Mike Tomlin Dropped Blunt Take On Justin Fields' Sloppy Steelers Debut

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin didn't mince words about Justin Fields' first appearance in a Steelers uniform.

The Steelers' new 25-year-old quarterback played just three series in Pittsburgh's preseason debut against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium.

Fields went a ho-hum 5-of-6 for 67 yards, but what concerned Steelers fans were his two fumbles. Both came within the opening six minutes of the contest.

While Pittsburgh was able to recover possession both times, it wasn't exactly what Tomlin wanted to see after a lengthy training camp.

"I thought [Justin Fields] did some nice things," Tomlin said, via ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "But obviously he was a component of the C-Q exchange, and from my perspective that's dual responsibility on the center and the quarterback. It negated a lot of good things going on in those first couple of drives."

Tomlin pinned the blame on both Fields and Steelers center Nate Herbig, who actually tried to take full responsibility for the mishaps.

After the game, Fields wasn't any less critical about his own performance.

"We were just shooting ourselves in the foot," Fields said. "Fumbled snap, I think all three phases, so we can definitely be better in that part."

The Steelers arguably have the most contentious QB situation in the NFL. But Fields' first showing didn't exactly help him get a leg up over incumbent starter Russell Wilson.