Did the Steelers Screw Up with Kenny Pickett?
Did the Steelers Screw Up with Kenny Pickett?
Yes and no. Mutual blame in this situation.
The Steelers really screwed up hiring Matt Canada, seeing how bad he was with Ben and then insisting on trotting him out there season after season after season. Four seasons that guy had influenced the offense and for four seasons it was so bad that abysmal would’ve been an improvement.
NO QB is surviving that offense. Not Pickett, not Howell, not Rodgers, not Manning, not Ben, not Brady, not Montana.
Once Canada was hurled out the door (which took 3 seasons too long) and the Steelers had a chance to improve, Kenny went all whacky, refusing to dress, then whining about them signing Wilson and then whining about being traded. He got his wish and he was sent packing. That was his choice at the time.
So yes the Steelers were partially at fault and so was Kenny. Nothing today states that the QB room couldn’t be Wilson, Fields and Pickett. It’s not like they couldn’t afford that… the reality is, if Pickett is professional, the QB room could be Pickett, Wilson and Allen or it could be Pickett, Wilson and Fields. 2025 could look like Pickett as starter and Wilson or Fields as back up and then some random Joshua Dobbs type third stringer.
Pickett ruined that being unprofessional.
From my recollection some of this is wrong. Kenny did not whine about being traded in fact he was the one that wanted to be traded as he didn't want to compete for the starting job. In some ways i don't blame him. You throw him to the wolves when Tomlin panicked that Trubisky wasn't doing well. All Training camp and up to that point he didn't really get reps or practice with the first team as it was decided that he was gonna sit and learn. Then things tanked fast and Tomlin threw him to the wolves. Then you make the poor kid have to work with Canada the whole time (who admitted that he did not coach or talk to his Qb's WTF). Weather he could have been better or not under different circumstances will never be known. The kid went out there any played with very little help from this coaching staff. Then they go out and sign a guy for you to compete with even though you never really had a fair shot to begin with? I don't blame Kenny one bit for wanting out. He got a raw deal here. For as much as everyone talks about Tomlin being a players coach he was a real POS when it come to how all this was handled in my opinion.
In other words if you play the good soldier and do everything that's asked of you even though you know (and so does everyone else) that your in a situation that is borderline unwinnable and then your told you need to compete for your job when your superiors have done nothing to help you in fact they have actually undermined you (having and keeping Canada) well then i would want out and i wouldn't be "professional" about it either.
I still say and will go to my grave standing behind it that hiring and then keeping Canada on staff as long as Tomlin did should have gotten him fired. That guy had no business coaching, everything about Canada was terrible!! That is one of those moves that should make you question Tomlin's ability as a coach regardless of anything else positive he has done (yes it was that bad).
This is how we start a new year?!
Yes and No.
Kenny Pickett was limited as a QB and didn't have the elite talent to likely overcome big challenges like a poor Offensive Line or when things go south. That is true. I will concede that to any and everyone here who said that. They were correct in that assessment about Kenny.
HOWEVER... the Steelers still failed him tremendously. Matt Canada, the QB Musical Chairs, and Tomlin's fear of failure hurt him and the team.
1) Kenny was never treated as a real heir to Big Ben. When he was drafted, he was stuck with the scout team and third stringers. If you really want to make sure he's the guy, then you start him and play him day one. But the Steelers had other plans.
2) Mike Tomlin flat out lied about a Quarterback "competition" when Mitch Trubisky was already handed the starting role and a Captain Patch. So the plan is to have Kenny Pickett sit for a season as a backup and learn. Fine.
3) Except that whole "Sit Pickett for a year" thing goes out the window when Trubisky flounders and falters under Canada the first four weeks of 2022. Tomlin's precious winning streak is at risk, So Tomlin throws in Kenny, unprepared and Ice-Cold against the Jets and starts him for the rest of the year. He struggles but he has his moments and the Steelers finish 9-8.
4) Tomlin decides to keep Matt Canada after 2022 even though he has already shown to be terrible as Ben, Mitch, and Kenny struggle under him. To no one's shock, the Offense continues to suck in '23 and Kenny's struggles continue. Despite this, we scrape out a 7-4 record. Pickett gets hurt against the Cardinals and the rest is history.
