PITTSBURGH — Justin Fields said he does not know who will be the starting quarterback this Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football, but it sure seems like it’s trending toward it being Russell Wilson.
Wilson took the first-team reps in practice on Wednesday. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said after practice that he will likely not make an announcement until later in the week. But Fields seemed to see the writing on the wall, when talking about his starting opportunity in the past tense.
“It was a great opportunity for me,” Fields said. “Of course, I’m grateful for the opportunity I did get the first six weeks and we’ll see what happens this week.”
Asked if he was frustrated about the potential of losing his starting job, Fields said the he didn’t feel that he has played well enough to secure that position during the six weeks that Wilson was out with a calf injury.
“I don’t think I played good enough, if I’m being real with you, if I’m being real with myself,” Fields said. “I think if I did play well enough, I don’t think there would be any sort of (questions about) who should be playing, who should not.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got a few wins. Of course, I’m glad about that, but there’s areas that I could be better at. I’m just gonna continue to work on those and continue to get better.”
Faced with the prospect of being a backup, Fields said he won’t change the way he prepares for games.
“I know that I’m preparing the same,” he said. “I just do the same thing I was doing. I just do my job at the end of the day, whether that’s playing, whether that’s helping the guys out on the sideline, telling them what I see, helping Russ out if he’s out there. Just small stuff like that. …
“I’ve been in both situations before. I’ve played the backup role and I’ve also started. As a backup, you prepare the same each and every week. The preparation doesn’t change at all.”
Fields is a low-key guy. Some have criticized him for not being enthusiastic enough at times. He’a also said that steadiness can be his superpower. He’ll lean on that as he goes through this situation.
“It’s a lifestyle,” he said. “It’s not something do week to week. You don’t really choose when you do it. It’s just the way I am and how I operate. …
“In James chapter one verse two, it says to find pure joy in trials and tribulations. Because at the end, it’s just going to make you persevere more. At the end of the day, it’s just be grateful at the same time. Have gratitude for everything I have, but not be complacent. Any little setback, I just know it’s going to make me better, not just as a person but as a player, too.”
The seasons is young and the 35-year-old Wilson has already been injured twice. It’s not unreasonable to think that the Steelers may need to turn back to Fields at some point, and his mindset seems to suggest he’ll be ready for the call if it comes again.