Steelers OC Arthur Smith Praises Justin Fields for Being a True Pro

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields stated on Thursday that “he hasn’t played good enough” in his six starts to secure the starting position. Fields’ comments were eye-opening and a big contrast to what a lot of NFL players would say. The humility is certainly admirable.

Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith thinks Fields is being too hard on himself, but commended him for the genuine self-assessment.

“That’s why you love working with Justin. That’s real. That’s not just some cliche some QB guru told him to say,” Smith said

Russell Wilson took the first-team reps in practice on Wednesday. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said after practice that he will likely not make an announcement until later in the week. But Fields seemed to see the writing on the wall, when talking about his starting opportunity in the past tense.

“It was a great opportunity for me,” Fields said. “Of course, I’m grateful for the opportunity I did get the first six weeks and we’ll see what happens this week.”

Smith made it clear that the decision about who will be the team’s starting quarterback will be made by Tomlin.

“We gotta ramp [Wilson’s] reps up and so [Tomlin’s] got a decision to make by the end of the week,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, Russ has missed a lot of time, so we’ve never really gotten to see him. I think Justin’s done a good job. By no means has anybody been perfect around here, but it’s about winning. Obviously, we wish we were 6-0. We’re not. You are what your record says you are. So we’re 4-2, and I think we’ve made progress in certain areas some weeks. Other weeks, depending on the plan and how they attacked us, there’s always things we gotta fix.”

Even though no one in the Steelers organization is outright saying it, all signs point to Wilson being the starter on Sunday night.

“No decision is every easy, I think [Justin’s] confidence should be high,” Smith said. “I think Justin’s done a good job. By no means is anybody perfect around here but it’s about winning.”

Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.