Has Fields done enough to be #1

[Buck Iron]

I would like to see what Russ can do if he's healthy. I don't think Justin has done enough to eliminate him from the conversation.

it's not a bad position to be in. if fields gets hurt or goes into a slump, we have a great backup plan. not worried about fields psyche if he gets benched. that's up to the individual to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and keep going no matter what. i don't think catering to a grown man as they're a child really accomplishes anything. fields isn't a rookie and it appears, so far, that being thrown into a meat grinder at chicago has hurt him. if anything he may have the character to be better because of the experience.

 

[Superman]

The Jaylen Warren that has a higher ypc than Harris this year despite playing injured.
LOL

yes, always cherry pick your stats. for example, we should have let Benjamin run the ball exclusively since his 5.5 career YPC is 1.6 higher than Jerome Bettis'.

moron

 

[SteelBuckeye]

Today, I am seeing articles lamenting our WR2 situation again...

I am going to reiterate, The lack of wrs not named Pickens to produce is almost certainly directly tied to Fields and not the wrs themselves

Indy was banged up in the secondary and was short on depth. Fields targeted Pickend despite him drawing their best cover guys...

Last week, against a better secondary, wrs got open just fine...

Remember, Fields wasnt properly taught an NFL offense in Chicago... it led to him being a more one or two read then run type down there... in three seasons his wr 2 never was higher than 4th in targets... unless the wr2 or 3 is the main target on a play, on a ton of plays, he checks the wr1, the TE, and RB... then runs...

Its something he had to work on when getting here.. and last week vs the chargers, it seemed he had a breakthrough...

So again... the worse thing for Fields is reinforcing bad habits in the passing game..

We dont need him to be a true pocket passer, but we do need him to spread the ball around more... teams arent respecting the pass and its killing the run game early

Yeah, about that. George Pickens ranks 9th in the league in separation score among WRs who have run at least 75 routes this season (there are 106 such WRs). The current #2 WR, Van Jefferson, ranks 96th. As this chart I got from DK's site shows, Fields has been one of the more accurate passers in the NFL. But, his WRs have NOT been gaining much separation (other than GP).

 

[stillwright]

gotcha, that makes more sense

I still hope like hell that ain’t the anything that does happen…I definitely want better than Russ coming back moving forward.

Sadly I see Allen mentoring Fields more on the sidelines than Russ does. He just is in his own world with that smug look on his face…

He looks like butt hurt Canada after a scoring drive as Justin is out there stealing his lunch.

He is only the emergency QB. ...but one would think with all of his greatness he would try to help out the youngster Fields anyway possible. Maybe he does during the week at practice. We don't know.

 

[Drink IRON City]

yes, always cherry pick your stats. for example, we should have let Benjamin run the ball exclusively since his 5.5 career YPC is 1.6 higher than Jerome Bettis'.

moron

Can you imagine how many more games we would have won………… !!!!


Salute the nation

 

[madinsomniac]

Yeah, about that. George Pickens ranks 9th in the league in separation score among WRs who have run at least 75 routes this season (there are 106 such WRs). The current #2 WR, Van Jefferson, ranks 96th. As this chart I got from DK's site shows, Fields has been one of the more accurate passers in the NFL. But, his WRs have NOT been gaining much separation (other than GP).

Again... in his three year career, Fields has never targeted a wr2 more than 4th most on the team... Chicago endlessly tried getting different wrs, and he always focuses on the wr1, then the TE, then the RB... or runs...

Moreover, Arthur smith is basically a one wr guy... getting a second great wr probably changes nothing save for having a much better plan if Pickens gets hurt.

Listen to Hoge's breakdown... Fields is getting better, but still is bad at reading the middle of the field and doing timing throws not outside...

 

[SteelBuckeye]

Again... in his three year career, Fields has never targeted a wr2 more than 4th most on the team... Chicago endlessly tried getting different wrs, and he always focuses on the wr1, then the TE, then the RB... or runs...

Moreover, Arthur smith is basically a one wr guy... getting a second great wr probably changes nothing save for having a much better plan if Pickens gets hurt.

Listen to Hoge's breakdown... Fields is getting better, but still is bad at reading the middle of the field and doing timing throws not outside...

Sooo, what you're saying is "Forget what Fields is doing now. I want to Just focus on the past."
As far as this year, again, Steelers WRS not named George Pickens are not creating separation. Soooo, Fields would be foolish to rely on them. Unless of course, you'd like to see him force balls to them and create more turnovers.

