The Kenny Pickett Thread

[Dwinsgames]

And it was the pre 1978 rules too!

true that

[feltdizz]

I think it’s Kenny’s job to lose as well. He’s also the only QB under contract currently. What else is his designation going to be? Kenny is QB1 now, and until someone takes his spot. That’s how I read it anyway. If we were headed into FA, Draft and TC season with Ben, there would be no announcement of QB competition. I think that is the telling difference.

Nah, I specifically remember people joking Tomlin for saying all position were open competition when Ben was on the team. We knew half those spots were locks with players like Cam, Watt, Ben on the team.

Press conferences are just there for coaches to lie to us about the team.. lol.

[feltdizz]

I am trying to figure out why / how Ben is a bad example other than a poster trying to backwalk a statement ....

Tomlin took over as Head coach here in 2007 Ben was 25 years old ....

Kenny is 25 years old ............


so if Kenny is young so was Ben ....being Young is not the difference and we both know that , the difference is level of success one had a lot of it and the other has had very little....

No, the difference is the level of experience.

Ben had like 3 or 4 years years of NFL football by age 25.

[DesertSteel]

Kyle Orton was established before Tim Tebow that was an announced competition. Josh McDaniels.

Phil Sims was established and then the competition after Hostetler won the Super Bowl. Bill Parcells.

Kurt Warner/Matt Leinart went back and forth. Dennis Green and Ken Whisenhunt.


There may be more but i can’t think of them right now.

It happens. If your asking when was the last time a Hall of Fame QB was in a QB competition…maybe Peyton Manning?

This is nothing new for Tomlin…he did the same with Jarvis Jones and James Harrison. James Harrison and TJ Watt. It’s part of Tomlin’s regular “coach speak”. It’s not a bad thing to put every player into a competition.

I said nothing about quarterbacks being replaced. My comment was that a coach does not come out and announce a quarterback competition if there’s an established starter that the coach has confidence in. I’ll take your word for it on Noll since it’d be hard to find 50 year old quotes on the internet. Unless Abraham Lincoln said them.

- - - Updated - - -

I can’t say what Coach saw or didn’t see. I 100% agree the results on game day were unacceptable. I’m saying there is more to game day than just the games. It’s more likely MT had the practices, gameplan execution, and other things along those lines down and looked ready all week. Then just shit the bed under live fire. But I really don’t know, and neither does any other fan on here.

But that ship has sailed, or been sunk. MT was released. Enough is enough. Lots of people interview great then can’t pull off the job. I think Kenny is in a sink or swim situation right now. Don’t know that, just reading the situation. I think Tomlin drew the line in the sand with his competition comment. It’s Kenny’s to win or lose now. If Tomlin had the confidence in Kenny, I don’t think he would have made that announcement. But could be way off.

I completely agree on the Tomlin comments.

[86WARD]

I said nothing about quarterbacks being replaced. My comment was that a coach does not come out and announce a quarterback competition if there’s an established starter that the coach has confidence in. I’ll take your word for it on Noll since it’d be hard to find 50 year old quotes on the internet. Unless Abraham Lincoln said them.

- - - Updated - - -


I completely agree on the Tomlin comments.

They all held a QB competition and they did it publicly. Green and Whisenhunt deals were big when the Cards were going back and forth with Leinart and Warner.

Parcells made it a competition and did so publicly.

McDaniels anointed Orton starter, then traded for Brady Quinn (I think) and then drafted Tebow. I’m not sure he said there would be competition but it’s pretty clear sign.

The other thing about Tomlins quote if you watch the whole interview he talks about how Pickett doesn’t run away from challenges and that’s one of his strengths. What better way to challenge him then bring in competition?

Tomlin said he still believes in Kenny Pickett as the team's starting quarterback but does want there to be competition for that role, whether that be from Rudolph, who is a pending free agent, or elsewhere.

"There will be competition there," Tomlin said. "There's always competition in this thing. We don't anoint anyone.

It’s normal Tomlin speak. I think you’re looking far too deep into it. If he says there will be a competition and you believe him, then why wouldn’t you believe him when he says Kenny is the starter?

Either way, it’s going to be very interesting to see how this plays out. I’m just happy we will see if Pickett has it or not behind an NFL Playbook…

[DesertSteel]

^^^ You totally miss my point. That’s fine. We probably agree after the semantics are done.

