We all love Justin for the Buckeyes he is, and it stings to say he's the last QB to beat scUM. Its been half a decade now, and that just sucks.
That said, there has to be a certain reality injected here.
-27th in passing yards
- 21st in QBR
- completing an average of 18 passes per game
- half as many rushing attempts as completions
- 4th most rushing attempts of all QBs.
It became obvious in the twilight of last season that the Steelers were going to be a ground n pound offense this year. Which is exactly what they've done. A QB centric running game, controlled passing based off of that and an opportunistic defense that generates turnovers while not handing the ball back to the other side. Which is why PIT is 4th in turnover differential this season.
It's Tresselball to the nth degree, just at the pro level. And if it wasn't for the protective offense and defense that allows the Steelers to grind the games to a slow pace and keep things within a score, we might be having a completely different tune. No, Chase Daniel, it isn't that Pittsburgh "believes" in Justin, so much that he has a skill set that fits the mold of the offense they were tailoring. Which, I've forgot to mention helps alleviate their pass pro issues. SHOCKER that Broderick Jones isn't a good tackle.
Not to be a downer, only acknowledging that it's far too early to be impressed or to believe that there has been this overnight 180 to Fields' abilities and career.
What this does though is it allows Justin to continue working to improve himself mentally within an offensive structure that isn't asking him to shoulder the offense as a passer. It's minimizing his hits within the pocket and allowing him to be decisive off ball action. There is still plenty of more room for him to be a more complete QB and I hope he reaches that goal.
But, as a gambler, I will be watching for matchups against defenses that are going to force him to play more patiently and methodically from the pocket. Could be as early as the Raiders game, watching how Dallas struggled so much against Lamar. If not then, there won't be a test for almost a full month. That gives plenty of time for JF to settle in as QB1 with no thought of Wilson behind him.
