Who should start at QB next week

[K_C_]

Dolphins would be more likely to look at Dallas backups as a solution at this point than Russ. Plus he's basically free to the PS. I don't see it happening unless an offer is extremely generous.

Dallas isn't trading Cooper Rush and Trey Lance is awful.

Neither has proven anything, really. Rush has proven to be a competent back up.

Russell Wilson has proven a whole lot....and IF (big IF) Justin Fields balls out this week in Denver, I expect conversations will be had because Russell Wilson did not come to Pittsburgh to be the back up.

I still think the Dolphins add Tannehill today and while they're claiming to be all in on Skylar Thompson, being all in on Skylar Thompson means the Dolphins season is over.

[jebrick]

Russ has a no trade clause so...

[Dan Smith--BYU]

I'm not sure Lance is awful. His luck and timing have been but he really hasn't had a chance to prove himself.

[K_C_]

Russ has a no trade clause so...

Russ sure does have a no trade clause.

....and if Justin Fields has a big day in Denver, Tomlin will stay with Fields....and Russ didn't come to Pittsburgh to be a back up.

You wanna know how fast Russ would waive that no trade clause so he could go to Miami where he would start and have targets like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, OBJ (down the road), Achane, Wright, Mostert, etc?

Faster than you or I would say yes to Megan Fox offering us sex.

That's how fast.

[K_C_]

I'm not sure Lance is awful. His luck and timing have been but he really hasn't had a chance to prove himself.

Miami is in WIN NOW mode. Like right now. Today.

Kenny Pickett has proven more than Trey Lance and has ended up a better pick than Lance.

Roll that one around in your head a while. Christ Kenny isn't even third string in Philly. Lance is in Dallas.

If you trade for Trey Lance, Miami might as well go after Zach Wilson. I don't think they'll go after either.

Miami is going to go after a veteran that has won before. I think they'll tow the company line with "We can win with Skylar!" but deep down, everybody knows that's horseshit.

Tannehill will probably be signed today. They'll ask about Jimmy G (who will be real expensive in a trade) and ultimately if Tannehill fails and Russ isn't the starter, I think they'll be making offers to the Steelers.

We'll see what happens.

[Orangesteel]

Fields is bound to look like shit. It’s going to happen, everyone knows that.

We will eventually see why RW was handed the QB1 role in Pittsburgh. He’s a much faster processor and still has a very good arm.

Now; if Tomlin can play QB carousel for a chunk of the season then great; might get us 10 wins and a January game.

But these guys are not long term solutions to the QB problem, the hell we are in. Wilson can’t even push a sled without busting his calf.

This is going to be a long, frustrating season.

[.Kodiak]

Ben to Miami?

[K_C_]

Fields is bound to look like shit. It’s going to happen, everyone knows that.

We will eventually see why RW was handed the QB1 role in Pittsburgh. He’s a much faster processor and still has a very good arm.

Now; if Tomlin can play QB carousel for a chunk of the season then great; might get us 10 wins and a January game.

But these guys are not long term solutions to the QB problem, the hell we are in. Wilson can’t even push a sled without busting his calf.

This is going to be a long, frustrating season.

I would never disagree with anybody that would tell me that Russell Wilson is a better NFL QB than Justin Fields, even at his advanced age.

But.....Fields is still young. Only 25 and he played (after the first play of the game, of course) mistake free football in Atlanta. He did exactly what the team needed him to do to win that game.

While Fields was far from dynamic, dude does have a fucking cannon for an arm and made a few really good throws. Is Wilson the better passer? Oh absolutely, but Fields ability to make plays with his legs is important, especially in a very conservative Tomlin/Smith offense.

As you mentioned, neither guy is likely the long term solution at QB, especially Wilson due to his age. Fields? Highly unlikely he takes the next step but it's possible. There is a lot to work with there.

I know Russell Wilson is better right now but Russ is fragile, old and most importantly....might have damn good value to a team like the Dolphins who are looking to win big this year. In an offensive league, the Dolphins have a chance to do something special.

I don't think anybody here thinks the Steelers are going to be competing for a Super Bowl as this team is currently constructed so 1) I find out if there is any chance Fields is the solution (I let him play until he shows me he isn't....which I think is actually happening. If Fields looks good in Denver Tomlin is not going to bench him. If Fields sucks, Russ will take over) and 2) If Fields does play well, you have to shop Russ. Dude didn't sign with the Steelers to be a back up and I'll bet Miami would be very excited to land a proven winner like Russ in a trade.

Wilson is obviously a better QB in a modern day offense than Fields is, but for what we're running, I'm not so sure Russ can be successful. No mobility anymore and this o-line is going to struggle.

