The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their exhibition opener on Friday night against the visiting Houston Texans, falling by a 20-11 final score. But it was the performance of first-year Steelers quarterback Justin Fields that drew particular criticism from former QB Chase Daniel.
Not only was Fields sacked twice, but he also fumbled the ball twice during each of Pittsburgh's opening drives during his brief appearance against the Texans; he would be replaced before the start of the 2nd quarter. And in the mind of Daniel, Fields' debut was anything but positive.
“Not good. Not a good start for Justin Fields,” he said. “These two botched snaps had Mike Tomlin absolutely crazy right there. You heard him in the postgame press conference…it looks like maybe his hands are coming open. This is something Mike Tomlin can’t stand. This is a huge issue. If you can’t get the snap from the center, you can’t play quarterback.”
“You can’t take a sack here. Throw it away. This is field-goal range,” Daniel said. “When No. 1 isn’t open, he struggles to get back to No. 2 and No. 3.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was blunt afterward
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin kept things a bit more positive in his postgame remarks, saying Fields did “some nice things” but also pulled no punches regarding Fields' turnover trouble
“I thought he did some nice things,” Tomlin said. “But obviously he was a component of the C-Q exchange, and from my perspective that's dual responsibility on the center and the quarterback. It negated a lot of good things going on in those first couple of drives.”
Fields admitted that he and his center need to be on the same page moving forward to avoid a repeat of his fumbles.
“We were just shooting ourselves in the foot,” Fields said. “Fumbled snap, I think all three phases, so we can definitely be better in that part.
“And I think the snapping part, we just got to be on the same page. I'll put that on me to just be on the same page and know who's in that center or know how to adjust and what I need to do.”
Justin Fields was part of Pittsburgh's offseason quarterback overhaul
Steelers general manager Omar Khan made the surprising decision to trade quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles, replacing him, along with Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky, with Justin Fields and Russell Wilson.
Fields took most of the snaps during training camp due to Wilson’s calf injury and seemed poised to make a strong case to be Pittsburgh's starter for the 2024 season. However, while Fields still has time to refine his game, Wilson may have just gained the upper hand over his new teammate.
The Steelers continue their preseason schedule with a matchup against the Buffalo Bills next Saturday night.
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