[Voice of Reason]

Just because we fans say the Steelers have no idea what they have with KP doesn’t make it true. The people involved in putting that team together to win games know exactly what they have with KP. This is what they do. Fans only see gamedays and game stats. When they come out and publicly say there is going to be QB competition, they know what they have currently at QB. Fans do not know the team better than the coaches and FO.

"The people involved in putting that team together to win games" thought that Mitch Trubisky was a better QB than Mason Rudolph. Oops.

- - - Updated - - -

Last season in the first 14 games,the steelers had their worst PPG since the rookie season of Terry Bradshaw in 1970!

This showed that obviously Bradshaw was a bust and the Steelers should have gotten rid of him.

[pczach]

"The people involved in putting that team together to win games" thought that Mitch Trubisky was a better QB than Mason Rudolph. Oops.

- - - Updated - - -



This showed that obviously Bradshaw was a bust and the Steelers should have gotten rid of him.

They got rid of Canada. They were definitely obnoxiously late to that party, but he is gone. The coaches that stepped in and continued their existing duties while also altering the way the offense operated and were making major changes to a flawed system did an admiral job IMO. They cut Mitch Trubisky. My hope is that they now have a handle on the quarterback situation from the standpoint of knowing what they are seeing. Somebody is making these calls, and they were the correct calls. I'm not sure if Khan and the front office were tasked with a stronger role in making decisions or if Arthur Smith has come in with some real authority and has strong input on the recent direction. All I know is that the moves that have followed Canada's firing have been the right moves from a personnel standpoint.

My hope is that this frees Tomlin up from that, and that the recent additions to the coaching staff along with the release of players that needed to be let go starts this offense down the right path. Let's face it, if Smith's offense can get much more out of Pickett or if they bring in a QB that can provide much better play, everything opens up for this team.

If it is Pickett that takes that positive step, that also takes much of that burden off of Tomlin and the team saves the draft picks by not having to trade for a starting QB, plus they save all that money that would immediately have to be paid out to that QB.

Now they need Khan and Weidl to try to crush this offseason with key signings in free agency and then seeing if they can get several impactful players in the draft.

There are a lot of ifs, but you can at least see a path to a much brighter future if Smith's offense and Pickett's play are a hit and the offense can be taken to a different level of play than we have seen in several seasons.

There is much to do, but we will find out if they are up to it.

[Born2Steel]

They got rid of Canada. They were definitely obnoxiously late to that party, but he is gone. The coaches that stepped in and continued their existing duties while also altering the way the offense operated and were making major changes to a flawed system did an admiral job IMO. They cut Mitch Trubisky. My hope is that they now have a handle on the quarterback situation from the standpoint of knowing what they are seeing. Somebody is making these calls, and they were the correct calls. I'm not sure if Khan and the front office were tasked with a stronger role in making decisions or if Arthur Smith has come in with some real authority and has strong input on the recent direction. All I know is that the moves that have followed Canada's firing have been the right moves from a personnel standpoint.

My hope is that this frees Tomlin up from that, and that the recent additions to the coaching staff along with the release of players that needed to be let go starts this offense down the right path. Let's face it, if Smith's offense can get much more out of Pickett or if they bring in a QB that can provide much better play, everything opens up for this team.

If it is Pickett that takes that positive step, that also takes much of that burden off of Tomlin and the team saves the draft picks by not having to trade for a starting QB, plus they save all that money that would immediately have to be paid out to that QB.

Now they need Khan and Weidl to try to crush this offseason with key signings in free agency and then seeing if they can get several impactful players in the draft.

There are a lot of ifs, but you can at least see a path to a much brighter future if Smith's offense and Pickett's play are a hit and the offense can be taken to a different level of play than we have seen in several seasons.

There is much to do, but we will find out if they are up to it.

Absolutely no 'reason' to try to explain to someone that only wants to argue in the first place. He only "quoted" part of a sentence to make a launch point for his attempt. There is an actual conversation that he can read in order to understand the context of what he's trying to stir, but that's not the objective. It's really tired at this point.

