Insider suggests the Steelers' QB battle is a made-up narrative, ‘No way’ the backup unseats the starter
If you consume any sort of national media, then you've probably heard about the QB battle going on in Pittsburgh. But when talking to, listening or watching the product on the field in Pittsburgh, there is clear frontrunner at this point. So much so, that one Steelers insider doesn't believe there's much of a competition […]
If you consume any sort of national media, then you've probably heard about the QB battle going on in Pittsburgh.
But when talking to, listening or watching the product on the field in Pittsburgh, there is clear frontrunner at this point.
So much so, that one Steelers insider doesn't believe there's much of a competition at all:
Russell Wilson Pegged as Defintive Starter
"Zero. I just don't think there's enough time for that," The Athletic's Mark Kaboly recently told 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh when asked about the chances Justin Fields starts Week 1. "It's more than just being a quarterback. It's being a leader, taking those guys to dinner. It's being that type of leader that they haven't had in a number of years now. So I don't worry about Justin Fields right now. I think you worry about him next year."
Kaboly makes a great point about the intangibles and tasks that come with the position. It should be noted that both Wilson and Fields took the team to dinner but Wilson has years of experience when it comes to leading teammates and a Super Bowl pedigree.
But beyond the off-the-field tasks, Kaboly points to inconsistent play from Fields at this point of the process as to why there's no real competition.
"Watching [Justin Fields] in these two weeks, sometimes he looks like Ben Roethlisberger out there, and sometimes he looks like Mark Malone out there", Kaboly said. "To be honest with you, that's just how I view it. He needs some more work to be done. You can see the talent. He's easily the most athletic guy out there. I mean, he just makes people look like fools out there in this setting. But you've got to be consistent, and that's what the issue was in Chicago".
Consistency within the pocket is the crux of the problem with Fields. He saw linear progression within the structure of the Bears offense, and often with poor infrastructure around him.
But Fields cannot play within a formation that asks him to set his feet, process, and make sound decisions. And while mobility is more prevalent than ever in today's league, games are still won on third down when a big play is needed and the QB can deliver.
Fields will have to show he can consistently do that in game-like scenarios if he wants any shot at beating out Russell Wilson in training camp.
