Steelers Mike Tomlin On Kenny Pickett Starting Week 1 – “He Has A Chance”

[Steeler Nation]

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback battle is already getting fired up and it’s only April 30th. At this point the Steelers should just release Mason Rudolph and let him get a new start with another team, because there is no chance, he’s going to win the quarterback fight. Just bring in another quarterback that’s going to be comfortable as the third stringer.

Had the Steelers selected Malik Willis with their pick, or any of the other quarterbacks in this class then it would’ve been highly likely that they would’ve headed into the season with Mitchell Trubisky the starter, and Rudolph as the back up. Any of those other quarterbacks would’ve needed time to sit back and learn and mature. That isn’t the case with Kenny Pickett. While his ceiling wasn’t considered to be as high as some of the other prospects, his floor is considered to be much higher. Several insiders, and scouts agreed that Pickett was the most NFL ready out of the bunch.

And according to Mike Tomlin that could come to fruition sooner than any of us even though. As the Steelers continue to add offensive weapons for whomever is their quarterback it’s starting to sound like it’s going to be a spicy battle between Pickett and Trubisky.

Today Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was on NFL Network’s draft coverage and spoke with host Rich Eisen. Eisen posed the question to Tomlin about whether or not Pickett would have a chance to be the week 1 starter.

Yeah, he certainly has a chance. And I agree with that sentiment of his readiness from a professional perspective. There were two things that really attracted him to us from a floor standpoint. We thought he had pro level anticipation. We thought he had pro level accuracy. And often times those are two variables that really require a lot of adjustment from a quarterbacking standpoint. We felt he came ready made in those ways. Hopefully that’s an asset to him in terms of being able to compete and being ready.

Mike Tomlin doesn't dismiss the fact that Kenny Pickett could be the #Steelers week 1 starter.. pic.twitter.com/LySahPwA4k

— SteelerNation (@SteeIerNation) April 30, 2022

Even if Trubisky ends up losing the starting job to Pickett he isn’t overpaid. We’ve seen the amount of money sky rocket for veteran back ups in the past 10 years. We also know he’s a solid person and isn’t going to throw a temper tantrum. He knew coming into this that he was guaranteed a chance to compete for the starting job, but he wasn’t going to just have it handed over to him. Training camp is surely going to be interesting.

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Steelers Quarterback Kenny Pickett Says Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky Reached Out; Ready To Learn From Them​

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Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post Gazette

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[slashsteel]

Good place to drop this interview.

 

[alancac98]

And that is why Tomlin is an idiot. Don't rush the kid into the lineup - let him learn and grow into the position before even thinking he his the starter. You got Trubisky and Rudolph - let them take the reins for a bit to see what ya got. If they both screw up, then fine, but starting a rookie many times can put them on a difficult path in their professional careers (yes, there are plenty of examples, but remember... Ben what so much better than Maddock, yet he sat until Maddock was injured. Trubisky went high in the draft, anointed from day one, and struggled under the crap that was the Bears (Tomlin's coaching is not stellar by any means)! Canada didn't adjust his offense to best utilize his weapons with Ben, so I have no confidence he will magically adjust game plans and strategies to help Pickett out. The Steelers do what they do!!!

 

[KStilley]

Well according to an article in Post Gazette, although Canada was gone when Pickett took over at Pitt, Canada's offence was kept in place so his familiarity with what the Steelers want to do offensively might be ahead of what you'd normally see.