Justin Fields Admits Steelers Coaching Staff is Superior to Bears

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Justin Fields
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Justin Fields at practice on Wednesday, Sept 19, 2024. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

In Pittsburgh, Justin Fields finally feels comfortable. That certainly wasn’t the case in Chicago, where he was put in a tumultuous situation. Fields had two head coaches and three different offensive coordinators during his three years with the Bears. That’s an incredibly difficult circumstance for a young quarterback.

Fields has led the Steelers to a 3-0 start. It’s the first time in his career that he’s won three consecutive games, and he’s been exceptional with an over 90 quarterback rating in each outing. It appears that all Fields needed was a stable organization and a competent coaching staff.

When asked by teammate Cam Heyward whether the coaching staff in Pittsburgh or Chicago is better, Fields didn’t hesitate.

“Pittsburgh. It’s not close,” he said on Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast.

New Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has been a massive upgrade. His no panic approach has been beneficial to not only Fields but the entire offense.

“Calvin Austin told me that the offense is better this year for one reason. There’s no panic. And he attributes that to new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who has settled everything down, and we’ve seen the results,” Mike Florio said on Football Night in America.

Fields has also stepped up as a leader with quarterback and team captain Russell Wilson sidelined due to a calf injury.

“What he’s been doing since he got here. Always being cool and collected, communicating all the time on the sideline, getting guys on the same page and just doing exactly what we need him to do to lead us,” Austin said of Fields.

Steelers left tackle Dan Moore Jr. also praised Fields’ leadership.

“I think he’s been doing a really good job leading this offense. He’s staying poised in the ‘weighty’ moments, keeping us engaged, keeping us together and just bringing energy,” Moore said. “He’s been bringing confidence in the huddle that we have all been feeding off of. He’s really been bringing this offense forward.”

Fields has done all the right things through three games. He has been an absolute pro on and off the field. It’s still early, but it looks like the Steelers got a positive investment by sending only a conditional sixth-round pick to Chicago for Fields. Fields would need to play over 51% of snaps for the pick to become a fourth-round selection.

Even if it ends up being a fourth-round pick, the Steelers could have their quarterback of the future. That’s a steal. Ben Roethlisberger thinks Fields could be the guy.

““I thought today was like, okay, if this is the guy [Fields] that we’re going to get – this might be the guy of the future. It might be the guy of the future, I’m just being honest,” Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast. “He’s showing, he did it with his legs, he did it with his arm, he took chances today. He protected the ball. What I saw today was a guy that I thought showed a lot, and showed growth and showed poise against a defense that I think was top five in every category.”

Alan Saunders contributed reporting for this story.

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