 

[madinsomniac]

Sooo, what you're saying is "Forget what Fields is doing now. I want to Just focus on the past."
As far as this year, again, Steelers WRS not named George Pickens are not creating separation. Soooo, Fields would be foolish to rely on them. Unless of course, you'd like to see him force balls to them and create more turnovers.

Our separation numbers look no different than last year or the year before that. Its been a long term ***** here for a while now..,

Yet the wrs last year were 3 of tge top 4 pass catchers...

Yeah Fields has improved and yes, he well could be the future here... but he had a ton of issues in chicago and some are lingering here... they had to utterly rebuild his mechanics to go back to his OSU passing style, he had to learn a new system and learn to run less... he is better on the outside passing game...

But he still has huge holes in his game... and improvements dont happen all at once...


Fields still has to learn the middle of tge field timing throw game. Several analysts have talked about it... for now they are rarely using it...
you dont have to get defensive over people pointing out his flaws... he is 25... every 25 year old qb has them... some systems just cover them better than others...

He had like 7 supposed fatal flaws when we got him.., he already has seemed to fix like 4 of them... thats real progress

Fields still doesnt target the second Wr in a route... he will learn to in time as he gets more comfortable in an offense... but he hasnt to date...
He doesnt play well late in the 4th quarter... again, he may improve that in time... he puts too much pressure on himself and hiss passer rating craters to like 43 when trailing with 2 minutes left... its 45 when trailing with 4 minutes left and there are a lot of boneheaded things he has done to kill drives in those situations...
Its enough of a thing that Coached dont trust him to pass late in games even with the lead or when tied...
in 3.25 years now, he has a grand total of 7 pass attempts when leading or tied in the final 4 minutes of the 4th quarter of games... he is 4/7 for no tds, 2 first downs, and 1 int

in the final 2 minutes of such games, he has only thrown 1 pass for 7 yards, short of the first down..
he absolutely needs to prove to coaches he should have the ball in his hands late in games..

Tge only other thing he really needs to fix is the brainfart fumbles... he has a ton of them and they are still plaguing him..

Every qb with have strip sack type fumbles... but he has a lot of flubbed snaps, bad exchanges, just dropping the ball while running type fumbles... they are focus fumbles... its 100% correctable

 

[Fiji Mariner]

He is only the emergency QB. ...but one would think with all of his greatness he would try to help out the youngster Fields anyway possible. Maybe he does during the week at practice. We don't know.

Hopefully he’ll be able to contribute more soon, in a backup role and as a mentor at a minimum

At least he’s cheap as hell even by QB3 standards

 

[SteelBuckeye]

Our separation numbers look no different than last year or the year before that. Its been a long term ***** here for a while now..,

Yet the wrs last year were 3 of tge top 4 pass catchers...

Yeah Fields has improved and yes, he well could be the future here... but he had a ton of issues in chicago and some are lingering here... they had to utterly rebuild his mechanics to go back to his OSU passing style, he had to learn a new system and learn to run less... he is better on the outside passing game...

But he still has huge holes in his game... and improvements dont happen all at once...


Fields still has to learn the middle of tge field timing throw game. Several analysts have talked about it... for now they are rarely using it...
you dont have to get defensive over people pointing out his flaws... he is 25... every 25 year old qb has them... some systems just cover them better than others...

He had like 7 supposed fatal flaws when we got him.., he already has seemed to fix like 4 of them... thats real progress

Fields still doesnt target the second Wr in a route... he will learn to in time as he gets more comfortable in an offense... but he hasnt to date...
He doesnt play well late in the 4th quarter... again, he may improve that in time... he puts too much pressure on himself and hiss passer rating craters to like 43 when trailing with 2 minutes left... its 45 when trailing with 4 minutes left and there are a lot of boneheaded things he has done to kill drives in those situations...
Its enough of a thing that Coached dont trust him to pass late in games even with the lead or when tied...
in 3.25 years now, he has a grand total of 7 pass attempts when leading or tied in the final 4 minutes of the 4th quarter of games... he is 4/7 for no tds, 2 first downs, and 1 int

in the final 2 minutes of such games, he has only thrown 1 pass for 7 yards, short of the first down..
he absolutely needs to prove to coaches he should have the ball in his hands late in games..

Tge only other thing he really needs to fix is the brainfart fumbles... he has a ton of them and they are still plaguing him..

