Justin Fields stepped in as the Pittsburgh Steelers’s starting quarterback and helped the team achieve a solid 4-2 record. During his six games, he showed efficiency, completing 66.3 percent of his passes. He threw for 1,106 yards with five touchdowns and just one interception. Despite this, Fields was termed as “inconsistent.” And hence, when Russell Wilson returned from the injury, coach Mike Tomlin decided to “take the heat.” His decision to choose Wilson over Fields was questioned, but now with continuous positive results, many are praising the 52-year-old.

And one of those admirers is NFL legend, Michael Irvin. During his recent appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd show, Irvin applauded Tomlin’s decision to choose Russell Wilson over Justin Fields. He expressed, “I love what the Steelers have done and the move that Mike made.” Explaining this, he pointed out Tomlin’s approach focuses on minimizing costly mistakes.

According to Irvin, for the HC, it’s not just about the flashy plays – it’s about avoiding the errors that lose games. For this, he brought up a specific example of a past game. “Thank God they won that game the other day, or we would have been back over on the kid again, Justin Fields. Like you see why Mike Tomlin made the change–even that little one yard slide early, that early one yard slide, could have cost that game.”

Hence, as per the 52YO, “that’s what Mike is saying – I just want the guy to not make the mistake that’s going to cost me a game, just hold on to the ball and not make the mistake that’s going to cost me a game. Luckily, they were able to get that first down and win that game.”

The game, which Michael Irvin is talking about is against the Ravens, wherein the Steelers were able to somehow win with a 2-point lead under Russell Wilson. However, a mistake by Fields could have cost them the game.

For Mike Tomlin, Russell Wilson over Justin Fields?

Mike Tomlin gave Justin Fields another chance to shine. But unfortunately, that itself wasn’t the day for the young QB. In Week 11, he made a noticeably costly mistake. With the clock ticking down, Fields had one mission–secure the first down and end the game. He faked a hand-off to Najee Harris and took off, running straight into a moment that could have made him the hero. But unfortunately he slid just a yard too early, falling short of the marker. The crowd held its breath.

On the next play, Najee Harris came through, powering up the middle for the crucial first down. Relief washed over Steelers fans as Pittsburgh sealed the win against Baltimore. But that mistake by Fields was not expected from coach Tomlin, as he wants Fields to make sure to come back without giving up any mistakes.

Until then, Tomlin still had faith in Fields, and with this decision of a promised special package, he actually gave a subtle warning to Wilson. During a press conference, the HC said, “It was timely. He [Fields] had a minor hamstring that kind of slowed some of this, but we haven’t been bashful about our intentions. I know sometimes you guys think we make stuff up. He is a capable dude. We are going to utilize him. He is really talented.”

This means no QB is secure under Tomlin. If anyone performs better than the other, the chance is his.