His name is Kenny Pickett.
Can somebody please tell Kirk Herbstreit?
The ubiquitous color guy, who also works as ESPN's lead college football analyst, kept mistaking the rookie Steelers quarterback with Ryan Pickett, who played defensive tackle for 14 NFL seasons, including eight with the Packers.
Ryan Pickett was drafted in 2001, back when Kenny Pickett was 3 years old.
Herbsteit was guilty of the mix-up on at least two occasions, including late in the fourth quarter, when the conversation shifted to whether Pickett should take over for Mitch Trubisky.
Herbstreit, for what it's worth, sees a lot of potential in that Ryan Pickett kid.
Herbstreit is ready to see Ryan Pickett pic.twitter.com/6lb00Mh6CO
— Zachary Smith (@ZacharySmithPGH) September 23, 2022
Overall, Amazon's "Thursday Night Football" broadcast is decent and familiar. With Al Michaels and lead producer Fred Gaudelli plucked from NBC, it very much feels like "Sunday Night Football."
That is, except Herbstreit is playing a substandard Collinsworth. It's apparent his NFL knowledge is relatively limited, given his frequent throwbacks to players' college days. It seemed like he was really watching Nick Chubb in a Browns uniform for the first time.
The chemistry between Michaels and Herbstreit is also a little flat, which is understandable. This is the first time they've ever worked together.
As Andrew Fillipponi mentioned, it might make sense to move on the recently retired players on Amazon's pregame show — Ryan Fitzpatrick, Richard Sherman or Andrew Whitworth — and put them in the booth.
Maybe they know Kenny Pickett's name.
