Who should start at QB next week

[gojira5150]

That was not an NFL offense we ran yesterday. Smith looked like he was scared to call pass plays for Fields at times. It was run run run or run run pass. When you scared to implement the forward pass in your arsenal, that is not good. I honestly believe the coaching staff would have allowed Russ to throw more than they did Fields. We need that.

My problem with Arthur Smith is how often he was trotting out Pruitt, Darnell, and Patterson. These are not explosive guys or difference makers. Lots of role players. In the long run, the ball should be in Pickens, Freiermuth, and Warren's hands. Full stop.

Oh, and to answer the question, despite ESPN's glazing (to use a term my son would use) of Justin Fields this morning for his 156 yd 0 TD showing, that just won't cut it. If Wilson is healthy, you HAVE TO see what he has left in the tank.

Fields threw some nice balls yesterday. He was better throwing the ball than I expected he would be. Most importantly, Fields wasn't throwing shit up for grabs like Kirk Cousins was on literally every possession for the Falcons. Taking care of the ball in a close game like yesterday's was very important and Fields deserves a lot of credit for having zero turnovers.

I couldn't care less about Fields' stats and him not throwing any TD passes. Arthur Smith and Tomlin are going to play football like it's 1972 and they are going to try and beat you 17-13. That's just how it is and we all have to accept it.

Unless the defense has an off day and we're down 17-0 early or something, Fields isn't going to be throwing the ball around. He's going to check it down, hand it off, pick up big first downs with his legs and hit downfield passes when they present themselves and overall, dude did a really nice job of that yesterday.

With Wilson unable to play because of a calf injury, you hold him out until that calf is 100%. Forcing Wilson out there now for no reason, when the Steelers have several winnable games coming up and Wilson not being healthy is a recipe for disaster.

Russ is going to play and play plenty but he needs to get healthy first. 100% healthy.

Very good observation. I agree. Keep JF in there for the points you made.

[swissvale72]

That was not an NFL offense we ran yesterday. Smith looked like he was scared to call pass plays for Fields at times. It was run run run or run run pass. When you scared to implement the forward pass in your arsenal, that is not good. I honestly believe the coaching staff would have allowed Russ to throw more than they did Fields. We need that.

My problem with Arthur Smith is how often he was trotting out Pruitt, Darnell, and Patterson. These are not explosive guys or difference makers. Lots of role players. In the long run, the ball should be in Pickens, Freiermuth, and Warren's hands. Full stop.

Oh, and to answer the question, despite ESPN's glazing (to use a term my son would use) of Justin Fields this morning for his 156 yd 0 TD showing, that just won't cut it. If Wilson is healthy, you HAVE TO see what he has left in the tank.

Fields threw some nice balls yesterday. He was better throwing the ball than I expected he would be. Most importantly, Fields wasn't throwing shit up for grabs like Kirk Cousins was on literally every possession for the Falcons. Taking care of the ball in a close game like yesterday's was very important and Fields deserves a lot of credit for having zero turnovers.

I couldn't care less about Fields' stats and him not throwing any TD passes. Arthur Smith and Tomlin are going to play football like it's 1972 and they are going to try and beat you 17-13. That's just how it is and we all have to accept it.

Unless the defense has an off day and we're down 17-0 early or something, Fields isn't going to be throwing the ball around. He's going to check it down, hand it off, pick up big first downs with his legs and hit downfield passes when they present themselves and overall, dude did a really nice job of that yesterday.

With Wilson unable to play because of a calf injury, you hold him out until that calf is 100%. Forcing Wilson out there now for no reason, when the Steelers have several winnable games coming up and Wilson not being healthy is a recipe for disaster.

Russ is going to play and play plenty but he needs to get healthy first. 100% healthy.

I'm pretty much down with your assessment, KC. Also in agreement from my watching this morning were Dan Orlovsky, who I think is one of the more knowledgeable analysts. Of course, Stephen A & Shannon would opt for Wilson, but Rex Ryan isn't convinced that Wilson will be healed enough. Orlovsky pointed out some really good throws made by Fields, solid decision-making as well. A bit is being made of the need to play Wilson in his return to Denver, but Steelers are in a better position to win, IMO, sticking with Fields under center.

