PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – ‘I might, but you’re not going to have that today’. Mike Tomlin’s words when asked if he has a starting quarterback decision after Sunday’s preseason finale.
Tomlin added he won’t make knee jerk reactions and statements following a game. He will evaluate the film, meet with the front office, have discussions, talk internally and then likely name Mitch Trubisky the starter.
The off-season free agent acquisition went 15 of 19 for 160 yards and a touchdown against the Lions, playing the entire first half. It wasn’t perfect, some points left on the field after settling for a pair of field goals when the defense got them the ball twice inside the Detroit 26-yard line. However, Trubisky finished off his preseason with a 92-yard drive in 1:20 finding Steven Sims for a six-yard touchdown.
“It was good,” Trubisky said. “We finished in the end zone, so that was ideal. A lot of two-minute situations we've been practicing in practices. It was nice to get a live rep at it today. We went right down the field and scored a touchdown. I thought it was smooth, good communication, getting in and out of the huddle. It was nice.”
That probably was the clincher for Tomlin, although he’s in no rush to tell any of us who it will be. It’s the first time Tomlin’s had to make a starting quarterback decision and it seemed from the beginning it was Trubisky’s to lose. The former Bears and Bills QB got all of the first-team reps in OTAs and mini-camp and all but a couple of handfuls during the entire training camp.
“I feel confident with where I'm at in our overall developing with our offense,” Trubisky said. “I feel confident, and I'm excited to see where we go from here. I think I've shown I can run this offense, I can lead this offense, and I have what it takes to help this team win games.”
It’s not that Pickett was bad, 10 of 14 for 90 yards Sunday and while not the starting spot he would like, he did lock up the backup job.
“Listen, I’m a quarterback, I’m a football player,” Pickett said. “I want to be out there every snap, but that’s not how it goes. There’s one ball, one guy gets to go out there. If it’s me, I’m going to play as hard as I possibly can and be the best I can be. If it’s Mitch or if it’s Mason, whatever it is, I will support them. I’ll be ready if my number is called and be the best quarterback on the sideline I can be.”
Pickett says he feels confident in his preparation and executing game plans. He also felt like he was able to see what teams were doing defensively and quickly learned how to attack them.
“Operating the system, didn’t get much reps in the OTAs, mini-camp period,” Pickett explained. “Came in and was working with the threes and worked my way up the depth chart a little bit and got some more reps with the twos. My growth in the system is the number one thing.”
Trubisky also had to grow. He’s on his third team in three years, learning a new playbook, new teammates and a new city.
“This is a great place to be,” Trubisky said. “This is where I wanted to be. I want to be a part of this franchise, be a part of this young, talented roster. We've got a bunch of guys on roster. We're still molding, still coming together. And we're trying to build this thing the right way.”
“We've got another week or two to get ready, but we're headed in the right direction for sure.”
That’s good, because as he and Mason Rudolph heard by the chanting at Acrisure Stadium how much this town loves Pickett. There will be little patience if Trubisky struggles, even in wins. The bar is not only set by the Hall of Fame career of Ben Roethlisberger, but a near 2021 Heisman season by Pickett at Pitt.
Likely congratulations Mitch and good luck!