things have gone so far, admitting: “Not really. I mean, I want to be 6-0 right now, but it was a great opportunity for me. Of course, I’m grateful for the opportunity. I did get those first six weeks, and we’ll just see what happens.”
Despite facing being relegated to the bench, Fields is determined to contribute to the team’s success, saying: “I’m just doing the same thing I was doing. I just do my job at the end of the day and whether that’s playing, it’s helping the guys out on the sideline, tell him what I see, helping the rest out if he’s out there. So just small stuff like that.”
While Coach Tomlin has not made an official statement regarding the quarterback switch, Fields’ comments suggest a significant shift. On Tuesday, Tomlin discussed the situation, noting: “We were scheduled for Russ to work in totality, he did that over the course of the week, I got comfortable with his ability to display his health,” and added, “Now it’s about knocking the rust off. He did some of that last week. He is in consideration this week, we’ll see where that leads us.”