[Mojouw]

They got rid of Canada. They were definitely obnoxiously late to that party, but he is gone. The coaches that stepped in and continued their existing duties while also altering the way the offense operated and were making major changes to a flawed system did an admiral job IMO. They cut Mitch Trubisky. My hope is that they now have a handle on the quarterback situation from the standpoint of knowing what they are seeing. Somebody is making these calls, and they were the correct calls. I'm not sure if Khan and the front office were tasked with a stronger role in making decisions or if Arthur Smith has come in with some real authority and has strong input on the recent direction. All I know is that the moves that have followed Canada's firing have been the right moves from a personnel standpoint.

My hope is that this frees Tomlin up from that, and that the recent additions to the coaching staff along with the release of players that needed to be let go starts this offense down the right path. Let's face it, if Smith's offense can get much more out of Pickett or if they bring in a QB that can provide much better play, everything opens up for this team.

If it is Pickett that takes that positive step, that also takes much of that burden off of Tomlin and the team saves the draft picks by not having to trade for a starting QB, plus they save all that money that would immediately have to be paid out to that QB.

Now they need Khan and Weidl to try to crush this offseason with key signings in free agency and then seeing if they can get several impactful players in the draft.

There are a lot of ifs, but you can at least see a path to a much brighter future if Smith's offense and Pickett's play are a hit and the offense can be taken to a different level of play than we have seen in several seasons.

There is much to do, but we will find out if they are up to it.

There's some solid basis for being hopeful.

I figure KP and Smith get two years.

2024 to see what they can do, if it goes well, problem solved. If it goes bad, they get 2025 to try and fix it. I'm thinking about it like a new coaching staff. They usually get a couple of years. And they have hired mostly new offense coaches and more of them ever before. They seem to have gone all in with Smith and the fellas. I find it hard to believe Smith got hired from the starting point of not being able to fix KP.

The other element is that the "experts" say that 2025 is a shallow QB class. Drafting in a shallow QB class put them in this situation. Steelers tend not to repeat mistakes.

Sent from my SM-T220 using Tapatalk

[Voice of Reason]

Absolutely no 'reason' to try to explain to someone that only wants to argue in the first place. He only "quoted" part of a sentence to make a launch point for his attempt. There is an actual conversation that he can read in order to understand the context of what he's trying to stir, but that's not the objective. It's really tired at this point.

Looks like someone got angry that I debunked his argument.

BTW, I agree with everything pczach wrote. Nothing I said is inconsistent with what he said.

[pczach]

There's some solid basis for being hopeful.

I figure KP and Smith get two years.

2024 to see what they can do, if it goes well, problem solved. If it goes bad, they get 2025 to try and fix it. I'm thinking about it like a new coaching staff. They usually get a couple of years. And they have hired mostly new offense coaches and more of them ever before. They seem to have gone all in with Smith and the fellas. I find it hard to believe Smith got hired from the starting point of not being able to fix KP.

The other element is that the "experts" say that 2025 is a shallow QB class. Drafting in a shallow QB class put them in this situation. Steelers tend not to repeat mistakes.

Sent from my SM-T220 using Tapatalk

Yep. They have taken steps to improve the system, have added positions to the coaching staff while retaining some men that did a good job in a crappy situation, and have released several players that simply needed to not be there anymore.

There may be more moves, but they have certainly gotten rid of some dead wood and upgraded the coaching. We need to see the new offensive system before we get carried away, but the groundwork has been done to give the offense a chance to move forward and get clear of the stench of Matt Canada.

They probably roll with Pickett, and I suspect that he will have all next season to show what he is capable of within the new offense. If there are signs of real growth and improvement, they have a chance to have a long-term quarterback. If not, they start looking at options on how to proceed and upgrade.

[DesertSteel]

I don’t think he’ll have ALL next season if he plays like he did in 2023. I suppose it depends on who QB2 is. If it’s Rudolph or Minshew, or a guy with some starting experience, I think they will put him in around games 6-8.

[Dwinsgames]

No, the difference is the level of experience.

Ben had like 3 or 4 years years of NFL football by age 25.

and kenny played qb his entire life in preparation including 5 years of college football... Ben only started 1 year of HS football because the coaches son was the QB so Ben was a WR and then 3 years of College 38 college games in the MAC vs Kenny having 52 games of college D1 football to get him ready for the next level ....

one was clearly ready to take on the challenge the other not so much and based on background you would think the latter would be more ready and he was / is not

[Born2Steel]

If we keep comparing Kenny to Ben, Kenny will continue to look like less than. Kenny has to make his own way, in his own way. Apples to oranges at this point.

