Mike Tomlin humbly brags about the Pittsburgh Steelers' QB decision

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin walked away from their 37-15 victory over the New York Jets in relief. Tomlin decided to put Justin Fields on the sideline after leading the Steelers to a 4-2 start, including a 32-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last week, in favor of Russell Wilson. Wilson was named the starter in training camp but had a nagging calf injury.

The decision was controversial in the eyes of Steelers fans and voices across the league. Fields had played admirably, totaling 10 touchdowns and a 66.3% completion rate, and the Steelers were on the rise – tied for first place in the AFC North. Why change things?

But in Tomlin's eyes, Wilson played “excellent” in his Steelers debut. The veteran completed 16 of his 29 pass attempts for 264 yards, two touchdowns through the air and one on the ground. Wilson and Pickens, who had his best game of the season with five catches for 111 yards and a touchdown, showed a real connection. Sometimes planned or when nothing else was open, Wilson gave Pickens opportunities to make a play in one-on-one coverage.

“I thought he got better as the game went on, but that doesn’t surprise me,” Tomlin added. “It's been a while since he last played some ball, but I thought he settled in, got the rust off his man, distributed the ball and played well.”

Sunday night started slowly for Wilson and the Steelers' offense, which angered fans and led them to conclude that Tomlin made the wrong decision – even going so far as to boo Wilson and the offense early in the first quarter.

But Tomlin prevailed and seemed to be the clear winner at the end of the night, and then let everyone know it.

The Steelers trailed 15-6 with 3:10 left in the first half. After Beanie Bishop Jr.'s first of two interceptions, the Steelers gained momentum that never wavered, scoring 34 unanswered points. It's safe to say the boos didn't last long.

The decision to bench Fields and start Wilson was a brave one, and Tomlin knows it. When asked after the win if starting Wilson was the bravest decision, Tomlin said, “That's why I'm well compensated. “

Wilson's 264 yards were the most by a Steelers quarterback in his debut in franchise history, and the Steelers gave up the most points in a game since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. After a performance like that, Tomlin can rightly feel vindicated and Wilson can feel secure in his starting job.

Be sure to bookmark Steelers On SI for all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!