Stephen A. Smith Slams Steelers QB Justin Fields

Steven A. Smith had words for Justin Fields after his comments on the offensive line.

Aug 24, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) warms up before their game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports / Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The preseason did not go quite as well as Pittsburgh Steeler's fans would have hoped.

While it seems like the quarterback situation has improved with the additions of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, some aspects seemed to have worsened.

While the wide receiver room looks clearly worse, another grouping that looked as if it took a step back in the preseason was the offensive line group. Following the preseason finale, Fields was asked his thoughts on the group as a whole, saying that the "they did alright, but there is still room to grow" via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.

Steven A. Smith of ESPN took exception to this comment, believing Fields was out of line.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Smith said on the Stephen A. Smith Show. "You're fighting for a job in the league. You were in Chicago complaining about coaches and teammates. Now you're sitting up there and throwing a little shade on the offensive line. Have you lost your mind? I'm not saying, 'Justin Fields, you were wrong. I'm saying, 'Here comes the time to shut the hell up."

This seems like quite the overreaction to Fields' comments. His comments come off tonally as a form of "we could always be better" type of messaging, not blaming his own faults in the preseason on the offensive line instead of himself. It's likely Fields thinks the same about his own performance, but was simply asked about the offensive line in this specific instance. In fact, a miscommunication between him and rookie offensive lineman Zach Frazier occured during the game.

Everything aside, this was still preseason play. It was a mixture of starters, backups and players seeking to land a spot on the 53-man roster. The team chemistry across the league is likely to be quite lower than it will be in the regular season. It would be hard to come to a real conclusion about the level of this year's offensive line until they get a couple regular season games under their belt.

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