[pczach]

I don’t think he’ll have ALL next season if he plays like he did in 2023. I suppose it depends on who QB2 is. If it’s Rudolph or Minshew, or a guy with some starting experience, I think they will put him in around games 6-8.

I don't think he will either if he doesn't show improvement. He needs to play better and show a real understanding of the offense and what they are trying to do. He needs to show that he is reading defenses and knows where to go with the ball.

I think you will see some struggles with the new offense. The whole team will have an adjustment period, but he should be able to get his footing and show improvement as the year goes on. If he doesn't, they probably have their answer on Pickett.

There is always a time when things start to click for a quarterback...or it doesn't. They start to understand everything. Then they combine that with reading what defenses are trying to do to them, and then know where the ball needs to go. If Pickett doesn't get close to that at some point during the season it is going to be disappointing. He is supposed to show real growth and understanding of everything this season and should be able to really start rolling later in the season and carry that over into 2025 with total control of the entire offense.

[Hawkman]

Three things I’m looking for in Pickett, 1:How he plays with a new and better OC. 2:How he plays with a better, (hopefully) OLine. 3:Can he stay healthy for an entire season.

[86WARD]

Three things I’m looking for in Pickett, 1:How he plays with a new and better OC. 2:How he plays with a better, (hopefully) OLine. 3:Can he stay healthy for an entire season.

That’s really all it is. If he can’t do those, he’s not the answer…but at least he will have solid surroundings to get a “real evaluation”.

[Mojouw]

They can NOT have Pickett play a partial season in 2024. Unless he gets hurt. But if they yo-yo him in and out of the line-up, then it is over for him as a starting QB for the Steelers. If he gets benched, at any point in 2024 for performance, then they have to cut him and start over in 2025.

[DesertSteel]

They can NOT have Pickett play a partial season in 2024. Unless he gets hurt. But if they yo-yo him in and out of the line-up, then it is over for him as a starting QB for the Steelers. If he gets benched, at any point in 2024 for performance, then they have to cut him and start over in 2025.

I’d suggest he’ll make a fine QB2. It’s better for him to adjust to his ceiling now than later.

[Mojouw]

I’d suggest he’ll make a fine QB2. It’s better for him to adjust to his ceiling now than later.

If that’s indeed the case, 2024 will be an almost totally wasted season for the franchise.

Personally, I think a great deal of the evidence indicates you may be correct.

Let’s hope there’s enough other stuff to prove us both wrong.

[polamalubeast]

If that’s indeed the case, 2024 will be an almost totally wasted season for the franchise.

Personally, I think a great deal of the evidence indicates you may be correct.

Let’s hope there’s enough other stuff to prove us both wrong.

The season will likely be wasted if Pickett is our starter and that Tannahill or Rudolph is the backup...I can't trust Pickett at this point

[Voice of Reason]

I don't think he will either if he doesn't show improvement. He needs to play better and show a real understanding of the offense and what they are trying to do. He needs to show that he is reading defenses and knows where to go with the ball.

I think you will see some struggles with the new offense. The whole team will have an adjustment period, but he should be able to get his footing and show improvement as the year goes on. If he doesn't, they probably have their answer on Pickett.

There is always a time when things start to click for a quarterback...or it doesn't. They start to understand everything. Then they combine that with reading what defenses are trying to do to them, and then know where the ball needs to go. If Pickett doesn't get close to that at some point during the season it is going to be disappointing. He is supposed to show real growth and understanding of everything this season and should be able to really start rolling later in the season and carry that over into 2025 with total control of the entire offense.

I agree with what you say, and it could mean that there's another possible scenario. Kenny could start the season and struggle at first, and after a few games be replaced by whoever the QB2 is (Rudolph, Tannehill, etc.). For a few games the QB2 plays well, but then he starts to struggle too or gets hurt, and they put back Kenny. When he comes in the second time, something clicks and he finally "gets it" and starts playing the way we all hoped he would play. This is exactly what Bradshaw went through in the 1974 season, and when he came back he took us to the Super Bowl.

