PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – After the first eight questions of his weekly news conference day dealt with either the performance in the second half or the scripting of plays, Kenny Pickett was on to us.
"Scripting is you guys' buzzword," Pickett said to reporters Wednesday.
He's right, it's been the talk of the 93.7 The Fan shows and Steelers nation really for more than just this season, but over the last few seasons. Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that scripting plays sometimes doesn't lead to home run plays, rather to information.
"I mean, listen, you have plays, plays on trying to figure things out, right," Pickett said. "Yeah, I mean, this whole script talk. I mean, it's, you hope it goes as planned. I mean, listen, sometimes you're going to have plays where you got to adjust on the fly and do some different things. They gave us some different looks early on that we didn't see on tape. That throws a wrench into your plans of the script of that you have plays lined up to do. So, yeah, it all depends on what happens."
The Steelers QB did provide a little peak behind the curtain saying each week he looks gets plays in different sections. He then ranks the plays he likes, then offensive coordinator Matt Canada takes it from there. He said, as he has all year, that they have a good relationship.
"Personally, and as an offense, I think 100% we're moving in the right direction," Pickett said.
He added getting behind the chains has been an issue for the offense. They need to get positive plays, even if it's only a couple of yards so they can stay on schedule.
"The most important thing is that we're winning," Pickett said. "Getting guys back healthy. It's great to have Diontae (Johnson), guys up front. You know, 88 (PatFreiermuth) is going to be out for a little bit, so we need guys to step up, that's how it goes. So, I think we're definitely moving in the right direction, just want to get there as fast as we can."
He credits the recent success of the offense to the balance. There were getting efficient runs and popped a couple. Pickett credited Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren for hitting the hole hard. They did 'great things' in the pass game and in protection, especially in the fourth quarter. It's not just the backs, the line was working well, the receivers were getting open.
"I was throwing the ball on time, all the things that you need to be a successful offense, we had working for us in the fourth quarter," Pickett said. "So, that's the kind of football that we're chasing."
Pickett said having three straight games at home is huge. It starts with Jacksonville on Sunday, then Tennessee and Green Bay.
"We're nowhere near where we need to be," Pickett said. "That's good news, when you're winning and you're steadily improving but the most important thing is to get the win. So, haven't had that full four quarter game where we can say we played our best football. I'm loving that we're home in front of our fans, we want to go out there and get a big win for us. So, I know we're all going to be ready to go."
