PITTSBURGH — For the first time in 14 years, longtime friends Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Raheem Morris, new year’s head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, will face each other as head coaches. The last time Tomlin coached against Morris, Morris was in his second year as head coach of the Buccaneers and lost to the Steelers 38-13.

After Russell Wilson was named the starting quarterback for the Steelers’ Week 1 game in Atlanta, Tomlin Morris warned that Justin Fields should not be forgotten.

“My friend Raheem Morris better get ready for a Justin Fields package,” Tomlin said on the Rich Eisen Show. “There’s too much talent to sit around and watch all day.”

Morris received the message and listened – somehow.

“Mike told me to prepare for Justin Fields, so that’s what we did,” Morris said. “Russell is going to go out there and provide the same challenge he’s always provided teams… But there are roles that guys are going to play, so expect the expected. And that’s what we’re going to do.”

“It’s a nice way to waste my time and he’s a master at it,” Morris then added.

In tight yardage or goal-line situations with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s running game, Justin Fields and his much-vaunted running ability could prove indispensable.

Whether that was a waste of time remains to be seen. Justin Fields could easily be out for the entire game. But it was definitely a waste of time. “Mike told me to prepare for Justin Fields and that’s what we did,” Morris said during Wednesday’s press conference. Morris added, “There are a lot of unknowns in this game.”

Maybe Morris will fire back at Tomlin. The Falcons signed quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​from the Vikings in the offseason, but spent their eighth overall pick on Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Is there a chance the Falcons will use Penix Jr. to mess up the Steelers’ defensive game plan? Or will Morris retaliate and pressure the Steelers to “waste” practice time?

No matter who the quarterbacks are, the stories surrounding Morris and Tomlin’s long-standing friendship from their time as coaches with the Buccaneers from 2002 to 2005 and Arthur Smith’s return to Atlanta to show his former employer that his offense still works should make for an entertaining Sunday afternoon.

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