Did you see the report today that it's likely Broderick Jones is benched and Fautanu is the starter at RT in Denver? That one surprises me.

[Gonzo]

Trade them all

[Texas Black & Gold]

Trade them all

Keep Watt

[W&M_Steeler]

Fields is bound to look like shit. It’s going to happen, everyone knows that.

We will eventually see why RW was handed the QB1 role in Pittsburgh. He’s a much faster processor and still has a very good arm.

Now; if Tomlin can play QB carousel for a chunk of the season then great; might get us 10 wins and a January game.

But these guys are not long term solutions to the QB problem, the hell we are in. Wilson can’t even push a sled without busting his calf.

This is going to be a long, frustrating season.

Exactly. I think the idea of the Steelers trading Wilson is far-fetched. Even if Justin Fields plays well enough to keep Wilson on the bench, I don't think the Steelers trade Wilson because of the depth he provides. What happens if they trade Wilson, then Fields gets hurt the next week? I just don't see Tomlin and the Steelers risking that for a 2nd round pick- they don't view things like we do, even if you question how much they care about NHALS. Maybe if Wilson gets benched and becomes a total turd behind the scenes, but even then I doubt it- Tomlin was already burned by LeGarrette Blount, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to repeat that disaster.

[RemoAZ]

Fields is bound to look like shit. It’s going to happen, everyone knows that.

We will eventually see why RW was handed the QB1 role in Pittsburgh. He’s a much faster processor and still has a very good arm.

Now; if Tomlin can play QB carousel for a chunk of the season then great; might get us 10 wins and a January game.

But these guys are not long term solutions to the QB problem, the hell we are in. Wilson can’t even push a sled without busting his calf.

This is going to be a long, frustrating season.

Exactly. I think the idea of the Steelers trading Wilson is far-fetched. Even if Justin Fields plays well enough to keep Wilson on the bench, I don't think the Steelers trade Wilson because of the depth he provides. What happens if they trade Wilson, then Fields gets hurt the next week? I just don't see Tomlin and the Steelers risking that for a 2nd round pick- they don't view things like we do, even if you question how much they care about NHALS. Maybe if Wilson gets benched and becomes a total turd behind the scenes, but even then I doubt it- Tomlin was already burned by LeGarrette Blount, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to repeat that disaster.

This is a guy that traded a 1st round pick for a safety AFTER Ben was lost for the season. Nobody could ever convince me Tomlin's never had a losing season streak isn't his first priority. No way he trades either QB. I just hope Fields doesn't play enough to upgrade that wasted pick.

[W&M_Steeler]

Fields is bound to look like shit. It’s going to happen, everyone knows that.

We will eventually see why RW was handed the QB1 role in Pittsburgh. He’s a much faster processor and still has a very good arm.

Now; if Tomlin can play QB carousel for a chunk of the season then great; might get us 10 wins and a January game.

But these guys are not long term solutions to the QB problem, the hell we are in. Wilson can’t even push a sled without busting his calf.

This is going to be a long, frustrating season.

Exactly. I think the idea of the Steelers trading Wilson is far-fetched. Even if Justin Fields plays well enough to keep Wilson on the bench, I don't think the Steelers trade Wilson because of the depth he provides. What happens if they trade Wilson, then Fields gets hurt the next week? I just don't see Tomlin and the Steelers risking that for a 2nd round pick- they don't view things like we do, even if you question how much they care about NHALS. Maybe if Wilson gets benched and becomes a total turd behind the scenes, but even then I doubt it- Tomlin was already burned by LeGarrette Blount, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to repeat that disaster.

This is a guy that traded a 1st round pick for a safety AFTER Ben was lost for the season. Nobody could ever convince me Tomlin's never had a losing season streak is his first priority. No way he trades either QB. I just hope Fields doesn't play enough to upgrade that wasted pick.

Right. We may think that the Steelers aren't real Super Bowl contenders and should jump at the chance of trading a QB for a high draft pick, the Steelers don't think that way. Tomlin believes in the lottery ticket theory of the playoffs, and he has NHALS to maintain. They're not going to dump a quality back-up QB, particularly if it's a borderline Hall of Famer like Russell Wilson (though I think Wilson will end up the starter sooner rather than later).

[PennyBacker]

Having two capable QBs is fairly essential in today's game. Pittsburgh has relied on the performance of back up QBs now in 3 out of the past 5 seasons ('19, '22 and '23). Depending on who you consider the starter for this edition of the team, it could be 4. In other words, I would not trade either QB simply to pick up a solitary draft pick. Even a high pick.

