The scene in Pittsburgh is getting tense. Reporters are constantly prodding Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin about whether he’ll make a change at quarterback. And we’ve only just begun Week 4.
Not only has Tomlin been adamant that he is not starting rookie Kenny Pickett over veteran Mitch Trubisky, but also he likes what Trubisky is doing “in all areas.”
“In decision making, where he’s going with the ball, the time in which he’s making decisions, the prudent use of mobility, whether it’s by schematics or by adlib, but just generally in all areas,” Tomlin said about Trubisky’s progression.
In typical Tomlin fashion, he’s steadfast in the decision he made in early September: The Pittsburgh Steelers are Mitch Trubisky’s team. Like it or not.
“We’re not going to blow in the wind,” Tomlin said in a Sept. 27 press conference. “The last couple of games haven’t unfolded the way that we would like, but we’re in a no-blink business, particularly if we believe in what it is that we do and the people that we’re doing it with. Sometimes, you’ve just got to show steely resolve and smile in the face of adversity. We roll up our sleeves and get back to work and wait for our next opportunity.”
While what Tomlin says goes, it doesn’t keep former Steelers from sharing their opinions on what they would do in Tomlin’s shoes.
Rod Woodson on Steelers QB Kenny Pickett
Rod Woodson may have gone to the dark side (thrice) after he left the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1996, but he remains a fan favorite. After 10 highly successful seasons in the Black and Gold, the Hall of Famer and six-time All-Pro played for the San Fransisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders.
“I would love to see Pickett play with these young players on offense,” Woodson said on 93.7 The Fan. “You have young receivers. You have a young running back. We’ve still got some issues on the offensive line, but I think to let those guys grow together and to mature together and to have a chemistry together on the field is really going to help this football team later in the year. I would love to see them give Pickett an opportunity.”
Michael Irvin on Kenny Pickett
Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and now analyst Michael Irvin knows a thing or two about struggling quarterbacks. His quarterback, Troy Aikman, was 0-11 in his rookie season.
On 93.7 The Fan Cook & Joe Show, Irvin asked the hypothetical question we all have been:
“Do we continue the course or do we say let’s try to give this thing an injection, some little hope here? Because I always say hope dictates effort. Maybe we do try to give them a change, give them a different look. Put the kid in and see what everything else happens. I believe it will be a little jolt of energy and maybe, maybe, you start seeing something.”
Irvin knows from experience that not all quarterbacks come out putting up Hall of Fame numbers. But they have to start somewhere.
“It’s not just the physical skill set,” Irvin said. “You can have a quarterback that’s physically ready to go play, but he’s going to endure setbacks. He’s going to endure struggles. I’ve got to know what his mentality is like. Do setbacks make him stand up straight and go fight harder? Or do setbacks put him in a tank? You look at a Troy Aikman, setbacks weren’t something he was going to receive and accept. It was going to make him get up and go fight harder. That’s what brought greatness out of him.
Irvin has confidence that Kenny Pickett has what it takes to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I believe [Pickett] is a strong kid. He’s an older kid, and he’s a strong kid. I don’t believe it will break him. I believe it will bend him, but it won’t break him. So, ultimately, like it did Troy Aikman, it will make him. I’m looking forward to it.”
Former Steelers DB Bryant McFadden on Kenny Pickett
Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Bryant McFadden, now a budding media star, sees Kenny Pickett as a savior. McFadden believes all hope is not lost, and Pittsburgh will still make the playoffs.
“No. 8 will save our season,” said McFadden on 93.7. “Kenny Pickett will save our season. I think Kenny Pickett, if he gets an opportunity to jump in, man, we’re going to see a different type ball club.”
By all accounts, Pickett had command and showed poise in preseason action. He didn’t look like a rookie out there. But that certainly doesn’t mean he’s ready to go. Tomlin has his finger on the pulse of the quarterback situation. And like everything that happens behind those walls in Pittsburgh, Tomlin has the final say.
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