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After a close preseason loss, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson seemed confident in his responses to the media about the quarterback battle between him and Justin Fields soon coming to a close. When a reporter mentioned that head coach Mike Tomlin would name a starter after the upcoming week of practices, Wilson delivered a firm but fair assessment that sounded like he believes he will start Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons.
“I'm just focused on being the best teammate I can be, preparing every day, being professional, how we go about our approach. Our [quarterback] room is a talented room. The best thing that we've done is get better every day. You continue to learn, you continue to grow, you continue to have that love of the game every day. I want to help this team win. We got a mission, we got goals, big ones. You take one week at a time and hope by the end, it's been worth it.”
When Fields was asked how he felt about the upcoming decision, he was pragmatic in his response to Steelers' media.
“I think I've shown what I can do.”
The media continues to nitpick every detail of this situation. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith wasn't as charitable in his point of view.
“Russell Wilson you’re beginning to piss me off. Somebody’s got to say it, so I’m going to say it. You stunk last year, you were paid $37.8 million to go away,” Smith said. “The Denver Broncos were willing to eat nearly $38 million dollars to get rid of you, and you’re sitting there fighting for a starting job with Justin Fields. You ain’t fighting for a starting job with Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson or somebody. It’s Justin Fields you’re fighting for a job with.”
Justified or not, that quote is not even half of Smith's rant.
Russell Wilson vs. Justin Fields quarterback battle, but does it matter?
The Steelers have two bad quarterbacks. Wilson hasn't been right since Malcolm Butler picked him off all those years ago. Fields gets tons of praise for being a great teammate and a good person. Unfortunately, he's fighting for his career and his contract runs out at the end of the season.
Wilson wafted away any concerns when asked about the offense's struggles during the Steelers' training camp practices.
“Absolutely not. Because the reason being, as I told you guys, is the level of practice we’ve had against one of the best defenses every day. And how we’ve shown up there. So, I think the best thing that we can do is just slow our minds down, play really clean football, and also enjoy the process, man,” Wilson said.
Not only are Wilson and Fields may be coming up to the end of their playing careers, but Tomlin could also be next to be sent packing. The long-time coach has been one-and-done in the postseason on four straight occasions going back to 2017. The whole Steelers' franchise is at risk of a shake-up.
