Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin did not say that Russell Wilson would be starting on Sunday. His exact words were “He’s in consideration.” While I agree that is a big step up from previous weeks, there’s still no clear decision as to who starts Sunday night against the New York Jets. Regardless of whether it’s Wilson or Justin Fields, there’s a lot more to this than just who is calling the signals.
Precedent?
Many fans are left wondering whether any team has ever replaced a quarterback with a 4-2 record and 10 touchdowns accounted for and one interception. The answer is right under our Black and Gold noses. In 1974, Chuck Noll replaced starter Joe Gilliam with Terry Bradshaw. Gilliam had led the Steelers to a 4-1-1 record through the first six games. Pittsburgh would go on to lose just two more games that season en route to their first-ever Super Bowl title.
When Gilliam was officially replaced, he had a total of four touchdown passes, eight interceptions and was sacked seven times. Justin Fields has thrown for five TDs, one interception and has been sacked 16 times. Gilliam had one touchdown run while Fields has five so far this season. While it goes without saying it still must be said. The game of football was drastically different in 1974 compared to today and that must be considered. As far as precedent goes, yes, there have been guys with sterling records replaced before.
More Than the Stats
We cannot just look at statistics and leave it at that however. What Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith are seeing in the film room is considerably different from what we see on our televisions. Is Fields missing too many open receivers? Is he making the right reads in the first place? Is he holding the ball too long? There’s any number of things that go far beyond the stats and that’s what Wilson has going for him.
We haven’t seen Wilson in this offense save for a couple of drives at Detroit in the preseason finale. Do those really even count? I look at it as though Wilson has a grade of 100% incomplete. In fact, there’s no body of evidence with which to base a grade on because he hasn’t taken a snap in the regular season. Tomlin and Smith both know what the other wants in terms of their QB preference but right now only one has any evidence of his capabilities. Any decision involving the starting of Wilson will be based strictly on what you hope he does and nothing more.
What It All Boils Down To
I really don’t care who plays quarterback right now because anyone who is in the position has to play behind a questionable offensive line. On Sunday night, Pat Meyer will roll out his fifth different starting lineup through seven games. That’s not his fault simply because injuries are what they are. The constant change however is not good for chemistry and continuity.
Wilson does not possess the speed of Fields but he is in no way ‘immobile.’ Even at his advanced QB age, he can still move in the pocket and has the ability to escape. That said, he’s no Justin Fields and will instead have to rely on his football smarts to get the ball out quickly. His knowledge of NFL defenses should allow him to do that, but it doesn’t mean that fans won’t be clamoring for Fields should Wilson start and struggle.
If the line can’t block in the run game and the line can’t protect in passing situations, then it matters not who is back there. Even Big Ben would struggle given that situation. In other words, the QB position can only be evaluated given what the O-Line does in front of them.
If It Were Me…
I’d start Justin Fields on Sunday night and if it isn’t going well, then I can move to Wilson. My reasoning is simple. If Tomlin starts Wilson and it goes poorly, he’s going to have to answer a lot more questions than he would under my scenario.