[Voice of Reason]

I’d suggest he’ll make a fine QB2. It’s better for him to adjust to his ceiling now than later.

The season will likely be wasted if Pickett is our starter and that Tannahill or Rudolph is the backup...I can't trust Pickett at this point

That's a lot of negativity for a guy whose last full game produced over 400 yards of offense.

[DesertSteel]

If that’s indeed the case, 2024 will be an almost totally wasted season for the franchise.

Personally, I think a great deal of the evidence indicates you may be correct.

Let’s hope there’s enough other stuff to prove us both wrong.

My hope-o-meter is about 15%. Going into last season it was 85%. I saw bad things out of Pickett that had nothing to do with Canada. It’s hard for me to be very optimistic. But I have slight hope. Personally, I’d give him 4-6 games if they don’t bring in a valid QB1 (my preference).

[Penglose]

That’s really all it is.

That is? How about not shitting his pants in the pocket when he feels or hears pressure? How's a new O.C. gonna fix that. Even a great offensive line will allow pressure if they never hold like K.C. does on every play. How about questions on whether or not he can throw the deep ball with accuracy? His ability to read defenses is now in question. He was supposed to be NFL ready. And the health issue is a major concern. His fragility probably contributes to his fear in the pocket. But I'll give you guys the health issue. No matter who was standing on the sidelines calling whatever play, the things I mentioned don't change. And I have my doubts that you can coach that pocket fear out of him. They should be going with Mason. He was a better QB in college, younger, and shown coolness under pressure. And deep ball is a strength of his. Many aren't aware that Mason sets school records and won the Unitas award in college.

- - - Updated - - -

I agree with what you say, and it could mean that there's another possible scenario. Kenny could start the season and struggle at first, and after a few games be replaced by whoever the QB2 is (Rudolph, Tannehill, etc.). For a few games the QB2 plays well, but then he starts to struggle too or gets hurt, and they put back Kenny. When he comes in the second time, something clicks and he finally "gets it" and starts playing the way we all hoped he would play. This is exactly what Bradshaw went through in the 1974 season, and when he came back he took us to the Super Bowl.

Grasping at straws much VOR? You should have included he gets them to the S.B. and predicts and delivers a win like Namath?

[Voice of Reason]

Grasping at straws much VOR?

Just calling on my 60+ years of experience in watching football and observing how QB's actually develop.

[feltdizz]

and kenny played qb his entire life in preparation including 5 years of college football... Ben only started 1 year of HS football because the coaches son was the QB so Ben was a WR and then 3 years of College 38 college games in the MAC vs Kenny having 52 games of college D1 football to get him ready for the next level ....

one was clearly ready to take on the challenge the other not so much and based on background you would think the latter would be more ready and he was / is not

Is anyone arguing that Kenny is better than Ben?

I think its possible that Kenny can still be a good QB. Doesn’t mean he has to be as good as Ben or walk away from the game.

[feltdizz]

That's a lot of negativity for a guy whose last full game produced over 400 yards of offense.

Most people who criticize Kenny use some serious hyperbole. Sure, he didn’t throw a lot of TD’s but he throws with accuracy when given time. He throws past the sticks. He was trusted to throw late vs GB to close out the game but Austin III was called for an offensive pick on the play.

Once Canada was gone he used the MOF and if not for DJ dropping a TD he has an impressive drive on his second series.

but a lot of folks act like Pickett was playing when it was actually Mitch Trubisky.

[lipps83]

I think its possible that Kenny can still be a good QB. Doesn’t mean he has to be as good as Ben or walk away from the game.

Yeah, I don't get it either. I don't care if KP has a laser rocket arm or not. I just care that he helps the team win football games and is clutch when it matters the most, which as far as I can tell he is and can continue to be. I miss the days of dominant teams like the Giants, Bears, Steelers and Ravens. Their QB's weren't great all the time, just when they needed to be.

I am bored with 'elite' passing games where one guy eclipses what 52 other people contribute to the team. While it can be exciting, it is not what the game was originally built around and it just evolved into that over time. It doesn't mean it always has to be that way.

I am more of a fan of smashmouth football.

That's Steelers football, and that is what I think they are trying to get back to.