Pittsburgh Steelers safety Juan Thornhill made a surprising admission following the team's Week 1 win over the New York Jets that isn't a great look for the coaching staff.
Thornhill said after the game that the defense "might not have been prepared" for the mobility that Jets quarterback Justin Fields brings to the table.
Fields was a menace with both his arm and legs in Week 1. He looked sharp, with the former first-round pick completing 16-of-22 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown, while also adding 12 carries for 48 yards and another two scores.
"We got a lot of things we got to work on already on the defensive side," Thornhill said. "I just feel like we might not have been prepared for a running quarterback because we've been seeing a guy like Aaron [Rodgers] all camp where he's not really using his legs to try to beat us."
"Then the first game of the year, you come out here against a guy that can run a 4.4 [40-yard dash], it just adds a little bit more to the game," he added. "Next time, I just feel like we'll be prepared for that. I'm not really panicked at all. I don't think no one on the defensive side is panicking, not one bit."
A team not being prepared typically falls on the coaching staff, but whoever you want to blame it on, Thornhill's admission is a damning one.
It's true practicing against Rodgers didn't do the Steelers' defense any favors when it comes to preparing for a mobile quarterback.
But, lest we forget, Fields was on the Steelers last season, so the defense, which has many of the same players as 2024, got to practice against him plenty and knew exactly what was coming.
Not to mention, anyone who has paid any semblance of attention to the NFL knows what Fields can do on the football field, so the Steelers should've been ready for it.
Thornhill certainly didn't do himself or the team any favors with what he said, but the honesty is appreciated.
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