Every qb with have strip sack type fumbles... but he has a lot of flubbed snaps, bad exchanges, just dropping the ball while running type fumbles... they are focus fumbles... its 100% correctable

Trust me, I'm not defensive about people pointing out his flaws. This is not a Kenny Pickett situation.
And, yes, I realize that he has room to improve. I never stated he was on the Mahommes, Allen level.
That said, I did and do feel that it's disingenuous to blame the kid for not trying to pass to WRs who are providing, as the chart shows, the worst separation in the league (i.e. all those not named George Pickens). Also, I'd need to see a chart or some type of other graphic/info supporting your claim that last year's WR group was as bad as this year's when it comes to gaining separation. I mean, they were bad, but, not this bad. Remember, last year they had DJ, who could separate; well long enough to make a catch before he ran backwards and gave up the separation he created. They also had GP, who is, admittedly, better at gaining separation this year than last.
This year, we have a #4 WR as playing as our #2 along with Austin, who is probably best as a 3 or 4 and Scotty Miller, a 4-5. Our WR talent is lacking in ability and separation, and it shows.

Also, you keep talking about what the kid was doing ... not what he is doing this year. I'd suggest you take a look at his passer rating in the 4th Qtr of the Colts game. I'd imagine it is above a 43 or 45. You don't get a 104 rating overall with that type of 4th Qtr.
Basically, I think we're approaching it in two different ways. You want the kid to always be what he has been and are only reluctantly giving him "some" credit for growth this year. While still holding what happened in Chicago against him. I look at it as whatever happened in Chicago, was what happened in Chicago. I'm looking at what I'm seeing in Pittsburgh. That includes growth in most areas that were universally agreed were needed. And also a couple of concerning bone-headed plays like the fumble and interception - two turnovers that were entirely on him (and yet, he's turning the ball over way less here than he was there).
I give credit to Smith and the QB coach for changing what needed to be changed with his mechanics AND psyche. I give credit to the kid for being coachable. And, I hope it continues.

 

[Fiji Mariner]

If Fields were throwing to the blanketed receivers interceptions would be up and then the pitchforks would be out cuz the guy is throwing to covered receivers and he’d be crucified for his poor ball security and decision making when passing

Indeed it is definitely Fields fault the patchwork OL is frequently a sieve, his starting RB puts him in 2nd and long frequently cuz he thinks he has speed to get the edge (and won’t take what is given) and his WRs 2-4 can’t get open…damn that Fields

He really sucks

He should easily have 1600 yards and 16 tuddies at this point in the wide open Tomlin offensive scheme with all these potent weapons surrounding him and that all pro OL …what a slacker

 

[Gildong Sack]

I can't believe that nobody in four pages has fact-checked this post with simple math. Fields averaged threw for 156 yards against Atlanta and 117 versus Denver. That's an average of 136.5 yards passing per game. So he was on pace for 2321 yards over a full season. Not "something like 1800."

Currently Fields is averaging 207.5 yards per game, which would put him at 3528 for a full season, which would fall squarely into your 3000+ category there. He has 3 passing touchdowns and 3 rushing touchdowns, which would yield exactly the 26 TDs you exalted above.

So...it's "insane" to take him out? OK.

I was going by memory...read a lot of numbers. I said it's insane not to see what we have in Russ.

 

[Stainless]

Let Russ drive the bus.

 

[SteelerFan448]

Again... in his three year career, Fields has never targeted a wr2 more than 4th most on the team... Chicago endlessly tried getting different wrs, and he always focuses on the wr1, then the TE, then the RB... or runs...

Moreover, Arthur smith is basically a one wr guy... getting a second great wr probably changes nothing save for having a much better plan if Pickens gets hurt.

I really don't see Fields ignoring a WR2 or Smith being a one WR guy actually being a thing. Chicago's receivers were either awful or one of their top targeted players. The same with Arthur Smith. When he had two options in Tennessee, they had balanced production. The lack of production from a WR2 is probably more due to the lack of talent than Fields not wanting to throw their way or Smith not wanting to target one. It's not surprising that a bunch of WR4/5 types aren't able to produce against CB2s.

2021 - Top WRs were Darnell Mooney and Allen Robinson. Mooney is a way below average WR1. After two great years, Robinson fell off a cliff in 2021 and has never recovered.

2022 - Darnell Mooney, Equanimeous St. Brown, Dante Pettis, Chase Claypool. That is a pathetic group of receivers.

2023 - DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney. Fields only played in 13 games, but Moore (136), Kmet (90), and Mooney (61) were the top three targets.

2019 - Titans rolled with AJ Brown leading the way with 52 receptions and Corey Davis 43 receptions. Adam Humphries was 4th on the team in receptions.

2020 - Again, Brown (70) and Davis (65) were the top two on the team in receptions.

