Jay Glazer revealed on the FOX pregame show that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin went lone ranger in deciding to start quarterback Russell Wilson in Sunday night’s game against the New York Jets.
Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw, who’s also a member of the FOX pregame show, strongly disagreed with the move to bench Justin Fields for Wilson.
“I talked to Mike Tomlin about it last night, TB. He said, look, I went Lone Ranger on it,” Glazer said. “TB, you’re not the only one against this. A lot of people inside that organization were, as well. He said look, ‘If it doesn’t work out, I’ll take the heat. I’ll shoulder the blame. No problem.’ He said the reason why I did this, I knew I had two quarterbacks going into camp that are very capable but I wanted to see both of them before I made a long-term decision. Well, I haven’t seen the other one. I want to see at least what I have from him. Exhaust all options and then make a decision down the stretch. He said, ‘I’m not trying to win games, I’m trying to win a world title here. I gotta see what I got in both.'”
"I went lone ranger" 😳@JayGlazer spoke with Mike Tomlin last night regarding his decision to start Russell Wilson. pic.twitter.com/bbzzequcg1
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 20, 2024
In addition to Bradshaw, former Steelers players Ben Roethlisberger and Ryan Clark also wanted Fields to remain the starter. Many in the national media also question the decision.
“I hate it. You’re going to blame it on this kid? You got a chance to have a franchise quarterback here,” former NFL head coach Rex Ryan said on NFL Sunday Countdown this morning.
Wilson will start at quarterback for Sunday night’s game against the New York Jets, but Justin Fields is also expected to play, according to a report by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It will be Wilson’s season debut after dealing with a lingering calf injury that he suffered in the week leading up to the season opener.
Fields started the Steelers’ first six games of the 2024 season, leading the team to a 4-2 record. He didn’t light it up as a passer, but he was not terrible, completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns, one interception, and a quarterback rating of 93.9. Heading into Week 7, Fields’ five rushing touchdowns led all quarterbacks.
The Steelers starting Wilson has been a not-very-well-kept secret all week, even though Tomlin repeatedly declined to make the designation official. NFL Network first reported on Tuesday that Wilson was expected to start, teammates revealed that Wilson was taking first team reps, and both Fields and Wilson seemed to hint at that decision during their media sessions on Thursday. Wide receiver George Pickens said on Friday that Wilson will be making his “first start” this week.