But for one hitch, one hesitation, all the discussion -- no, debates -- would be so very different right about now.
Watch the ball fly from Justin Fields' fingertips ...
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) August 18, 2024
... well over the outreached right hand of T.J. Luther.
Overthrow, right?
Nope. Go back up and press play again. Only this time, watch how Luther, a 24-year-old way-down-the-depth-chart dude out of Gardner-Webb, inexplicably stutter-stepped as he neared the goal line. And then, realizing his error, how he leaped up at the last moment to try to compensate.
That, my friends, should've been a 38-yard touchdown. Built on a bullet that spanned half the playing surface. And it should've been all the buzz from the North Shore and beyond.
I asked Fields about this, well after the Steelers' 9-3 preseason loss to the Bills on this Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium, and well after the cameras and microphones had left his stall. Not to assign blame or anything like that, but more to paint the most accurate picture. And to Fields' credit, always a straight shooter, he conveyed to me a conversation he'd had with Luther in which Luther conceded he should've simply stayed in full stride.
"Almost," as Fields would then say, as if with a sigh.
Yeah, almost. But he did create the chance.
____________________
I'm not here to tiptoe on what'll undoubtedly be the top topic: The offense wasn't anywhere near good enough, including both Fields and presumed/pole-position starter Russell Wilson, but that especially extends to the offensive line and doubly so to Broderick Jones being outright obliterated at right tackle by Buffalo's Greg Rousseau. Play after play, series after series, as soon as the ball was snapped, the quarterback was besieged, and it wasn't much different for the running backs.
So when Mike Tomlin was asked about Wilson's preseason debut -- 8 of 10, 47 yards, three sacks over the first five series -- that followed a training camp slowed by a calf injury, he'd call it "an incomplete study" because of the poor pass protection.
And when Tomlin was then asked about Fields' evening -- 11 of 17, 92 yards, one sack over the final two minutes of the first half and the entire second half -- he'd reply, "I thought he got better in some areas. I thought he did a nice job utilizing his legs, whether it was impromptu or otherwise, to keep some situations alive. But again, I just thought performance was stymied by our lack of protection and our lack of execution on possession-down play."
In general, he'd assess, "I thought we didn't do a good enough job of protecting the quarterback. We've got to do a better job in pass protection. I was really up front with the group about it in that regard. That can't be a problem for us."
Nope. Not even a microscopic one. Not with Arthur Smith's offense, once it's all-the-way unveiled, pushing the power theme through all their Xs against the other guys' Os.
I swear, though, I can't bring myself to be worried about that. There's too much pedigree, too much natural punch on that line for any problems to persist, collectively or individually. And to Jones alone, I've got to believe something was off with him, maybe an undisclosed injury, ailment, bump, bruise ... I don't know, but I strongly suspect we won't see him manhandled like that again. In fairness, when he declined to speak with reporters afterward, he did say it was because he had to see a doctor.
Now, where I am worried, and where I've been worried for months, is at the sport's most important position. And, in the broadest scope possible, in the ongoing dearth of playmakers.
Count 'em along with me, please, all the playmakers on this team's starting 11:
• George Pickens
• Jaylen Warren
• Pat Freiermuth
Go ahead, tell me who I'm missing. And don't say Najee Harris, as he'll achieve such status maybe two or three times a season.
Now, from there, count up how many there'd be if Fields was part of that offense.
See where I'm headed?
When I've watched Wilson with my own eyes, playing for this team at this age and in this offense, it's more of this than anything:
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPSmedia) August 18, 2024
My God, that's awful. Seriously, I can't come up with more cogent analysis for a third-and-14 in which a 13-year NFL veteran almost instantly checks down to a target one whole yard across the line of scrimmage. And rest assured that had to be part of Tomlin's other key criticism of the Steelers' performance that they were "not winning enough possession downs on offense, particularly early," seeing that it was Wilson's offense early.
It's not an accident. With the Broncos last season, Wilson led the NFL in passes completed behind the line of scrimmage, attempting 112 of his total of 447. What's more, he wasn't all that efficient at it, completing 82.1% of those to rank 26th in that specific category.
