Former Pro Bowl LB compares Steelers' Justin Fields to QB bust

Quarterback Justin Fields produced mixed results during his Pittsburgh Steelers preseason debut this past Friday, as he fumbled a pair of exchanges and took two sacks in a 20-12 loss against the Houston Texans.

During Tuesday's edition of the ESPN "Get Up" program, former Pro Bowl linebacker and current NFL analyst Bart Scott sounded alarms regarding what he saw from Fields against Houston.

"This guy continuously burps the baby," Scott said about Fields' habit of patting the ball before throws, per Troy Montgomery of Steelers Depot. "...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."

Tebow became a household name in college but made only 16 regular-season career starts as an NFL quarterback before he was bounced out of the league. As for Fields, StatMuse shows that he's taken more sacks (135) and committed more fumbles (38) than any other quarterback since he entered the NFL as a 2021 first-round draft pick.

"We talk about burping the baby and how long it takes you to process, waiting until a receiver's open," Scott continued. "In the NFL, you have to throw the receivers open in anticipation. [Fields] 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."

Scott added that such flaws are "unacceptable" regarding NFL quarterback play.

Fields seemingly closed the gap in the competition for the Pittsburgh starting job involving veteran Russell Wilson during training camp but then looked like a work in progress against Houston. While he should receive opportunities to impress in this Saturday's exhibition matchup versus the Buffalo Bills, one wonders if Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has already chosen his starter.

As of Tuesday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook listed Wilson as a heavy -520 betting favorite to start over Fields (+350) for Pittsburgh's Week 1 game at the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 8.