Analyst defends Steelers' Justin Fields following latest criticisms

Former Pro Bowl linebacker and current NFL analyst Bart Scott recently said that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields continues to display flaws that are "unacceptable" for a starter at the highest level. 

Louis Riddick, a former NFL player/executive who also serves as an ESPN personality, suggested during Wednesday's edition of the "Get Up" program that Scott and others actively search for reasons to criticize Fields. 

"I'm saying in general that this guy takes more crap from people, as far as them constantly trying to blow holes in his game to where now they're sitting there going -- and I've seen some of the discourse on this -- this is why he shouldn't start, this is why [veteran Russell Wilson] should start," Riddick said about Fields, as shared by Josh Carney of Steelers Depot. "I mean it's just, to me, it's annoying that we pinpoint certain people to hang this kind of stuff up on." 

Specifically, Scott mentioned how Fields' habit of patting the ball before throws leads to sacks, turnovers and mistakes made by his team's offensive-line protection. The 25-year-old fumbled a pair of exchanges and took two sacks in Pittsburgh's 20-12 preseason loss against the Houston Texans this past Friday, and Scott said that Fields also failed to "throw in process with great anticipation" versus Houston. 

Not everybody agreed with Scott's takes. According to Matthew Marczi of Steelers Depot, former signal-caller and current analyst J.T. O'Sullivan said he thought Fields flashed "some anticipation" and made "some nice 'drive' throws" against the Texans. Meanwhile, Riddick noted that Fields wasn't the only member of the Pittsburgh offense who had an up-and-down night at Acrisure Stadium.

"...We can't just automatically look at him and go, 'He took two sacks in the game. See, that's what he did [with the Chicago Bears from 2021-23],'" Riddick added about Fields. "Did you watch the game? Did you see how they came about? Did you see the pressure he was under? There's always more to the story...but I think some guys get the benefit of the doubt. Justin gets none."

Riddick may be correct, but Fields nevertheless likely will need to produce a stellar showing in Pittsburgh's exhibition matchup versus the Buffalo Bills this coming Saturday to have any chance of leapfrogging Wilson on the depth chart by the end of the month. 

As of Thursday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook continued to list Wilson as the heavy betting favorite at -520 odds to start over Fields (+350) for the Steelers' Week 1 game at the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 8.