Normally, a starting quarterback takes all the practice reps prior to a regular-season game. But when Pittsburgh visits Atlanta to open the season Sept. 8, the Steelers and Falcons could combine to play four healthy quarterbacks.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Wednesday his team will use at least two.
“My friend Raheem Morris better be ready for a Justin Fields package,” Tomlin said, referring to the Falcons’ new head coach. “There’s too much talent to be sitting around watching.”
Tomlin and Morris were assistants on Tony Dungy’s Tampa Bay staff at the turn of the century. Could Tomlin be playing a game before the game? After all, Tomlin made those comments unprompted, without answering a question about Fields.
Regardless, the teams’ defensive staffs will need more time to prepare.
Tomlin named Russell Wilson his starting quarterback but Atlanta also has to prepare for Fields, a vastly different player. The Steelers on the other hand need to prepare for both starter Kirk Cousins and first-round selection Michael Penix.