Kenny Pickett is in an unusual spot. The rookie quarterback is taking over for a franchise legend who critiques his performance in real time. Armed with a weekly podcast, Ben Roethlisberger is the Steelers analyst with the most powerful megaphone.
And he uses it to offer his unvarnished views on his successor's play.
This week, Roethlisberger criticized Pickett's approach under center, saying the first-round pick is too conservative with the ball. "I don't know if it's Kenny that's nervous or if it's coaches in his ear telling him 'protect the ball.' But at some point you gotta throw 'protect the ball' out the window and just take some chances," he said.
While Roethlisberger may be right, it's misguided for him to pin the Steelers' unimaginative offense on Pickett. They've been a woeful unit ever since Matt Canada took over last season.
Roethlisberger should know: he played under Canada last season and threw deep on less than 20 percent of his passes. On the rare occasions in which Roethlisberger stretched the field, his throws weren't pretty.
Notably, Roethlisberger's commentary on Pickett went beyond generalities. Roethlisberger broke down a couple of plays that he thought Pickett missed, beginning with the first play of the game. The future Hall of Famer says Pickett could've connected with Diontae Johnson for a 75-yard touchdown.
"Diontae Johnson on the right side, he had a go-ball," said Roethlisberger. "And he tried to hit Pat on the crosser."
Ben Roethlisberger on Kenny Pickett. 👀 #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/Cbx7fzwF38
— Blitz Guy (@BlitzGuyOG) November 16, 2022
As the excellent Alex Kozoro of Steelers Depot points out, Pickett seemingly targeted George Pickens on the aforementioned play, not Pat Freiermuth. That makes Pickett's decision more understandable: Pickens was wide open across the field.
Roethlisberger also pointed out a mistake later in the game, when Pickett missed Johnson on a deep-crosser.
Roethlisberger isn't responsible to the Steelers organization. From that standpoint, he's just another talking head offering his take.
But of course, Roethlisberger isn't just another talking head. Unlike Skip Bayless, he's the Steelers all-time passing leader. Roethlisberger's words carry weight.
It's a little strange that he doesn't seem to be sugarcoating his views at all. This week, Roethlisberger said he wouldn't have started Pickett until Sunday.
"He would be 1-0," boasted Roethlisberger.
Big Ben is taking hot take victory laps. But at what cost to Pickett?