[Professor Half Wit]

I need to see what Wilson looks like in our offense in a real game before deciding Fields should start. If Wilson can throw better and more consistently, there's nothing to discuss. I don't think JF's legs make up for more downfield throwing. We'll find out.

[K_C_]

I need to see what Wilson looks like in our offense in a real game before deciding Fields should start. If Wilson can throw better and more consistently, there's nothing to discuss. I don't think JF's legs make up for more downfield throwing. We'll find out.

One of Wilson's biggest issues in Denver was his inability to move.

Talk to any Denver fan on why they hate Russell Wilson (and just about all of them do) and it's because of the absolutely terrible sacks he took in big situations. Sacks Russ took because he can't move anywhere near like how he could in his prime.

Russ is a lot like late period Ben was when Roethlisberger was in his late 30's. Clean pocket and dude could still ball. Heavy pressure and he's FUCKED.

Fields takes dumb sacks too sometimes, but he also can haul ass out of there and pick up 25 yards on a run. Dude is fast as fuck and a load to bring down.

Look, when this o-line is solidified and Wilson is healthy, I would 100% go with Russell Wilson....if the Steelers are losing. If Fields develops into a quality QB who is winning games for you? Why fuck with that right now when Wilson clearly isn't 100%?

Russ was the one that went to the Steelers 2 days before the game and told them he was experiencing discomfort in that calf. He would have started this game if he was healthy.

I think it's a real bad idea to rush an old QB out there behind an o-line that's clearly still finding its way.

[VeritasSteel]

Wilson for sure. Some are complaining about the old school run football- but I feel like protecting JF was key here. He has talent and made some good throws to Pickens, but the nuances of making his reads and allowing things to develop before taking off is what is needed. Sure as hell not throwing into the middle with a spy camping out in there all game long.

I want to see the offense make a pay 15 plus yards down field in play action regularly to someone other than 14, I want to see a bunch TE set that gives 80 and 88 chances to put the defense in a quandary of playing them with LBs or Ss, or some WR crosses against man that get CA3 the ball in space or at the very least get the ball to the TE up the seam or in a zone beater. Right now that’s not JF.

[beerbrother]

Tomlin named Wilson the starter. If he is healthy he starts.

The team had a little extra motivation getting a win for Arthur Smith against the Falcons.

Same thing for Wilson. They want to give him a chance to stick it to Sean Peyton and the Broncos.

Broncos are essentially paying Russell to be our QB. Be some funny shit if he beats them.

[Orangesteel]

I watched damn near every snap of the SEA v DEN game. Denver’s defense is suspect and Bo Nix is raw and wildly inconsistent (though they were a drive away from winning yesterday - SEA looks mid as well).

The best players on the field for each team yesterday were the punter for DEN and Walker for SEA.

Steelers in Denver is super winnable. In fact, based on the current temp from the fans in Denver I predict the crowd will be 40-45% Steelers fans.

I think you could win with either QB. If Wilson really isn’t fully recovered I don’t know how you start him now that I’ve had an evening to think about it.

Denver’s ST is their best unit. Their RBs are OK. Their receivers are OK. Linebackers are suspect.

My 0.02 for this is DO NOT make it require another Herculean effort from our defense to walk away with a win. Denver doesn’t have the secondary that ATL has. They can be attacked and should be. What we saw yesterday is not sustainable. Arthur Smith needs to put up a 27 or 34 point performance.

[Ice]

Wilson is not going to want to play unless he's pretty damn close to 100%, whether it's a "revenge" game against Denver or not. What kind of revenge is it if you go out at 75 or 80%, can't run and get destroyed in front of Denver's crowd? He can't put bad games on tape at this point, and he's not going to risk doing so.

[zeke5123]

That was not an NFL offense we ran yesterday. Smith looked like he was scared to call pass plays for Fields at times. It was run run run or run run pass. When you scared to implement the forward pass in your arsenal, that is not good. I honestly believe the coaching staff would have allowed Russ to throw more than they did Fields. We need that.

My problem with Arthur Smith is how often he was trotting out Pruitt, Darnell, and Patterson. These are not explosive guys or difference makers. Lots of role players. In the long run, the ball should be in Pickens, Freiermuth, and Warren's hands. Full stop.

Oh, and to answer the question, despite ESPN's glazing (to use a term my son would use) of Justin Fields this morning for his 156 yd 0 TD showing, that just won't cut it. If Wilson is healthy, you HAVE TO see what he has left in the tank.

Fields threw some nice balls yesterday. He was better throwing the ball than I expected he would be. Most importantly, Fields wasn't throwing shit up for grabs like Kirk Cousins was on literally every possession for the Falcons. Taking care of the ball in a close game like yesterday's was very important and Fields deserves a lot of credit for having zero turnovers.

I couldn't care less about Fields' stats and him not throwing any TD passes. Arthur Smith and Tomlin are going to play football like it's 1972 and they are going to try and beat you 17-13. That's just how it is and we all have to accept it.

Unless the defense has an off day and we're down 17-0 early or something, Fields isn't going to be throwing the ball around. He's going to check it down, hand it off, pick up big first downs with his legs and hit downfield passes when they present themselves and overall, dude did a really nice job of that yesterday.

With Wilson unable to play because of a calf injury, you hold him out until that calf is 100%. Forcing Wilson out there now for no reason, when the Steelers have several winnable games coming up and Wilson not being healthy is a recipe for disaster.

Russ is going to play and play plenty but he needs to get healthy first. 100% healthy.

I'm pretty much down with your assessment, KC. Also in agreement from my watching this morning were Dan Orlovsky, who I think is one of the more knowledgeable analysts. Of course, Stephen A & Shannon would opt for Wilson, but Rex Ryan isn't convinced that Wilson will be healed enough. Orlovsky pointed out some really good throws made by Fields, solid decision-making as well. A bit is being made of the need to play Wilson in his return to Denver, but Steelers are in a better position to win, IMO, sticking with Fields under center.

They don't really show the bad plays on the highlight reel though Swiss. He had a few passes that were just bad misses. He had a couple others that prevented his target from getting YAC. That is a lot of inaccurate flows on a not too high number of throws. Similarly, he missed opportunities when he was too enamored with running. Early in the game, he missed a guy streaking down the sideline with a safety nowhere in sight. That was six but he had committed to running when he was still two yards behind the LOS. Then throw in the multiple bumbled snaps)

I am not saying he was bad (he wasn't bad). But he wasn't great either. It was a C+/B- performance. Low end starter type performance.

If Wilson is healthy, I want to see what he can do. But if he isn't healthy, C+ / B- is good enough you shouldn't rush Wilson back.

[Steelperch]

I should also point out Kenny Pickett would’ve started here yesterday had he not quit. What an awful fate it is to be a quitter. Had Pickett not been such a bitch and refused to compete with old man Russell Wilson he would’ve been the starter here through most of camp and preseason while Wilson was hurt and then started game 1. Instead he’s buried behind a younger, entrenched starter who is way more talented with zero chance of ever starting.

We’d also be 0-1 so I am happy he quit.

[SteelerDayTrader]

[Stosh-67]

Screenshot_20240909_225706_Chrome~2.jpg (271.96 KiB) Viewed 1766 times

Will the light bulb ever come on in Tomlins head to the fact his philosophy is why he will never win another SB, let alone a big playoff game.

[955876]

Someone needs to take Jibbs hostage, tie him to a chair, and force him to watch the 49ers offense on a loop for multiple days without sleep.

[Orangesteel]

Niners offense is again awesome and they didn’t have the best offensive player in the league on the field tonight.

Imagine that,

The motion, the misdirection, you have to worry about their RB ripping off long runs and their FB catching deep passes. Kittle, Aiyuk, Deebo, and even Juwan Jennings looked really good tonight.

One can dream.

[Professor Half Wit]

One can dream.

One can, but with the Steelers I choose not to because I'm not interested in being disappointed.