Sorry, between Ben Roethlisberger's I'm-getting-out-here-in-one-piece farewell season, then Kenny Pickett's nervous checkdowns and, within both, Matt Canada's prioritizing ball security above all else, I've had enough of the sideways. Just as I've had enough of opposing defenses feeling comfortable stacking nine or 10 in the box, as the Bills did even in this exhibition.
When two of the three playmakers at hand are Pickens and Freiermuth, the ball needs to go downfield. That's where their plays get made.
And, to boot, there need to be more playmakers.
Like this kid:
ABSOLUTE DOT 🎯
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 18, 2024
📲 Stream on NFL+: https://t.co/iu7bDTXJ4C pic.twitter.com/RK2UIo9pVN
Don't skip that. Press play. I'll wait.
Wow, right?
I mean, there's nothing there on that sequence. Not even after Fields somehow survives three converging Bills in the backfield. But upon sprinting to his left, he spots Dez Fitzpatrick over a mess of other players, then, with two more Bills converging all over again, he throws back against the grain to get it done.
Which is to say, there's nothing there ... until he creates the chance:
"I went back into my drop, felt the pocket collapse, and I just thought about protecting the ball," Fields would recall. "But when you get a group of guys like that together sometimes, I feel like each D-lineman thinks somebody else is tackling the quarterback, so they kinda give up. So I just tried to stand firm, stay strong, and I got out of there."
Broad smile.
"It was cool."
It was. And I'll continue insisting, as I've done since the day he escaped Chicago, that it's close to unthinkable keeping a playmaker like that stuck to the sideline for any significant stretch. That's just not how football rolls, not at this level or any other. The playmakers play.
Look, I swear I'm not trying to stir up some quarterback controversy. I don't believe for a solitary second there's any scenario this side of an injury that wouldn't have Wilson starting in Atlanta. I also don't believe he's been able to show his best with barely a couple weeks of real work on the practice fields and now these five series. He'll surely improve.
But then, I'm not the one who spoke this a week ago: "It's very much a competition. And what happens in stadium is weighted heavier than what happens in a practice setting, because it's more game-like."
That was Tomlin, of course. And earlier on this day, in an interview with Bob Labriola of the Steelers' official site, on the same subject, he'd say, "Now that Russ has full health, it's going to heat up over the next couple of weeks, and I'm excited about watching it happen."
There's only one more of these, next Saturday in Detroit.
Imagine that excitement could be a factor.
____________________
This isn't it. This isn't the offense.
I'd hope that'd be obvious on a bunch of fronts, but if not, know that an NFL coach or coordinator would sooner follow Thelma and Louise off a cliff than show any facet of their schemes in an exhibition. And take it from me or anyone else who's been out to Latrobe, Smith and the Steelers didn't touch on a fraction of a fraction of what they intend to do.
There've been no touchdowns for the first-team offense through two-thirds of the preseason, I know, and that's not ideal. But it's also not a branding any more than three perfect performances by Pickett saw him blossom into the next Joe Montana.
I still don't have to like what I've witnessed to date. I still can be more eager to see Fields than Russell. And yeah, because it's impossible not to broach this, I still can hope for an outside addition. If it isn't Brandon Aiyuk, then another bona fide playmaker. Another participant who's more than a participant.
But I also bought what Wilson seemed to be selling when he'd say upon being asked if the offense is making progress, "I do. The practices, the things that we do, the extra work, the amount of time guys are spending ... I'm excited about this football team. I really am. Every time the ball is kicked off, it matters. But you also have to understand to process."
I asked Calvin Austin about this:
"Yeah, we're getting there," he'd reply. "It's just a lot of little things that need to be cleaned up. The offense is still good. The spirits are still high."
And Freiermuth:
"You've seen the practices," he'd tell me. "We're able to execute it there. We've just got to clean it up and get into the stadium. This is what preseason's for. I think we'll be ready to go before Week 1."
Fair enough. For now.
Next, let's see those in charge get a little more dynamic, a little more daring with their decision-making. Last I checked, the safe script hasn't resulted in any significant success around here since Chris Boswell's six field goals seven years ago in Kansas City.
• Chris Halicke's Chalk Talk picks on Jones, and his Spotlight shines on Cameron Johnston.
• Thanks for reading my football coverage.
• And for listening:
