Shots fired.
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols revealed the team’s game plan on how to stop the New York Jets in Week 1.
“[Justin Fields’] legs are probably one of his most dominant traits. So we just try to eliminate that and force him to have to play quarterback. If we do that, I think we should be good,” Echols told Steelers reporter Chris Adamski.
This is disrespectful…,” NFL analyst Dom C. responded on social media.
Echols’ Shot Doesn’t Need Much Interpretation
The former Kentucky product is saying the quiet part out loud.
Fields is one of the most dynamic rushing quarterbacks in the NFL today. However, he has proven to be wildly inconsistent as a passer. Force him” to play QB, and the odds say it’ll work out for Echols and the Steelers.
Across his four years in the NFL, Fields has 31 interceptions, 44 fumbles, and owns a 61.1% career completion percentage. Fields had a career-high 65.8% completion percentage last season. However, compared to the rest of the league, he ranked 22nd in the NFL among QBs that played in at least three games, per ESPN.
“I don’t think it’s untrue however it’s disrespectful nonetheless,” Dom C. added on social media.
Echols, 27, is one of the many former Jets featured in this matchup. He entered the league as the No. 200 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Irony at Its Finest
Echols’ comments aren’t flattering for Fields, but there is some irony here. The Steelers defender revealed that the key to the game is making Fields “play quarterback.” Well, that is exactly what the Jets want him to do.
“We’re going to let him play quarterback,” head coach Aaron Glenn told the media at the Annual League Meetings back in March via reporter Ethan Greenberg. “That’s what he’s always wanted to do. I’m not saying he hasn’t had a chance to play that, do that in other places. That’s not my issue. I know what I want to do with that player. Obviously want to utilize his legs but want to give him a chance to go out there and play quarterback.”
Glenn and this coaching staff believe there is untapped potential with Fields that can be unlocked in the right environment.
If he is right and the Jets can tap into it, they just might have found their franchise quarterback.
Bold Words From the Jets Head Coach
Not only do the Jets plan on letting Fields play quarterback, but they believe he can be a really good one to boot.
“He has a quiet confidence about himself,” Coach Glenn told NFL Network’s Judy Battista at the Annual League Meeting in March. “He can really throw the deep ball really, really well. Obviously, his legs are something that’s dynamic, not just in college but the NFL, as well. I just think he’s ready to break out as a top-notch quarterback. So, he’s going to do everything he can to be one of the better ones, and we are going to coach our asses off to make sure he does a good job out there.”
What the offense will look like under first-year NFL playcaller Tanner Engstrand has been one of the great mysteries of the offseason. The answers to that pressing question will be revealed on Sunday, September 7, when the Jets take on the Steelers at MetLife Stadium.
Steelers Player Takes ‘Disrespectful’ Shot at Jets QB Justin Fields