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.
Originally Posted by Dwinsgames
Enthroned Into The Good Old Boys Club - 2024
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
This is how we start a new year?!
Did you expect anything different? Lol
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.
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
Kenny was destroyed by his own ego, bad play and tiny hands.
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.
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.
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?"
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
You can narrow it down to about 3 people here. We all know who they are.
Array title="oneforthetoe has a reputation beyond repute">
I wonder how many Kenny Pickett discussions are ongoing on Eagle's message boards at the moment?
Array title="DesertSteel has a reputation beyond repute">
I vote this to be the worst thread of the year (even though it’s only been a day). If a mod checks in within the next 30 days it should be locked or deleted.
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VOR can update us with that info at 2am.
Okay, cool.
I'm out.
The mods locked the old Kenny Pickett threads but Kenny was resurrected!
Maybe they should close it down til Easter then.
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."
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).
HELL YEAH!!! 3X
Matt Canada was trash!!! We should’ve given Kenny one year with a new OC. We have to remember this was a Colbert pick so Khan obviously wasn’t sold on him. I don’t blame Kenny one bit for demanding a trade. Any QB with stones doesn’t stick around in that situation.
and no shade to Russ because I like him but we are seeing that even a Russell Wilson can’t overcome mediocre WR play and bad OL play vs good teams.
My only criticism of Kenny is durability. Even now, he only played a few quarters before getting injured. I think Philly credits him with playing thru broken ribs but once again another QB gets a chance to show their stuff because Kenny is out. I would like to see him gut it out for one more game to show his stuff but the Philly fans I know were happy with his recent performance.
“Reasonably well”, sounds like perfect back up material. 1-1 with less than 60 percent completion percentage, and QB rating of 86. That’s good enough for 24-26 th in league.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."
“Whine about being traded”…is/was the same as Kenny wanting to be traded in my thought process. Just my poor use of wording.
Even his biggest fan can only muster up “reasonably well” to describe his play. Pretty telling.
but JUST the non losing streak. Tomlin doesn’t want to win anymore than he has to because that would mean more work.
yes, that was sarcasm.
All of these "debates" and "discussions" can be summed up in your individual answer to this question:
What skill or skills did you see Kenny Pickett display at a top 10 NFL QB level? (Note: Not that he played at that level but if you were writing a scouting report you would highlight this skill or skills for your boss).
And, honestly, from everything I saw of him in the pros and what I have seen in archival footage from college, the answer is none. Not a single high level skill, trait, or attribute. The best I can say is that he doesn't do anything particularly terribly either. That is the best my report would be able to say - Kenny Pickett does everything sort of okay and nothing really well.
I am sure I am getting parts of that evaluation wrong. I barely know what all those words mean. But all of the KP supporters on here seem to be able to point to what OTHER people did wrong, but they can not really explain what KP does well as a QB.
Put it this way....how did Mike Tomlin and Matt Canada cause Pickett to consistently throw to either the back hip or the front foot of an open WR on a 5 yard crossing route? Because that was a weekly occurrence for two years.
His throwing motion was fine when he had time. And his strengths were throwing with accuracy on the run and mobility. He had accuracy on the deep ball (22 film). Looking at 23 film, it seems in addition to the Canada system, another problem was no 61 was having trouble blocking and pressure was constantly coming up the middle. KP had much less time in 23. Thats were he started bailing a bit early and his throwing motion was off. I dont really like talking about this either though, he’s an Eagle now. If he starts lightning it up somewhere Tomlin will probably be gone or almost gone anyway as i think this is his last contract.
Array title="pczach has a reputation beyond repute">
Why? Because a thread about a player no longer with the Steelers has 473 pages of activity?
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
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.?
To hold you accountable for your erroneous posts. Of course you deny facts even though in writing so it’s like pissing up a rope.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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