Mike Tomlin’s praise for the Steelers’ opposing QBs could shed light on the Russell Wilson-Justin Fields decision

As the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback debate nears a (at least temporary) resolution, head coach Mike Tomlin has signaled his preference.

The Russell Wilson vs. Justin Fields debate is not a debate between players with identical skills and different levels of performance. Rather, with both quarterbacks healthy for the first time this regular season, the Steelers are deciding whether to move forward with a 13-year veteran whose arm talent has led to nine Pro Bowl berths or a younger, better-rounded roster with one less developed arm, but more menace in his legs.

The decision between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields would not elicit a unanimous response from league decision-makers.

Coaches and executives prefer different quarterback styles. Some always have one philosophy over the others, while others decide what suits the squad around them best. Some coaches and executives would heavily consider the dynamics of a 4-2 Pittsburgh team; others would rely more heavily on their competitors’ track records.

When Tomlin announced this week that Wilson had proven his health and was “considering” starting Sunday night against the New York Jets, the 18-year head coach suggested that the Steelers’ track record didn’t guarantee Fields the job that Tomlin previously had Wilson had assigned.

“Justin was really good, and we were really good at times — but not to be confused with great,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “It’s a competitive league, man. We’re trying to position ourselves as that team and we have a player with talent who hasn’t had the opportunity to play yet.”

Wilson doesn’t have just any talent. He has arm talent that Fields hasn’t shown, and arm talent that Tomlin’s recent comments suggest he desperately wants.

“So we may explore these things,” Tomlin said.

The clues were there.

When Tomlin noted that his opponent had “a much more skilled passer,” perhaps he meant more

Tomlin’s reputation for winning a few more times in recent years than his squad seemingly expected is not just due to the coach’s proven ability to motivate his players.

Tomlin also works to maximize the strategic advantages for each game plan. The Steelers’ 12 top-10 scoring offenses in his 18 years reflect his success.

Tomlin is keenly aware of how the quarterbacks his team beat in its four wins compare to those it lost to in two games.

The Steelers defeated the Atlanta Falcons in Kirk Cousins’ first game with a new franchise and his first surgery since Achilles tendon surgery at age 36, then the Denver Broncos in rookie Bo Nix’s second professional game.

They defeated Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who suffered a plantar fascia injury in training camp and was surrounded by a depleted lineup, and they defeated the Las Vegas Raiders in the team’s first week of quarterbacking this season Gardner Minshew II moved to Aidan O’Connell.

The losses: to an Indianapolis Colts team primarily quarterbacked by Joe Flacco and a Dallas Cowboys team whose quarterback is Dak Prescott.

Tomlin went out of his way to praise everyone.

“[Joe] Flacco is a much more skilled passer than [Anthony] “So Richardson, blitzing doesn’t really help you,” he said after a 27-24 loss to the Colts. “A veteran. Make quick and prudent decisions.”

The next week, two days after Prescott scored the game-winning touchdown on fourth-and-4 with 20 seconds to play, Tomlin praised the “quality of playmaking, throws and catches” and pointed to Prescott’s “great vision and really good throwing.” . on the third and fifth.

“It just speaks to the talents of Dak Prescott,” Tomlin said. “I definitely want to be thoughtful and take my part in the circumstances. But I sometimes do the game a disservice when you don’t recognize the quality of skill and talent of those you’re competing against.”

When the Jets arrive this weekend with four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, Tomlin expressed similar concerns.

“To be completely honest, we’re playing against an Aaron Rodgers-led group on offense, and that means certain things,” Tomlin said. “When you have a quarterback that has the resume that he has and has the type of success that he’s had, that’s a challenge regardless of who’s eligible.

“You better field enough defense, you better have enough types of defense, you better put pressure on him, you play man better, you play zone better, you put pressure on him better. It’s best to tie everything together with a good pre-snap look. You’d better get him to read things out after the snap.

“That’s what you do when you play a man of his caliber.”

Tomlin respects the challenge of planning for and playing against a quarterback with dangerous arm talent. And now, it seems, he wants to set up his own field.

Which data will be revealed to Tomlin and which will not

Fields started six games for Pittsburgh this season and completed 66.3% of pass attempts for five touchdowns, one interception and 184.3 passing yards per game. Fields passed for 231 yards and five touchdowns, along with 17 first downs Tomlin acknowledged it’s an “X-factor” that Wilson doesn’t offer.

But over the last two weeks, Fields has completed 55.6 and 58.3% of passes, respectively. He was thrown for less than 150 yards each time.

“If I’m honest, I don’t think I played well enough,” Fields told reporters on Thursday. “If I’m honest with myself and I played well enough, I don’t think there would be anything like that [question] Who should play, who shouldn’t.”

According to Pro Football Reference, Wilson has averaged 232.2 yards per game in a career 17-game season, including 219.8 during his two years in Denver. He averages 30 touchdowns to 10 interceptions per 17-game season, compared to Fields’ ratio of 17:11.

From 2016 to 2021, Wilson led the league with 65 deep touchdowns and also threw for the most touchdowns (40) and second-most yards (2,910) on tight-window passes, according to Next Gen Stats. His performance declined during the turbulent years in Denver, but was still competitive. His 12 deep touchdowns ranked ninth across the two seasons, while his 595 tight-window yards and seven touchdowns ranked 11th with the Broncos.

Tomlin could factor any of these data sets into a decision, for which, as he said, “the variables are endless.”

But the head coach also doesn’t seem to stick to data, especially the data his team has produced this year.

“Statistics are often for losers,” he said. “It’s comfort food when you’re trying to get an L. I’m just trying to focus my energy on positioning this group to win and doing what’s appropriate to try to put together the best team this week and win this game.”

Tomlin’s words and actions clearly seem to point to a quarterback, and they appear to be a major reason, if not the only reason, for this decision.

Tomlin respects quarterbacks who can beat his almost always top-10 defense with their arm.

He knows his team will face Rodgers, Jayden Daniels, Lamar Jackson (twice), Joe Burrow (twice), Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes before the end of the regular season.

Since Tomlin has to defend himself against the firepower of a Gunslinger, he also wants the firepower of a Gunslinger for his attack.

Wilson’s resume is too appealing to the coach to not warrant at least a tryout.

So Tomlin appears ready to assess all the arm talent in his building well before the playoffs, if he hopes to need it.

“Sometimes it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with what Justin did or didn’t do…” Tomlin said. “You’d better divide the work in the most appropriate way based on who’s available and healthy for you, and that’s just what we’re going to do.”

“It’s best to always keep your foot on the accelerator.”