[Havoc]

I voted for Fields.

Played well enough in a win to be given another start + he has playmaking ability.

Fields played within the training wheels system in the first half until we opened it up a little in the 2nd half.

Made a play or 2 in the second half when called upon.

The idea of past his prime Russell Wilson who's 2 previous teams moved on from at the helm does not excite me.

So, I was more interested in Fields (even with all the warts) before the season started.

[W&M_Steeler]

That was not an NFL offense we ran yesterday. Smith looked like he was scared to call pass plays for Fields at times. It was run run run or run run pass. When you scared to implement the forward pass in your arsenal, that is not good. I honestly believe the coaching staff would have allowed Russ to throw more than they did Fields. We need that.

My problem with Arthur Smith is how often he was trotting out Pruitt, Darnell, and Patterson. These are not explosive guys or difference makers. Lots of role players. In the long run, the ball should be in Pickens, Freiermuth, and Warren's hands. Full stop.

Oh, and to answer the question, despite ESPN's glazing (to use a term my son would use) of Justin Fields this morning for his 156 yd 0 TD showing, that just won't cut it. If Wilson is healthy, you HAVE TO see what he has left in the tank.

Fields threw some nice balls yesterday. He was better throwing the ball than I expected he would be. Most importantly, Fields wasn't throwing shit up for grabs like Kirk Cousins was on literally every possession for the Falcons. Taking care of the ball in a close game like yesterday's was very important and Fields deserves a lot of credit for having zero turnovers.

I couldn't care less about Fields' stats and him not throwing any TD passes. Arthur Smith and Tomlin are going to play football like it's 1972 and they are going to try and beat you 17-13. That's just how it is and we all have to accept it.

Unless the defense has an off day and we're down 17-0 early or something, Fields isn't going to be throwing the ball around. He's going to check it down, hand it off, pick up big first downs with his legs and hit downfield passes when they present themselves and overall, dude did a really nice job of that yesterday.

With Wilson unable to play because of a calf injury, you hold him out until that calf is 100%. Forcing Wilson out there now for no reason, when the Steelers have several winnable games coming up and Wilson not being healthy is a recipe for disaster.

Russ is going to play and play plenty but he needs to get healthy first. 100% healthy.

I agree that Russ should sit until he's healthy. JF looks like an upgrade over KP and him starting for a few weeks doesn't create an emergency requiring Russ to try to rush back. But once Russ is healthy, I think we have to switch the Russ just to see what he has left. This might be a Super Bowl quality defense. I think there's a better chance of the Steelers actually advancing in the playoffs if Russ can show some of his old talent than by hoping JF transforms into a top-tier QB. If Russ comes in and proves himself to be washed, then switch back the JF and see where he can take us.

[LakecrestSteeler]

My 0.02 for this is DO NOT make it require another Herculean effort from our defense to walk away with a win. Denver doesn’t have the secondary that ATL has. They can be attacked and should be. What we saw yesterday is not sustainable. Arthur Smith needs to put up a 27 or 34 point performance.

This.....The duration of the red in TJ's face is directly proportion to the timing of his next injury!

Keep red lining him, and a season ender or half season injury will be on the horizon!

Need to win with defensive process and squads, and not heroics of one guy if one is to rely on defensive victories, or use your offense.

[bradshaw2ben]

I should also point out Kenny Pickett would’ve started here yesterday had he not quit. What an awful fate it is to be a quitter. Had Pickett not been such a bitch and refused to compete with old man Russell Wilson he would’ve been the starter here through most of camp and preseason while Wilson was hurt and then started game 1. Instead he’s buried behind a younger, entrenched starter who is way more talented with zero chance of ever starting.

We’d also be 0-1 so I am happy he quit.

[bradshaw2ben]

One can dream.

One can, but with the Steelers I choose not to because I'm not interested in being disappointed.

What is life without disappointment? How would you ever know joy without sadness?

Embrace the pain, Wit, and it will make you stronger.

