Some Steelers Fans Have a Weird Hero's Complex

Steelers Fans at Acrisure Stadium

Some Steelers fans have a weird hero’s complex developing with their starting Quarterbacks.

Last year, there was a large group of fans who were denying all of Kenny Pickett’s shortcomings.  They were certain their QB was the savior of the franchise, despite plenty of tape to prove them otherwise.  

Now this year, with Mike Tomlin opting to go with Russell  Wilson over Justin Fields, we have a subset of fans who are clinging to Fields as though he is the second coming of Ben Roethlisberger.

Unfortunately for those fans, Justin Fields is not the next Ben Roethlisberger, at least not yet.  Russell Wilson gives the Steelers the best chance of winning a playoff game this year, and those fans couldn’t be unhappier.

Their reaction has me wondering, what is going on with the modern fan?  Why is everything so tribalistic?  Why does it have to be “your guy” instead of what's best for “your team”?

Maybe it's a commentary on our overly tribalistic politics nowadays, but politics have been polarizing for decades, so why are fans all of a sudden fawning over specific players with some form of idolatry?

It's weird, and annoying.

At the risk of sounding old, trust me young fans, it is better to follow the team than it is to follow the players.

Players come and go, but the team, unless you live in Oakland, will outlast them all.

If you find yourself rooting for the Steelers to lose because Justin Fields is on the bench, you are no better than someone who claims to be a Cowboys, Yankees, and Bulls fan from the 90s.

We saw it on Sunday in Las Vegas against the Raiders, and we have seen it on multiple occasions before.  Justin Fields was playing well, but not great.  He wasn’t turning the ball over, but he was missing wide open receivers on a regular basis.

In the NFL you need a quarterback who can process what he sees on the field quickly, and do so with anticipation.

The QB needs to be able to go through his progressions quickly and confidently.  That is something we’re not seeing out of Justin Fields.  What we’re seeing is a QB identifying his ideal target pre snap, and then if it's not there, using his legs to either open something up or move the ball.

He’s not reading the defense, throwing with anticipation, and knowing who will be open.  You can rant all you want, but he’s just not doing that.  Plain and simple, he’s not.

Fields is also not throwing touchdown passes.  Something no Steelers quarterback has done since number 7 retired.

Russell Wilson threw 26 touchdown passes last year in 15 games.  Just imagine what the Steelers could have looked like last year with 26 touchdown passes.

For those that are afraid that he will be immobile behind a shaky offensive line, Wilson ran for 341 yards last year.  I think, as long as his calf is healthy, he will be able to move just fine.

My other takeaways from the Raiders game:

• To Mike Tomlin’s credit he stated very plainly that the Steelers and Justin Fields have been “Really good at times, but not to be confused with great."

  
  

  That statement really sums up the QB play to this point in the season.  Good, not great.  Which is what they have been all too much of in recent memory.

  
  

  I’ve been critical of Tomlin in the past, and very much anticipated that he was going to stick with Justin Fields due to the Steelers 4-2 record, but Tomlin was reading the room right.  Wilson gives the Steelers the best chance to be great.

  
  

• Anyone confusing the final score against the Raiders with some form of Steelers domination is either delusional, dumb, or both.

  
  

  Not one aspect of the game suggested the Steelers gave a complete performance.

  
  

  Sure, after the first drive, the defense clamped down.  But they should have, that Raiders offense was horrible.

  
  

  Sure, they scored 32 points.  But it could have and should have been more.  With the amount of short fields the defense and special teams provided the offense, they should have put up 40 plus points.

  
  

• George Pickens being force fed production in the waning moments of a lopsided victory means that his “load management” was certainly a punishment and nothing more.

  
  

  He still needs to show more, but in his defense, he hasn’t had a quarterback who can deliver an accurate ball in a timely or consistent manner.

  
  

  I’d still prefer to see my wide receivers not need to be catered too.  It's still early in George Pickens’ career, so he can turn it around, but he is on the fast track to becoming the next Martavis Bryant, not the next AB.

  
  

• The Steelers need another receiver, or maybe they just need to throw to them.

  
  

  I am not suggesting that they avoid the WR market at all, but after watching the all 22 camera, it’s fairly obvious that the receivers they do have on the roster are getting open.

  
  

  At the risk of beating a dead horse, the quarterback just keeps missing them, or not seeing them entirely.

  
  

  So maybe the Steelers are not in such desperate need of a WR2 behind Pickens.  That should become more evident with number 3 under center.

  
  

• Hats off to Najee Harris.

  
  

  I have been hard on the guy in the past, as to me, he’s always left a lot to be desired.  But that was not the case on Sunday.

  
  

  I know he has had some rough offensive lines to work behind, but it just never felt like he was in danger of breaking off a run.

  
  

  Then on Sunday he did it, multiple times.  With some of the best jukes and cuts I have seen out of a Steelers RB since Le'veon Bell.

  
  

  I don’t know if Najee will ever live up to the first round billing, but more performances like he had in the desert would go a long way towards making this team a contender.