Former Ohio State, Current Steelers QB Justin Fields Gets Harsh Criticism

Former Ohio State and current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields received some harsh criticism.

Aug 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) throws a pass against the Houston Texans during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. / Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Fields is currently competing to win the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting quarterback job ahead of the 2024 NFL season. The former Ohio State Buckeyes' standout has done a good job of making the battle a real decision for head coach Mike Tomlin.

Unfortunately, Fields did nothing to impress during his first preseason game of the year. He wasn't bad, but there was nothing that jumped off the tape from his performance.

Heading into Week 2 preseason action, Fields received some harsh crticisim.

ESPN NFL analyst and former player Bart Scott has an issue with Fields "burping the baby." What that means is that Fields pats the football when he's deciding what to do with it.

Scott also gave him a comparison that doesn't look great for Fields.

"This guy continuously burps the baby. I hate for my friend Tim Tebow to take strays, but that reminds me of Tim Tebow in practice. You just can't do that. When a play breaks down, you burp the baby like that. You put the offensive tackles in a bind. Guys give up sacks and they're losing their career basically because you're burping the baby back there."

That wasn't where the criticism stopped. Scott continued on, ripping into the young quarterback.

"It reminds me of Tim Tebow. We talk about burping the baby and how long it takes you to process. Waiting until a receiver's open in the NFL, you have to throw the receivers open in anticipation. He doesn't throw in process with great anticipation, which causes his offensive line protection to break down, which causes him to kind of scatter within the pocket."

He then pointed out a major weakness that Fields has had throughout the early stages of his NFL career.

"Ball security, job security, 38 fumbles since entering the NFL, it's five more than any other player. It's not acceptable."

While the criticism certainly wasn't nice, Fields still finds himself in a good position. He still has a shot to earn playing time during the 2024 season.

Russell Wilson is the other quarterback in the picture. There is a good chance that Wilson will win the job, but Fields is pushing him hard. If Wilson struggles, Tomlin could very well turn to the former Buckeyes' star.

Hopefully, Fields can close out the preseason with two strong performances. If he does that, he could have a shot to start.

Only time will tell, but we'll make sure to have updates on his status. Fields, just like every other former Ohio State player, will continue getting major supporting from all the Buckeyes faithful.