[zeke5123]

My 0.02 for this is DO NOT make it require another Herculean effort from our defense to walk away with a win. Denver doesn’t have the secondary that ATL has. They can be attacked and should be. What we saw yesterday is not sustainable. Arthur Smith needs to put up a 27 or 34 point performance.

This.....The duration of the red in TJ's face is directly proportion to the timing of his next injury!

Keep red lining him, and a season ender or half season injury will be on the horizon!

Need to win with defensive process and squads, and not heroics of one guy if one is to rely on defensive victories, or use your offense.

I would love to get both Watt and Highsmith down to roughly 80% of the defensive snaps with Nick Herbig getting about 40%. I think Herbig is good enough that going all out for 40% of the edge snaps that you are still getting good snaps while you take some wear and tear off of Watt / Highsmith.

[bradshaw2ben]

My 0.02 for this is DO NOT make it require another Herculean effort from our defense to walk away with a win. Denver doesn’t have the secondary that ATL has. They can be attacked and should be. What we saw yesterday is not sustainable. Arthur Smith needs to put up a 27 or 34 point performance.

This.....The duration of the red in TJ's face is directly proportion to the timing of his next injury!

Keep red lining him, and a season ender or half season injury will be on the horizon!

Need to win with defensive process and squads, and not heroics of one guy if one is to rely on defensive victories, or use your offense.

I voted for Russ.

The more Fields starts and wins ugly games, the more likely they sign him to a long contract, thus sticking us with this garbage for years to come.

Also, if Fields plays more than half the snaps, it costs us a 4th instead of a 6th! Noooo way that is worth it.

[SteelerDayTrader]

Unless Fields plays himself into a big contract (Lolololz Lolololz Lolololz)

I think it’s almost guaranteed the Steelers sign him

They have no QBs signed after this year

[Steelperch]

They have no QBs signed after this year

Don’t give Tomlin any ideas. Imagine the money he could spend on defense if they just direct snap the ball to the RB every play and cut the QB out entirely.

[jmacinwbp]

I voted for RWilson. I liked what Fields showed, and it was clear he can win games in Artie's Offense if he needs to start some games.

But I really want to see what the Offense looks like with a QB that has enough pedigree/history that might allow Tomlin to feel comfortable opening things up a bit. At least until that first game they lose because of a turnover or two.

[Deebo]

Unless Fields plays himself into a big contract (Lolololz Lolololz Lolololz)

I think it’s almost guaranteed the Steelers sign him

They have no QBs signed after this year

I mean that's what is going to happen. JF will play just "good enough" where the Steelers will panic to ensure they have some continuity on the roster.
Signing JF means there will be no QB drafted high in the next 3 drafts and we'll remain in purgatory

[K_C_]

That was not an NFL offense we ran yesterday. Smith looked like he was scared to call pass plays for Fields at times. It was run run run or run run pass. When you scared to implement the forward pass in your arsenal, that is not good. I honestly believe the coaching staff would have allowed Russ to throw more than they did Fields. We need that.

My problem with Arthur Smith is how often he was trotting out Pruitt, Darnell, and Patterson. These are not explosive guys or difference makers. Lots of role players. In the long run, the ball should be in Pickens, Freiermuth, and Warren's hands. Full stop.

Oh, and to answer the question, despite ESPN's glazing (to use a term my son would use) of Justin Fields this morning for his 156 yd 0 TD showing, that just won't cut it. If Wilson is healthy, you HAVE TO see what he has left in the tank.

Fields threw some nice balls yesterday. He was better throwing the ball than I expected he would be. Most importantly, Fields wasn't throwing shit up for grabs like Kirk Cousins was on literally every possession for the Falcons. Taking care of the ball in a close game like yesterday's was very important and Fields deserves a lot of credit for having zero turnovers.

I couldn't care less about Fields' stats and him not throwing any TD passes. Arthur Smith and Tomlin are going to play football like it's 1972 and they are going to try and beat you 17-13. That's just how it is and we all have to accept it.

Unless the defense has an off day and we're down 17-0 early or something, Fields isn't going to be throwing the ball around. He's going to check it down, hand it off, pick up big first downs with his legs and hit downfield passes when they present themselves and overall, dude did a really nice job of that yesterday.

