PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – As most were understandably concerned about the play of the offensive line, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin did say something else on Monday after the first scheduled training camp practice back in Pittsburgh.
He has yet to name a starting quarterback.
There is little doubt it will be Mitch Trubisky, he's taken all but a couple of handfuls of the first-team reps since OTAs began in March. Some think Kenny Pickett was done wrong by Mike Tomlin. To the contrary, Tomlin did a favor to the first-round pick.
Fans complained that Pickett was never given a chance to win the job, maybe. But the way Tomlin handled it benefitted the ACC Offensive Player of the Year.
Think of it like this, at your work your boss adds a kid from college. He'll make more than half of the employees on his first day and while a great track record, has never proven anything at this level of work. Think if that employee is just given the job. There is a potential for issues.
He won't get the same respect. There will be questions how he got the job. Resentment for him beating out someone internal who wanted the position without even an opportunity to prove themselves. Plus, there was the guy they brought in from another office who has more experience and was quickly liked by fellow employees. Bad for the workplace.
Now think about how Tomlin has dealt with Pickett. You don't draft a quarterback in the first round for him not to at least get the shot at being a franchise quarterback. He could have made Pickett the starter from day one. You could have made that argument that where he was drafted he deserved that treatment.
What happened was Mike Tomlin made him earn it. When Pickett failed early in OTAs, minicamp and the beginning of training camp, he was just the third-string quarterback. The pressure greatly reduced on the star from Pitt. If he makes those mistakes as the anointed starter, the pressure ratchets up and the outside noise grows of a wasted 20th overall pick.
When Pickett started to improve, as we've seen the last two weeks, he showed he EARNED a promotion. His peers saw him get better and understood why he started getting second-team reps and eventually supplanting Mason Rudolph in the back-up role. He wasn't there by appointment, rather by hard work.
Tomlin did Pickett a solid.
Trubisky will start the season in Cincinnati, barring an injury. The quarterback with the most experience will get the first shot. If he performs well and Pickett never plays a meaningful down this season, that likely means a good year for the Steelers.
If Trubisky fails, then Pickett comes in without the opening pressure. His teammates know he's ready for his opportunity. The chatter from the locker room is Pickett has earned their trust and deserving of the starting job.
Mike Tomlin didn't give the Heisman finalist anything. He was harder on him than many would have been. Turns out it was the right thing to do.
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