The Pittsburgh Steelers have not won a postseason game since the 2016 season. After losing longtime quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to retirement after the 2021 season, the organization has been trying to find the next signal-caller of their future to help them get back to hoisting Lombardi Trophies.
They drafted Kenny Pickett from the University of Pittsburgh in 2022, and Steeler Nation had high hopes for him. Unfortunately, Pickett was angry over the signing of Russell Wilson, and the Steelers traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles. After letting Pickett go, they also traded for Justin Fields.
While Head Coach Mike Tomlin has been clear that Wilson will have the “pole position” to start, many wonder if that is true. Fields is younger and has shown to be an incredible athlete. Former NFL running back and Pitt player LeSean McCoy doesn’t think Fields is talented enough, however.
Recently, on an episode of FS1 Speak, McCoy and his fellow hosts Emmanuel Acho, Dave Helman, and James Jones spoke about Fields and his future in Pittsburgh. While some believe Fields should start some games this season, a recent report out of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) said that Fields doesn’t possess the accuracy he needs to start.
“My thing with Justin Fields is that I hate it when people act so surprised,” said McCoy. “Why are you surprised on stuff that we seen already on tape? If I showed you a tape of him last year, is he real accurate? I’d probably say, ‘H*ll no,’ and you’d say, ‘No.’ He is really good at throwing the ball? I’d probably say, ‘H*ll no,’ and you’d say, ‘No.’ Why are we acting like it is such a big deal?”
McCoy said he was the first to suggest Fields use this year as a kind of “red shirt year” to learn from Wilson and work on his game. He can learn the offense and learn how to be a pro.
While Wilson may not be the same player who won a Super Bowl in Seattle, McCoy feels that his mentality hasn’t changed. He is still a leader and is still fighting to win games. He likes Fields being mentored by Wilson.
“As far as playing this game, we seen Justin Fields at a high level, 10 for 28 playing this game. So when we see reports about him not looking accurate, not looking intelligent, reading the coverages, etc., I’m not surprised. He’s been showing me that since he came into this league,” said McCoy.
Helman said that he understands why McCoy feels that way. The data supports his argument: Fields was 31st in the league in completion percentage over the last year, with only Zach Wilson rating worse. He added that Fields was 29th in touchdown to interception ratio. Helman said the data doesn’t lie; he is not an accurate quarterback.
He also doesn’t think there will be any kind of competition between him and Wilson during camp for the starting job. However, Helman still expects Fields to get on the field at some point this season. Despite his mistakes, Helman sees some potential in Fields.
Steelers’ Justin Fields Hurt By Playing With The Twos?
This topic came up quite early in Pickett’s career. Pickett had practiced primarily with the second-string players, “the twos,” while Mitch Trubisky worked out with the “ones.” Helman pointed out that once again, Fields is working with the twos, and while Fields has not been accurate during his career, it is even harder to expect him to outperform Wilson when he is playing primarily with guys who are on the bench.
Helman said Fields spent the beginning of his career on a lousy team, the Chicago Bears, surrounded by mediocre players. Now, he is in a new system with new coaches and teammates. Jones added that it is true that Fields hasn’t been a strong passer, but now that you throw in all these other variables, it is easy to see why he is struggling.
What do you make of the report that Fields isn’t accurate? How do you think he fits in Pittsburgh? Click to