My take on Pickett this game, He is gun shy from all those int's from the earlier games and is throwing it high constantly or throwing it away.
My take on Pickett this game, He is gun shy from all those int's from the earlier games and is throwing it high constantly or throwing it away.
Clearly he has much to learn. All I'm saying is that he is the rookie.
His OC needs to put him in position to succeed. He can't keep dialing up plays that get nothing or lose yards on first and second down. He also has to give the quarterback the ability to defend himself by giving him the ability to audible. Once teams figure out Canada's plan of attack, teams make adjustments and he rarely ever has an answer. The defense lines up in formations that can't be blocked, and the QB can't get to a play to try to take advantage of it. It's insanity to think that an NFL team is calling offensive plays that are DOA before the snap. It's infuriating and bushleague.
The offensive line can't allow immediate pressure as often as they do.
Coaches need to coach better so that players don't take stupid penalties so he is facing a first down and 25 situations.
Remember, it's Pickett that has the hardest job and is the rookie. It's his support system that has let him down.
Pickett needs to get better at identifying where his favorable matchups are pre-snap. He needs to start looking for Pickens and Freiermuth much more often. I know there are progressions he's supposed to follow, but he hasn't had time to go through progressions the entire second half.
You are correct about Pickett throwing high. He made a few WTF throws from an accuracy standpoint. He also made a lot of great decisions just throwing the ball away. There was nothing there, or he simply doesn't see guys pop open late.
He has some traits that are very good. He's not afraid. He's no lost out there. He looks like he belongs in the NFL. It isn't too much for him, and to me he has the look of a guy that just needs to see and experience more before the light goes completely on and we see steady growth and improvement. He will get better with time, and I still think he is working out dealing with the things that he didn't have to deal with in college.
The team will grow around him if they acquire the talent and improve in some areas. I just can't be too hard on him when I watch a ton of football and he is better than many quarterbacks that have been in the NFL for more than a few years and even some veterans. I think he's going to be ok.
That is why 24/7 fail to the Steelers.
I don't disagree with any of that. In fact, I strongly support all of it.
I think I am just having trouble because of what I termed "murky" offense in another discussion. With the numerous issues plaguing the offense, it is difficult for me from my couch to separate and evaluate any specific component. Couple that with the positives that many saw pre-draft with Pickett, I never saw. And I suspect that is why I can not seem to see the same positive future outlook that appears to underly a great number of KP focused comments both here and across the Steelers related internet.
For me, I see a guy that struggles to consistently make throws. Really gets scattershot whenever he tries to reach back and put some mustard on the ball. And he seems to feel he needs to do that a great deal. Looks like he doesn't trust his arm to get the ball to where it needs to be in time right now. At least on anything over about 15 yards. He also clearly doesn't trust his offensive line and/or his eyes, because he bails on plays early.
And to be fair (to be fair....), this could all be a rookie trapped in a awful system behind a woeful OL. Heck, they fixed one of those things and Lawrence made great strides. They bettered some of those things when Burrow made his leap, etc.
Just saying, it simply looks really bad right now.
^KP’s accuracy on his passes is inconsistent but I’m attributing that to bad playcalling keeping a rookie QB from getting into a groove or rhythm - stupid gimmicky playcalling that goes nowhere or a Harris stuff run on 2 and 10 that again puts us in 3 and long. Maybe a star QB could overcome this crap but even he would be hard pressed with the terrible play calling
I really don't think it looked all that bad today. Take away a few of the drops and his stats actually look pretty good today. He passed the eye test with me today. He didn't turn the ball over. He gave his team a chance and held it together through the second half meltdown.
I don't know if you watch many of the other very young QB's, but just watch the Jets play with their first round quarterback Zach Wilson. He pales in comparison to Pickett with much more talent around him and a ton more experience.
Lawrence doesn't really look that much better than KP.
Fields looks like he can be a monster, but he needs to show more in the passing game.
All these guys are uber talented top draft picks with more experience, yet Pickett looks like he is already as developed as they are. Possibly more developed and with greater understanding of how to play the position.
All is not lost brother!
Good point about his peers so to speak. Wilson is comically bad. And Fields is a collection of traits in search of unification.
Lawrence might be a good barometer for how much a failed system can hold a QB back in developing.
One good off season could really change how this looks.