With Wilson unable to play because of a calf injury, you hold him out until that calf is 100%. Forcing Wilson out there now for no reason, when the Steelers have several winnable games coming up and Wilson not being healthy is a recipe for disaster.

Russ is going to play and play plenty but he needs to get healthy first. 100% healthy.

I agree that Russ should sit until he's healthy. JF looks like an upgrade over KP and him starting for a few weeks doesn't create an emergency requiring Russ to try to rush back. But once Russ is healthy, I think we have to switch the Russ just to see what he has left. This might be a Super Bowl quality defense. I think there's a better chance of the Steelers actually advancing in the playoffs if Russ can show some of his old talent than by hoping JF transforms into a top-tier QB. If Russ comes in and proves himself to be washed, then switch back the JF and see where he can take us.

I don’t disagree that Wilson should be the starter at some point in the season, I just think it’s a mistake to do it now.

Fields will be filled with confidence from Sunday’s performance. Was he great? No but Fields was very solid and I’ve seen the guy play significantly better than he did Sunday when he was in Chicago with zero coaching and no supporting cast. No way Wilson is 100% if he tested his calf Saturday and was a no go. I just don’t believe he’s at a point where Russ should be forced on the field. Hell, I would have started Fields in Denver and if he struggles, bring Russ off the bench to get the team a spark.

Also, Russ will be under tremendous pressure to ball out in Denver and the guy had almost no preseason. Color me concerned about Russ from an injury standpoint and this, of all weeks might not be the best move throwing him out there vs a Denver crowd that hates him and blames him for that last 2 years.

……but I’m sure that’s exactly what Tomlin will do.

[K_C_]

My 0.02 for this is DO NOT make it require another Herculean effort from our defense to walk away with a win. Denver doesn’t have the secondary that ATL has. They can be attacked and should be. What we saw yesterday is not sustainable. Arthur Smith needs to put up a 27 or 34 point performance.

This.....The duration of the red in TJ's face is directly proportion to the timing of his next injury!

Keep red lining him, and a season ender or half season injury will be on the horizon!

Need to win with defensive process and squads, and not heroics of one guy if one is to rely on defensive victories, or use your offense.

I would love to get both Watt and Highsmith down to roughly 80% of the defensive snaps with Nick Herbig getting about 40%. I think Herbig is good enough that going all out for 40% of the edge snaps that you are still getting good snaps while you take some wear and tear off of Watt / Highsmith.

Starting to seriously wonder if Highsmith was worth the money. I mean, he’s a good player but with Watt across from him garnering a shitload of attention and still getting to the QB, Highsmith seems to shine in one or 2 games per year and is too often invisible.

I like Highsmith but he should be doing a lot more than he is.

[955876]

Also, Russ will be under tremendous pressure to ball out in Denver and the guy had almost no preseason. Color me concerned about Russ from an injury standpoint and this, of all weeks might not be the best move throwing him out there vs a Denver crowd that hates him and blames him for that last 2 years.

……but I’m sure that’s exactly what Tomlin will do.

Kind of where I’m at. Would be different had he gotten more work in the preseason but he didn’t.

[gojira5150]

This.....The duration of the red in TJ's face is directly proportion to the timing of his next injury!

Keep red lining him, and a season ender or half season injury will be on the horizon!

Need to win with defensive process and squads, and not heroics of one guy if one is to rely on defensive victories, or use your offense.

I would love to get both Watt and Highsmith down to roughly 80% of the defensive snaps with Nick Herbig getting about 40%. I think Herbig is good enough that going all out for 40% of the edge snaps that you are still getting good snaps while you take some wear and tear off of Watt / Highsmith.

Starting to seriously wonder if Highsmith was worth the money. I mean, he’s a good player but with Watt across from him garnering a shitload of attention and still getting to the QB, Highsmith seems to shine in one or 2 games per year and is too often invisible.

I like Highsmith but he should be doing a lot more than he is.

Highsmith has not performed the way he's paid. 2022 he had an awesome season. Since then, he hasn't done much. They should look to trade him for a WR,