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Destroying a first round QB has bad consequences. No matter who it is. That said, it's probably for the best this topic gets locked or moved to the NFL board as Kenny is a hot button issue that will cause another fan war.
Plans rarely work out the exact way they’re drawn up. You think the Niners planned for Purdy to play? Or Patriots for Brady. Exceptional play changes everything and it dynamic situation in NFL with injuries. You’ve got to seize the moment when opportunity arises. Timing and who drafts you is everything. Jalen Hurts would not be leading Carolina to playoffs. The success rate of QBs drafted and becoming a great QB are slim. KP a product of that. A team desperate for QB and a draft weak in QB position exacerbates the situation. Throw in possible attitude problems with a guy who hasn’t earned that privilege and the rest is history. I don’t think they destroyed KP, they viewed him as a backup just like MR that’s why they brought in Russ. Neither guy proved much more by their play.
You're saying that was Tomlin's primary motivation? If the team is floundering, isn't it simply the head coach's job to make changes to try to make the playoffs? He should say "if I make any changes, people will say I'm just trying to keep my non-losing season streak alive, so I'm just not going to make any changes and let the team flounder?"
Kenny was destroyed by his own ego, bad play and tiny hands.
Can you imagine how many posts there will be if the team ever drafts a good QB?
I read, watch, and listen to a lot of different perspectives and points of view on the NFL.
This is the ONLY place (aside from clickbait content mills) where people actually think KP is a good QB.
The whole wide internet and it’s like a dozen dudes on a message board and that’s it.
That's it??? That's the best that you can come up with? The worst thing you can say about Kenny Pickett's recent performance is not about anything HE'S done but about what words I used to describe him?
Pretty telling indeed.![]()
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BINGO !!!
[QUOTE=Voice of Reason;875738]That's it??? That's the best that you can come up with? The worst thing you can say about Kenny Pickett's recent performance is not about anything HE'S done but about what words I used to describe him?
Pretty telling indeed.![]()
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I actually posted he’s record 1-1 with top 3 team in league and his stats and QB rating which put him at 24th place. I also stated he played well in another thread. Not sure what more words you need. He’s done his job as backup, which I think he’s quality backup. Key word there.
I wonder how many Kenny Pickett discussions are ongoing on Eagle's message boards at the moment?
This is the second time that a member of the Good Ol' Boys has told you what you can and cannot post. That'll teach YOU not to cross the guys who really run this board.
Notice however that the Good Ol' Boys themselves are still permitted to make as many posts bashing Kenny as they want.
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And of course you just assume that when a mod finally shows up that he should be taking orders from you.
P.S. If you Kenny-bashers don't think that anybody should still be making posts about Kenny in the main Steeler forum, why are you all still making posts about Kenny in the main Steeler forum.?![]()
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I didn't post in this thread until 16 posts were already made, so up until then there were no "erroneous posts" to hold me accountable for.
Oops.
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I saw him make several clutch drives in the 4th quarter to win games.
I saw him win 7 of 11 games last year even though he was saddled with Matt Canada.
If Kenny played like trash there would definitely be a thread on it.
The reason its a problem is because we sit at 10-6 and Russ has struggled vs good teams just like last Kenny did and folks dont want to accept that maybe its more than the QB holding this team back.
I haven't seen that posts where fans are claiming Russ is the next franchise QB for the Steelers. I think if that were going on there would be a lot more 'KP-like' debates on here but about Russ. I think that somehow the 'discussion' on KP has become either/or. Either you are a KP backer and stand against the rest of the organization, OR you stand with the organization and are anti-KP.
I'm not anti-KP and if he were still here, I would still be a supporter. But he's not. And for whatever the reasons fans want to debate, he is no longer here because HE asked to be traded. Khan did not actively look to trade KP away until he asked to be traded. Was KP THE plan going forward? NO! But he was a part of the plan. Until KP decided he no longer wanted to be a part of the plan. Again, whatever his reason for asking for the trade, HE asked for it. It really is that simple.
The length of the activity just means theres no surety he is a bust or that the steelers did the right. This is all up for debate and discussion - as it should be
So fragile.
With Kenny playing reasonably well for the Eagles (when most people here said he wouldn't), I knew the "bash Kenny" posts would start again. "See, VOR, we Kenny-bashers weren't wrong. Just read this thread, and look at how we all say so."![]()