Rex Ryan: Justin Fields 'absolutely' should start over Russell Wilson moving forward
Rex Ryan believes the Pittsburgh Steelers must stick with Justin Fields moving forward after Week 1, even if Russell Wilson is ready to get back onto the field in Week 2.
In one of Week 1’s more unexpected results, Fields led the Steelers to a victory over the Atlanta Falcons on the road, in a game where the latter expected to establish themselves as a force in the NFC. That certainly didn’t happen during Kirk Cousins’ debut with the franchise.
While Fields didn’t throw a touchdown — the Steelers actually scored all their points via Chris Boswell’s leg, he managed the game well, and made some timely throws to get Pittsburgh into solid positions. His performance, coupled with Fields’ potential, has Ryan singing the former Ohio State quarterback’s praises, believing in his ability moving forward.
“He should be. Absolutely, right now,” Ryan said, regarding whether Fields should start in Week 2 and beyond, via Get Up. “Look, nothing against Russell Wilson, because he’s not healthy right now. So, the decision is simple. You know me, I’ve always called this guy the future, because I love the ability of this guy right here. But the future is a whole string of nows, and right now, he gets to play again, he gets to play again, and I thought, in the offseason, it’s the best trade, by far, during the season, for nothing. A sixth round pick, which was absolutely crazy.
“Look, I get it, initially, when he came into the league, he’s a better athlete than he is a quarterback, so what? So was Steve Young, you know what I mean? So was Randall Cunningham. Guess what? They can get better. Those guys have a tendency to get better. If all of a sudden, this guy hits, you’re looking at a superstar.”
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While the former coach turned ESPN analyst is concerned with Fields’ spot on the Steelers depth chart, the quarterback himself isn’t — after the win, he told reporters he’s not even thinking about who will start next week, and he’s only worried about getting wins for Pittsburgh, regardless of who the quarterback is.
“I’m not even worried about that,” Fields said, via NBC. “I just came in wanting to win and I’m glad that we’re leaving here with a win. In terms of who’s starting, who’s not — all I want to do is win at the end of the day.”
When the final whistle blew, Fields’ stat line read 17/23 for 156 yards, while he added 57 rushing yards on 14 carries. He’ll need to get the ball into the end-zone moving forward, but it was a solid performance from the quarterback nonetheless.
It remains to be seen if Mike Tomlin sticks with Justin Fields, or if Russell Wilson returns to the starting lineup, depending on his health. The veteran quarterback will definitely prefer to start in Week 2 though, as he’ll be looking for some revenge against the Denver Broncos inside Empower Field at Mile High.