Steelers HC Mike Tomlin creating confusion about starting quarterback position

Could Mike Tomlin really bench Russell Wilson against the Giants?

We aren’t sure if Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was being serious or not but he is really trying to confuse everyone about the starting quarterback position. Last week Tomlin benched Justin Fields in favor of Russell Wilson before the team blew out the New York Jets on Sunday night.

Now the Steelers are preparing to square off with the New York Giants on Monday Night Football and Tomlin said in his Tuesday presser that he hasn’t committed to a starting quarterback for this week.

“He’s scheduled to take first-team reps tomorrow, and we’ll see where that leads us,” Tomlin said.

Seriously? Could there even be an argument about who the starting quarterback is? This feels like Tomlin trying really hard to make the Giants prepare for Fields to be the starting quarterback even though there’s no chance it actually happens.

Last week we expected to see Fields against the Jets in some packages but it didn’t happen. It sounds like he is hoping to create the same type of doubt this week.

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Former Wisconsin quarterback excels in 2024 NFL season debut

Former Wisconsin quarterback excels in return to NFL field

Former Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson made his 2024 season debut on Sunday night, throwing for 264 yards and two touchdowns as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New York Jets 37-15.

It was Wilson’s first official game action as a Steeler. He was inserted into the lineup on Sunday after Justin Fields led the team to a 4-2 record through six weeks. The contest was Wilson’s first NFL appearance since a public fallout with the Denver Broncos led to his benching in December 2023.

Related: ESPN FPI updates Wisconsin football win chances for remaining 2024 schedule after win over Northwestern

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin’s decision to start Wilson over Fields despite the team’s early success was a significant gamble. That gamble looked foolish through the first few drives of the game as Wilson started two of eight passing for 19 yards.

More game action was all the Wisconsin legend needed to find his rhythm, however. Wilson finished the contest 16 of 29 passing for 264 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 66.3 QBR. He also added a rushing touchdown on a one-yard sneak.

Wilson’s return means the Badgers are back to having a former quarterback starting in the NFL. It also means the return of Wilson’s famous Sunday Night Football introduction:

The Steelers are back in action on Monday Night Football next week against the New York Giants. Wilson performing well during another primetime slot could see the narrative surrounding his play continue to shift in the positive direction.

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QB Russell Wilson broke an almost 70-year-old Steelers’ debut record

In his seasonal debut in Week 7, Russell Wilson broke a Steelers’ passing record that has been held for almost 70 years.

Russ cooked the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football, and no, I’m not talking about Russell Wilson’s signature ‘Dangerwich.’

After the controversial decision to bench the 4-2 Justin Fields, coming off a fantastic offensive showing in Week 6, Head Coach Mike Tomlin was definitely in the hot seat heading into Week 7. However, Tomlin’s intuition proved correct, and Wilson shocked the NFL world.

Wilson not only showed an impressive ability to finish drives with touchdowns, but he also broke a Steelers record in his debut. The previous record for most passing yards by a Steelers quarterback was held by Earl Morrall, set all the way back in 1957 with 249 yards. Wilson’s 264 passing yards officially stamped Mr. Unlimited’s name into the Steelers’ history books.

If Russ didn’t silence doubters after tearing through an elite Jets defense, nothing will. Wilson will look to keep this momentum going as his team hosts the New York Giants next week on Monday Night Football, on October 28th at 8:15 PM EST.

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Russell Wilson made sure to shout out Steelers teammate Justin Fields in a classy postgame interview

That’s being a good teammate.

When the Steelers acquired quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields this offseason, the plan — at least it seemed — was to have Wilson play the role of starter and mentor to the former Bears quarterback. Yet, injuries to Wilson paved the way for Fields to begin the season as the starter, and matters could have turned awkward when Fields was ultimately benched this week.

Wilson, though, made it clear how much respect the two quarterbacks have for one another.

Head coach Mike Tomlin named Wilson as the starter for Sunday night’s Week 7 matchup with the Jets. And despite Fields leading the Steelers to a 4-2 start, Fields’ play wasn’t good enough to hold onto the job. But 4-2 is still 4-2, and that was worth recognizing.

After the Steelers’ win on Sunday — where Wilson threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another — he made sure to shout out Fields in the postgame interview.

He said:

“I also want to give credit to Justin, man. How he got us in this position. What a great player he is.”

Wilson certainly didn’t have to do that, but that’s what being a good teammate is all about.

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Justin Fields shut out of snaps in Steelers big win

Justin Fields didn’t play any snaps in Sunday’s win over the Jets.

At one point last week, NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport indicated that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin planned to use quarterback Justin Fields in Sunday’s game against the New York Jets. This is despite Tomlin benching Fields in favor of Russell Wilson.

However, Tomlin ended up sticking with Wilson for the full game and Fields never saw the field. After the game, Tomlin was asked about whether or not he considered bringing in Fields for any of the short-yardage situation and Tomlin quickly responded that he did not.

If one game is any indication, this team now belongs to Wilson and Fields will have to just sit back and see what happens going forward. It has to be a bitter pill to swallow after leading the team to a 4-2 record to start they decided to go another direction. That’s not to say Fields won’t see the field again this season because in the NFL we know that anything can happen.

