PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Jaylen Warren said it after the game on Sunday, that Kenny Pickett had audibled out of the original play to the one he threw the long touchdown to George Pickens late in the fourth quarter to give the Steelers the lead. Pickett confirmed that, but also added.
Pickett said he changed the protection and then the route for Pickens to run based on what he was seeing from the Ravens defense. He's given that freedom in that situation to do that. He also said it was not as if he made that call independent from his offensive coordinator.
This wasn't a story of a quarterback making something up on the fly. This wasn't he and Pickens making eye contact and doing their own thing. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada and the coaches had drilled the team that if they got this look, for Pickett to make the change.
"It was something that we worked all week on," Pickett said. "It's awesome when you put a lot of time into something in a crucial moment like that to win a divisional game. You go out there and do it in a two-minute drill, it's awesome."
So, he didn't go rogue of his offensive coordinator, he was prepared for it because of their work together.
Receiver Diontae Johnson said he has a new respect for the play-calling having watched the last four weeks from the sidelines. Johnson said when you are watching the offense from that point of view, he realized what the coaches are telling them. He said he saw what could have been done differently.
"I wouldn't say it's the play selection," Johnson said. "A lot of people are talking about that. At the end of the day, we are all grown men. We should be able to take on the responsibility of executing any play that is called. We've been doing that, but at times it's on us. We have to give a little more effort."
"You got to let them (critics) say what they are going to say. Everyone is going to have their own opinion, it's the opinion in this facility that matters. Not worry about the outside noise, just shut out the noise and worry about executing."
Future Playbook
Saying the bye week is a mix of rest and work, Pickett said they are going through the playbook to see which plays to accent going forward and which to remove. Also taking a look at potential new plays to add for the last 12 games of the season.
"We have to look at what we've done as a whole," Pickett said. "There are some things that we are not doing well, beating our heads against the wall. Let's take it out. If there is something we feel like we can add. We have guys that we can put in position to be successful, let's add it. Everything is on the table, let's have an open mind to it."
Mobility
Ben Roethlisberger noting on his 'Footbahlin' podcast this week that sometimes when Pickett gets moving in the pocket, he is turning into trouble. While not saying if he was aware of Roethlisberger's advice, it is something he's working on.
"I feel like I've gotten better at, continue to improve at," Pickett said of his pocket presence. "I have the athleticism to make plays on the move, extend. There is a fine balance between both, just continue to work at it."
