The Pittsburgh Steelers hoped that Justin Fields could become their quarterback of the future.
The experiment was short-lived, and they will now look to stop him in his debut with the New York Jets.
Even though things didn’t work out between the two, Mike Tomlin was impressed by Fields’ physical tools.
The Steelers’ head coach recently talked about the challenges that come from his ability to run the ball.
“He’s stronger than most mobile quarterbacks,” Tomlin said. “That’s a component of his game that I think is unique. He’s a really talented guy physically. He’s not easy to bring down. He’s got a real solid base about him. He’s big. And so, when I think about what might be different, I think about his unique physical skill set. But in terms of schematics, I don’t know the things that they do are going to be uniquely different from others. I think there are some global things that people do in that area.”
The Jets will deploy a run-heavy offense under new head coach Aaron Glenn.
That might be the only recipe for success with Fields, who has failed to improve his decision-making, accuracy and ability to read coverage.
He’s not a polished passer, tends to float throws, and often misses open receivers, but he can run the football with the best of them, so he will be a big threat regardless.
But if someone knows how to defend such a player, it’s Tomlin.
After watching Fields in practice for a full year, he might know his flaws like the back of his hand.
The game will also feature another significant storyline, as it marks Aaron Rodgers’ first game against his former team.
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