Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick issued a stern warning about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense.
However, Tom Brady’s longtime coach insists that Russell Wilson will not be a problem for the team, preferring the 35-year-old Justin Fields to replace him.
According to Belichick, Fields loses the ball more often than Wilson and Wilson is one of the best downfield throwers in the NFL.
“I think they have bigger problems than at the quarterback position. … The offensive line struggled to be consistent there,” Belichick said on The Pat McAfee Show.
“They lost the tackles… They have a rookie center and the guards, they’ve had some struggles in the preseason games as well,” Belichick continued.
Russell Wilson hasn’t had the easiest start to his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers at age 35
Belichick believes Wilson isn’t the biggest problem in Pittsburgh despite the turbulence
“They’ve got to get the running game going, they’ve got good backs, they’ve got to get those backs going,” Belichick added. “Russell’s good out of the pocket. But I think the problems are bigger than Russell Wilson. I think it’s really the offensive line and the running game.”
Wilson is in his first season with the Steelers after two seasons with the Denver Broncos, where he underperformed expectations.
Fields is also in his first season in Pittsburgh after three seasons as the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has made it clear that Wilson will be the starting quarterback, despite neither quarterback impressing thus far in preseason play.
Najee Harris is likely to become Pittsburgh’s starting running back after a mixed NFL career thus far.
To work with Wilson, Pittsburgh brought in Arthur Smith, who has been the Falcons’ head coach for the past three seasons, as offensive coordinator. Belichick believes Smith is a “great fit” for the team and Wilson.
