Russell Wilson Being Named Steelers Starting QB Over Justin Fields Has Football Twitter In Rare Reactionary Form

Matt Fitzgerald·
CULTURESPORTS
·
Russell Wilson
I Am Athlete

Now we just have to determine what the over/under Week X is for when Justin Fields takes the reins of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense from Russell Wilson. Or at least that’s what Monday’s announcement feels like regarding the Steelers’ continually undesirable quarterback situation.

Mr. Unlimited dealt with a calf injury through training camp, and although Fields “closed the gap” so to speak, Pittsburgh is sticking with the guy the Broncos ate $85 million in dead money for to not play for their team.

Mike Tomlin tried to frame the QB competition as follows: Deciding on the starter made for a “positive” dilemma because of what each guys brings to the field. He even alluded to how Fields’ dynamic running ability could lead to a special package of plays.

No question Russ still throws a rather pretty long ball. Nor is there a doubt that Fields is one of the most dynamic open-field runners in the NFL.

But really, come on. When it comes to pure quarterback play, the Steelers couldn’t have done much worse. They got what little they paid for — about $4.5 million combined! — to acquire Wilson and Fields this offseason.

Mark Schlereth knows ball. Won the Super Bowl three times. Here are his thoughts on Russ:

Oh dear! Then, anyone with eyeballs and even the faintest knowledge of ball knows Fields legitimately can’t go through traditional QB progressions if his life depended on it. Or at least he hasn’t been able to when his professional livelihood depends upon it.

Yo, Pittsburgh: Get ready for weird turn-down throws, George Pickens flipping his sh*t on the sidelines when Russ/Fields miss him streaking wide-open for a fifth time that game, and for Tomlin’s first-ever losing record in a season. It’s all coming.

Football Twitter can be a toxic, awful place a lot of the time. My brain begins to rot about 45% I read replies on any given viral tweet. At the best of times, though, this neighborhood of the gigantic social media platform can be enjoyable to stroll through.

The reactions are as much about Wilson being washed as they are about Fields truthers who thought the Bears should maybe hang onto him instead of drafting Caleb Williams No. 1 overall.

Tomlin will probably survive his first losing season ever because, well, he’s survived years of rampant mediocrity before this. I’m sure the Steelers will want to see what he can do with a legit franchise QB in 2025, but whether Tomlin wants to stick around to see that through remains to be seen.

This 2024 campaign could be Tomlin’s most trying yet. That’s saying something for a guy who used to coach Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and superstar egos of that ilk. The long-tenured ball coach has given no indication he’d leave the Steelers as long as they’ll have him. They do have an excellent defense, an improving o-line, and a QB upgrade in 2025 could go a long way to vault them back into true AFC contention. The immediate forecast is looking gloomy to say the least, though.

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