Steelers QB Mike Tomlin is mother as signs point to Russell Wilson

PITTSBURGH – Although coach Mike Tomlin remained tight-lipped about the Steelers' starting quarterback plan for Sunday night, wide receiver George Pickens apparently confirmed that Russell Wilson will start for the first time this season against the New York Jets.

“Yeah, (we were) on the same page after practice and throwing more than usual because this is his first start,” Pickens said when asked if he had any extra work with Wilson during practice this week.

But half an hour before Pickens' interview, Tomlin refused to reveal anything about the plan when asked if he was ready to name a starter.

“I am, but I’m just going to keep it to myself,” Tomlin said. “But I found (Wilson) sharp. I thought Justin (Fields) was sharp too. I thought we had an extremely productive week from both guys and the unit as a whole.”

Wilson, 35, trained fully for the second week in a row after battling a lingering calf injury. Earlier in the week, teammates confirmed that Wilson was taking first-team reps and also leading the quarterback rotation in individual drills. Fields, who went 4-2 while Wilson was sidelined, was second in the quarterback rotation during practices.

“Justin was really good, and we were really good at times, but not to be confused with great,” Tomlin said earlier this week. “This is a competitive league. We're trying to position ourselves as that team and we have a player with talent who hasn't had a chance to play yet, so we may explore those things, sometimes that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what Justin did or didn't do.

While neither quarterback confirmed Sunday's plan in their interviews Thursday, Wilson said he was “preparing to be ready to go,” while Fields said of his six starts he “didn't play well enough, if I'm being honest.” . You.”

However, Fields' coaches and teammates praised the quarterback for his performance and said he was too hard on himself.

“I think he did his best,” running back Najee Harris said. “I think he’s done a really good job and he shouldn’t be doing that. Well, I know what he wanted, but I'm just saying publicly that we're all proud of him. Don’t be so hard on yourself.” We’ve got your back. I have your back.

“But I think all eleven of us have to get involved and be there. We definitely need both (the quarterbacks).”