Fields looked stable against the Falcons, but his résumé suggests he still has more development to reach his full potential. Given how the rest of the team's offense is still in flux, having a veteran like Wilson on the team to share snaps with could be ideal for his overall trajectory.

[stillthere]

Fields looked stable against the Falcons, but his résumé suggests he still has more development to reach his full potential.

I heard Matt Williamson with a little stat on Fields this morning.
Fields has never won 2 NFL games in a row. So hopefully that changes tomorrow.

[K_C_]

I’m with Big Ben on this one.

[W&M_Steeler]

I’m with Big Ben on this one.

Ben just wants to make sure we keep pining for his glory days .

I'd rather have geriatric Ben than either of these stiffs- I bet Ben would manage more than 120 yards passing and would make Van Jefferson look like an NFL WR. He'll, I might give Terry Bradshaw a call before this season is over...

[K_C_]

I’m with Big Ben on this one.

Ben just wants to make sure we keep pining for his glory days .

I'd rather have geriatric Ben than either of these stiffs- I bet Ben would manage more than 120 yards passing and would make Van Jefferson look like an NFL WR. He'll, I might give Terry Bradshaw a call before this season is over...

Nah. I think Roethlisberger believes Fields has done enough to keep the starting job. In Tomlin’s ultra conservative offense and with mistakes by Van Jefferson and Broderick Jones who personally kept Fields from having a pretty impressive day (before Tomlin decided to turtle away an entire half) Fields looked better in week 2 than he did in week 1 (a huge win on the road against a Falcons team that just won in Philly.)

Absolutely no reason to rush Wilson out there while the team is winning and Fields is playing mistake free football despite lacking weapons and a coach that is actually trying to score TD’s.

[Ice]

Tomlin has to know the key to NHALS and possible playoff this year is stacking as many early season wins as possible before the schedule gets nasty. I think his primary instinct here would be not to rock the boat, but man, that 2nd half turtle job did NOT show a lot of confidence in the pasing game. My gut says his gut is telling him to go with Fields until that horse bucks, but I've been wrong before.

[jebrick]

Tomlin has to know the key to NHALS and possible playoff this year is stacking as many early season wins as possible before the schedule gets nasty. I think his primary instinct here would be not to rock the boat, but man, that 2nd half turtle job did NOT show a lot of confidence in the pasing game. My gut says his gut is telling him to go with Fields until that horse bucks, but I've been wrong before.

My bet is that you see Russ as the starter within 2 games because that is the way Tomlin rolls. And, IMHO, we need to see what we have.

The problem is the playcalling. Takes me back to the 90's with the turtling offense of Cowher.

[franco32]

The media slobbering over Fields is kind of weird. I watched a clip of ESPN First Take and you would have thought Fields put up 380 yards and 3 TDs. For some reason the media has really lowered the bar of expectations for a guy that is no rookie.

I really liked J. Fields in the first half, but it was downhill after that. I get the playcalling was sphincter tightening in the 3rd and 4th quarter. But he just wasn't seeing the field well.

If you have to keep the training wheels on for Fields, then he shouldn't be the starter at this point. The Steelers offense needs weeks and weeks of running a full offense. Otherwise, our odds of doing anything in the playoffs is zero. We all agree on that.

[Ice]

The media slobbering over Fields is kind of weird. I watched a clip of ESPN First Take and you would have thought Fields put up 380 yards and 3 TDs. For some reason the media has really lowered the bar of expectations for a guy that is no rookie.

I really liked J. Fields in the first half, but it was downhill after that. I get the playcalling was sphincter tightening in the 3rd and 4th quarter. But he just wasn't seeing the field well.

If you have to keep the training wheels on for Fields, then he shouldn't be the starter at this point. The Steelers offense needs weeks and weeks of running a full offense. Otherwise, our odds of doing anything in the playoffs is zero. We all agree on that.

I don't know. I'm content to see what we have in Russ after we lose a game, which I'm sure is coming. Other than "vet presence," I'm not sure what Russ brings that Fields isn't, at this point. He might be a little better at reading a D, but he's never been significantly better than what we're seeing. The guy's never been Brady or Manning in this regard. He runs around and makes plays, and he doesn't run around so well anymore. I don't think you'll see the middle of the field utilized more (because Tomlin), maybe some better intermediate throws? A lot more of Wilson holding onto the ball will result in negative plays than Fields doing the same, though. That much I can almost guarantee.

Also, in the league so far this season, 270+ passing yards, a TD, 85 yards rushing and no turnovers is actually a pretty good QB performance. Almost identical to Jalen Hurts last night, minus one rushing TD and one crippling, late-game turnover, which kinda evens it out.

