Steelers’ Justin Fields Faces Heavy Criticism After Preseason Debut
Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel shared his candid thoughts on Justin Fields’ preseason performance with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers lost their preseason opener on Friday night to the Houston Texans, with a final score of 20-11. However, it was the play of rookie quarterback Justin Fields that garnered significant criticism, particularly from ex-QB Chase Daniel.
Fields was sacked twice and fumbled the ball twice during Pittsburgh’s opening drives in his limited appearance, leading to his replacement before the second quarter. Daniel was blunt in his assessment, finding little to praise in Fields’ debut.
“Not good. Not a good start for Justin Fields,” Daniel commented. “These two botched snaps had Mike Tomlin absolutely fuming. You could hear his frustration in the postgame press conference…it seems like maybe Fields’ hands are coming open. This is something Mike Tomlin just can’t tolerate. If you can’t execute a clean snap from the center, you simply can’t play quarterback.”
Daniel also criticized Fields’ decision-making, saying, “You can’t afford to take a sack here. Throw it away. This is field-goal range. When his first option isn’t available, he struggles to progress to his second and third reads.”
Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin offered a more balanced perspective in his postgame remarks. While acknowledging that Fields showed some positive aspects, he didn’t shy away from addressing the turnover issues.
“I thought he did some nice things,” Tomlin said. “But obviously, he was involved in the center-quarterback exchange issues, and from my point of view, that responsibility falls on both the center and the quarterback. Those mistakes overshadowed a lot of good things in those early drives.”
Two early fumbles by Justin Fields.
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Fields admitted that better communication with his center is essential to prevent similar mistakes in the future.
“We were just shooting ourselves in the foot,” Fields acknowledged. “Fumbled snap, I think in all three phases, so we can definitely improve in that area.
“And I think the snapping issues come down to us being on the same page. I’ll take responsibility for ensuring we’re in sync, knowing who’s at center, and making the necessary adjustments.”
Justin Fields was part of Pittsburgh’s offseason quarterback overhaul.