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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin jokes about switch to Russell Wilson

Mike Tomlin switched from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson this week.

It’s Monday morning and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is feeling pretty good about himself right now. Tomlin went against what was the common thought that benching Justin Fields for Russell Wilson was a huge risk with very little reward.

Fast forward to now and the Steelers blew out the New York Jets on Sunday night and after a shaky first quarter, Wilson settled in and gave the Steelers one of the best offensive performances of the season.

In his postgame press conference, Tomlin fielded a question from former NFL receiver Brandon Marshall who asked if going with Wilson will be the boldest decision he’s made. To which Tomlin quipped, “That’s why I’m well-compensated.”

We should all let Tomlin bask in this one because since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, not all of his quarterback choices have worked out so well. We all lived through the Kenny Pickett era and Mitch Trubisky so we aren’t going to give him a pass after just one game.

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Former Steelers’ RB has 3-word response to Pickens’ Week 7 performance

Former Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell quickly took to social media to remind everyone just how great George Pickens will be under Russell Wilson.

Former Steelers All-Pro RB Le’Veon Bell made headlines this week as he and former Steelers All-Pro WR Antonio Brown attended Pittsburgh’s Week 7 Sunday Night Football game against the New York Jets.

In the buildup to the game, one of the key storylines surrounding the ‘Steel City’ was the controversial quarterback switch initiated by Head Coach Mike Tomlin. While some fans were confused and frustrated by the polarizing decision, Bell stated that Steelers WR George Pickens would look better than ever under the new starting quarterback, Russell Wilson.

After Pickens produced 111 yards and one touchdown on just 5 catches, Bell took to social media to give the Wilson and Steelers doubters a piece of his mind.

His response, while simple, speaks volumes to every Steelers doubter heading into Week 7. While many in the ‘Steel City’ will likely rescind their previous predictions about the team’s future, the new Steelers quarterback, Russell Wilson, would probably respond to doubters with the same three words as Bell: ‘I told you.’

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How valuable is QB Justin Fields on the trade market?

With Russell Wilson potentially the starting QB job for weeks to come, what would teams theoretically give up in a trade for Justin Fields?

Quarterbacks are extremely hard to come by in today’s game. Some franchises, like the Browns and Panthers, spend years rebuilding in hopes of finding the future of their organization. After Russell Wilson’s dominant Week 7 victory over the New York Jets, Justin Fields may be more valuable as a trade asset than as a backup QB.

Several teams are trying to compete without a reliable signal-caller in 2024, and if their were teams interested in acquiring Fields, what would a trade look like?

The Steelers gave up a conditional sixth-rounder to acquire Fields, but he has performed well so far this season, and the team could demand a conditional second- or third-round pick in 2024.

As the team is in ‘win-now mode’, if Pittsburgh traded Fields away, it’s more likely they would do so to acquire a talented receiver, such as DeAndre Hopkins, Jerry Jeudy, Diontae Johnson, or Jakobi Meyers.

Could Pittsburgh trade away their potential future signal-caller in hopes of winning a Super Bowl this season? Only time will tell as the November 5th trade deadline draws nearer.

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Sorry Justin Fields, this is Russell Wilson’s team now

After leading the Steelers to score 37 points in Week 7, QB Russell Wilson has more than earned his starting position moving forward.

Much to the chagrin of Steelers fans, Mike Tomlin appears to have made the right call with the quarterback change in Week 7. A Russell Wilson-led Steelers team scored 31 unanswered points to close out the game, finishing with 37 points overall in the contest. 

Fans argued that it should be impossible to bench QB Justin Fields, who led the team to a 4-2 record, in favor of a returning Wilson.  Fields had helped lift the ‘Steel City’ to a win in Las Vegas last week, and his offense scored 32 points overall.  It seemed ludicrous to bench the young athletic quarterback.

However, it was clear to fans in attendance and those of us watching the nationally televised Sunday Night Football game around the world, Wilson is the best option moving forward. The veteran still boasts one of the best deep balls in the league, and his decision-making was flawless in the Steelers’ Week 7 victory. 

Wilson’s final stat line: 16-29, 264 passing yards, 3 total TDs

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Trading for a wide receiver has become much more important for the Steelers

With Russell Wilson as the starter, the Steelers now need more weapons in the passing game.

We are just over two weeks to the NFL trade deadline and there are still plenty of trade rumors swirling about the Pittsburgh Steelers potentially trading for a wide receiver.

There’s been Brandon Aiyuk, Courtland Sutton and Davante Adams already and the latest is New York Jets receiver Mike Williams. Personally we’d love to see the Steelers make a call to the Los Angeles Rams to check on the availability of Cooper Kupp.

But no matter who it is, the Steelers made it obvious this team needs another wide receiver this week. When head coach Mike Tomlin made the decision to bench Justin Fields in favor of Russell Wilson it created a completely new dynamic on offense.

Gone is the scrambling and designed runs of Fields which means when those protections break down it will be up to Wilson to make a throw. For that, he needs more than Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III out in the route. Fields’ ability to run minimized some of the issues at wide receiver but having Wilson in the starting lineup will just magnify them.

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