[K_C_]

The media slobbering over Fields is kind of weird. I watched a clip of ESPN First Take and you would have thought Fields put up 380 yards and 3 TDs. For some reason the media has really lowered the bar of expectations for a guy that is no rookie.

I really liked J. Fields in the first half, but it was downhill after that. I get the playcalling was sphincter tightening in the 3rd and 4th quarter. But he just wasn't seeing the field well.

If you have to keep the training wheels on for Fields, then he shouldn't be the starter at this point. The Steelers offense needs weeks and weeks of running a full offense. Otherwise, our odds of doing anything in the playoffs is zero. We all agree on that.

The play calling in the second half was because Tomlin.

We had chances to blow the Broncos out and Van Jefferson and Broderick Jones made sure that didn’t happen so Cool Shades decided to grind out a win using an excellent defense vs. a rookie QB and it worked out.

I just think we’re having a very different conversation about the QB situation right now without some very, very brainless mistakes by folks not named Fields.

I have no problem with Russ getting the start if he’s healthy but this ultra conservative offense seems tailored to what Fields does much more than Wilson.

We’ll see.

[Deebo]

The media slobbering over Fields is kind of weird. I watched a clip of ESPN First Take and you would have thought Fields put up 380 yards and 3 TDs. For some reason the media has really lowered the bar of expectations for a guy that is no rookie.

I really liked J. Fields in the first half, but it was downhill after that. I get the playcalling was sphincter tightening in the 3rd and 4th quarter. But he just wasn't seeing the field well.

If you have to keep the training wheels on for Fields, then he shouldn't be the starter at this point. The Steelers offense needs weeks and weeks of running a full offense. Otherwise, our odds of doing anything in the playoffs is zero. We all agree on that.

I don't know. I'm content to see what we have in Russ after we lose a game, which I'm sure is coming. Other than "vet presence," I'm not sure what Russ brings that Fields isn't, at this point. He might be a little better at reading a D, but he's never been significantly better than what we're seeing. The guy's never been Brady or Manning in this regard. He runs around and makes plays, and he doesn't run around so well anymore. I don't think you'll see the middle of the field utilized more (because Tomlin), maybe some better intermediate throws? A lot more of Wilson holding onto the ball will result in negative plays than Fields doing the same, though. That much I can almost guarantee.

Also, in the league so far this season, 270+ passing yards, a TD, 85 yards rushing and no turnovers is actually a pretty good QB performance. Almost identical to Jalen Hurts last night, minus one rushing TD and one crippling, late-game turnover, which kinda evens it out.

I still approach it like a goalie tandem: you ride the hot hand until that goalie loses. JF will eventually lose and RW will get a shot.

But you also have to consider Russ isn't close to being able to play. He was Qb3 in Denver.

[jebrick]

The media slobbering over Fields is kind of weird. I watched a clip of ESPN First Take and you would have thought Fields put up 380 yards and 3 TDs. For some reason the media has really lowered the bar of expectations for a guy that is no rookie.

I really liked J. Fields in the first half, but it was downhill after that. I get the playcalling was sphincter tightening in the 3rd and 4th quarter. But he just wasn't seeing the field well.

If you have to keep the training wheels on for Fields, then he shouldn't be the starter at this point. The Steelers offense needs weeks and weeks of running a full offense. Otherwise, our odds of doing anything in the playoffs is zero. We all agree on that.

My understanding is Denver sold out to stop the run in the 2nd half and the playcalling did not adapt to move them back or they did not trust Fields to move them back.

Get ready because teams are going to double GP and sell out vs the run until a Steeler QB can make them regret it,

[Ice]

Or a Steeler wr2, wr3 or TE...

Color me absolutely shocked at our failure to adapt in that scenario

Also, with Sid re-signed, I'm now comfortable with hockey analogies again. Probably the thing I wasn't worried about that I was most worried about this Pittsburgh sports year so far.

[stillthere]

Tomlin has to know the key to NHALS and possible playoff this year is stacking as many early season wins as possible before the schedule gets nasty. I think his primary instinct here would be not to rock the boat, but man, that 2nd half turtle job did NOT show a lot of confidence in the pasing game. My gut says his gut is telling him to go with Fields until that horse bucks, but I've been wrong before.

I have heard from a few different sources that the thin air caught up with the Steelers in the 2nd half. I think if that game goes another 10 or so minutes Denver probably pulls it out and wins. The advantage we had in the first half was a good number of 3 and outs on D allowing them to stay fresh along with a bit of time consumption on O.

How do they say? "Complimentary Football"

[Ice]

Also makes some sense. Hard to accurately simulate those conditions.