2021 - The Falcons trotted out Russell Gage and Olamide Zaccheaus at receiver. Calvin Ridley only played 5 games but was on pace for 105 receptions. Gage had 66 receptions behind Kyle Pitts with 68.

2022 - London and Zaccheaus were the top two leaders in receptions. This was with Mariota and Ridder, who were not good.

2023 - London led the team in receptions and Mack Hollins was 5th with two TEs and Bijan Robinson ranked ahead of him.

 

[topseed]

I was going by memory...read a lot of numbers. I said it's insane not to see what we have in Russ.

Clearly your memory failed you.

Seeing what they have in Russ IS THE SAME THING as taking Fields out.

 

[topseed]

He doesnt play well late in the 4th quarter... again, he may improve that in time... he puts too much pressure on himself and hiss passer rating craters to like 43 when trailing with 2 minutes left... its 45 when trailing with 4 minutes left and there are a lot of boneheaded things he has done to kill drives in those situations...
Its enough of a thing that Coached dont trust him to pass late in games even with the lead or when tied...

Funny you should mention the 4th quarter. Fields was 3-4-72 and a TD against the Chargers in the fourth quarter, a passer rating of 156.3. He was 7-13-118 and a TD against the Colts (110.4), plus a rushing touchdown.

Tomlin trusted Fields to pass 3 times in 5 plays in a drive that started with under 10 minutes left against LA, up 13-10, and he delivered with a 55-yard touchdown pass.

in 3.25 years now, he has a grand total of 7 pass attempts when leading or tied in the final 4 minutes of the 4th quarter of games... he is 4/7 for no tds, 2 first downs, and 1 int

So you're going to judge the guy on a career sample of 7 attempts? lol

in the final 2 minutes of such games, he has only thrown 1 pass for 7 yards, short of the first down..
he absolutely needs to prove to coaches he should have the ball in his hands late in games.

And now it's a one attempt sample? C'mon, man. You're better than this.

 

[Black & Gold Bleeder]

If Fields were throwing to the blanketed receivers interceptions would be up and then the pitchforks would be out cuz the guy is throwing to covered receivers and he’d be crucified for his poor ball security and decision making when passing

Indeed it is definitely Fields fault the patchwork OL is frequently a sieve, his starting RB puts him in 2nd and long frequently cuz he thinks he has speed to get the edge (and won’t take what is given) and his WRs 2-4 can’t get open…damn that Fields

He really sucks

He should easily have 1600 yards and 16 tuddies at this point in the wide open Tomlin offensive scheme with all these potent weapons surrounding him and that all pro OL …what a slacker

can we all agree not to say "Tuddies" ?

 

[Steelersfan84]

Yes when you consider the alternative.

 

[Shane Falco]

To this point yes. I would like to see Tomlin allow Smith to let Fields sic’em early instead of woah. As much as I would love to see Russ start, you don’t f@ck with the momentum Fields has been building with the starting offense. Barring injury or he starts to soil the bed, Russ should be moved to backup.

 

[Fiji Mariner]

can we all agree not to say "Tuddies" ?

No, when speaking sarcastically or mocking I will definitely use that as part of the vernacular

Its part of the sarcasm package

 

[Gildong Sack]

Clearly your memory failed you.

Seeing what they have in Russ IS THE SAME THING as taking Fields out.

Whatever you want to call it. I want to see what a 9x Pro Bowler SB champion can do for us vs. a guy who needs to sit a while longer.

 

[madinsomniac]

Winning this game would go a long way to Fields holding on to the job... its way easier to make a move coming off a two game losing streak rather than a primetime victory on national TV...

If Fields doesnt give Tomlin an excuse to make a change.. he wont...

 

[stillwright]

Winning this game would go a long way to Fields holding on to the job... its way easier to make a move coming off a two game losing streak rather than a primetime victory on national TV...

If Fields doesnt give Tomlin an excuse to make a change.. he wont...

What if he has a game like last week and our D ***** the bed again?

 

[madinsomniac]

What if he has a game like last week and our D ***** the bed again?

Im just saying... if he wins, he leaves no window open... if he doesnt... then there is a chance he gets lifted... he has to go full Mason Rudolph or risk the latter

 

[stillwright]

Im just saying... if he wins, he leaves no window open... if he doesnt... then there is a chance he gets lifted... he has to go full Mason Rudolph or risk the latter

I disagree.....if he plays well and we lose.....or he plays like crap and we win.....no wiggle room? My thoughts....if he plays like he has since the start of the season....win or lose he should continue to start. Actually....even if he has a down game I would keep starting him.