PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – From the time he was drafted, while excited about his arrival, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin gave nothing to Kenny Pickett. He made the quarterback hunt for scraps in offseason workouts.
By the time training camp started, Pickett started to earn some opportunities for more. He first got to work with the second team and in a late decision became the Steelers back-up quarterback to start the year.
He didn't even give him a grand entrance to the league. Instead of announcing him a starter, he came in after halftime with the 1-2 Steelers trailing the Jets at home. Then he decided to stay with him saying only Pickett will start against Buffalo and then noting the offensive struggles weren't all Mitch Trubisky's fault.
Now Tomlin doesn't want to use the term 'franchise quarterback' in regards to Pickett. He was asked if he felt moving forward if Pickett was the 'franchise quarterback'.
"You know, I don't know what you guys mean by franchise quarterback," Tomlin said Monday. "Is he our QB1? Yes. But there's a lot of silly responsibility that comes with that term. Everybody thinks they've got one, but not everybody has one and all of that.
"He's our starting quarterback. I'm not going to saddle him with that cliche that's overused in our game, in our business too much these days."
That is likely more a Tomlin mind game than any slight to him. It might also be the truth. Can you call any rookie a franchise quarterback after one season?
Second thoughts?
Does Tomlin look back and think what-if he would have started Pickett all season?
"I think his development is a process, and we've said throughout, I've thought his development took off once he started getting into stadiums in the preseason, so there was a process there," Tomlin said. "He was playing in the third groups. He was playing in the second groups.
We gave him some first-group exposure. Preseason football is different than regular season football; let's be honest."
"So, he bided his time and worked in a regular football season environment, and when he had an opportunity, when it presented itself, he showed that he belonged, and he continued to get better in that space. As I look back at it, I don't know that I have any second thoughts or regrets about the process or how it transpired as I sit here right now."
"Maybe I'll think differently as I analyze it in an end-of-season kind of way in the upcoming weeks, but knee-jerk reaction to your question, no, I don't have any regrets about it as I stand here this morning."
Pickett would finish 7-5 as a starter, the one loss against Baltimore he left after the second series. He also left the Tampa Bay game, one Mitch Trubisky completed, but Pickett credited with the victory. The final stats 245-389, 63%, 2,404 yards, seven touchdowns, nine interceptions, 76.7 quarterback rating and 51.1 QBR.
