Kenny in the media

[Burgh15]

But speaking of Roethlisberger, he set an impossible standard for a rookie QB. Everyone wants instant gratification and a stud from the start. Nevermind that it takes young QBs 2-3 years to develop unless they are one of the rare special breeds.

For Kenny, some of it is anti-Pitt. It also is because he doesn’t have a huge arm and build. The same people complaining about Pickett would probably love Levis in the first because he has a big arm. They say Kenny isn’t big but would take Bryce Young. They complain about Pickett’s running but want Stroud, whose knock is the lack of ability to make plays out of structure. It’s a weird dynamic. Pickett can shut them up if he starts throwing touchdowns, which is very difficult in this offensive scheme.

 

[HailtoPitt]

But speaking of Roethlisberger, he set an impossible standard for a rookie QB. Everyone wants instant gratification and a stud from the start. Nevermind that it takes young QBs 2-3 years to develop unless they are one of the rare special breeds.

For Kenny, some of it is anti-Pitt. It also is because he doesn’t have a huge arm and build. The same people complaining about Pickett would probably love Levis in the first because he has a big arm. They say Kenny isn’t big but would take Bryce Young. They complain about Pickett’s running but want Stroud, whose knock is the lack of ability to make plays out of structure. It’s a weird dynamic. Pickett can shut them up if he starts throwing touchdowns, which is very difficult in this offensive scheme.

Pretty sure I recall him throwing a pick six in the redzone as a rookie. QBs improve over time.

 

[Panthers2015]

I saw one media member chastise others saying the last few years they slobbered all over Ben for sucking all game, then with the game on the line, he would pull out the win. Unfortunately this is not good enough for Pickett.

Who was it?

 

[Pittisit4me]

That chart is pretty bad. Kenny doesn't push the ball downfield, at all. You can't run an offense without ever throwing it past 20 yards. You can blame Canada, or the O line, but Trubisky was taking chances downfield, so Kenny definitely is part of that issue.

I am not sure what the coaches are telling Kenny to do. They seem to be intent on not turning the ball over, and relying on the defense to win games. It has worked lately. That said, one of the reasons they went to Kenny was that Mitch was playing not to turn it over. Ironically, it seems Kenny is suddenly Mitch, and taking no chances.

The passing chart does not lie though. At any level of football, your deep reads should come first, then shallower routes, and finally your checkdowns. I think the last time Mitch played, when Kenny was concussed, he did a good job looking downfield first. I haven't seen that from Kenny, it is as if his primary read is a checkdown. Perhaps the Steelers are trying to protect his health a bit or they just don't want him taking chances down the field. Kenny does seem to lock on to his first read quite a bit, and alot of times it is a short route. I am guessing that much of it has to do with not trusting the offensive line to provide the time necessary to throw deeper routes. That said, if Pickens is left one on one, even if he looks covered, you have to give him a chance. He has proven he will win those battles because of his size and good hands.

As for the local media they can all go pound salt. This offense has been broken for the last couple years, even with Ben, they barely ever went down field. Kenny looks fine, and is doing well considering the offense he plays in and the skill guys he has. I think in time he will start to look deeper 1st, and then work back to the line of scrimmage. Next year will be huge in determining whether he is a franchise guy, and I sure hope that they are considering a new OC. It is hard for a qb to progress when the plays he is trying to execute are a significant part of the problem. In the meantime, all the NITTwits in the media need to stop passing judgment at this point of his career. They may have a nervous breakdown if Kenny wins two more, and we wind up in the playoffs.

 

[303vND]

The Pittsburgh sports media is the worst in the country - be it print, digital, electronic whatever.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

I prefer to listen to opinions from guys like Jimmy Johnson and Troy Aikman, rather than fat slobs like Kaboly or Madden.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Who was it?

Hoopie Adam Crowley believe it or not.

 

[Chaos]

Did anyone watch the post-game show on NFL Network Sunday? I didn't see it, but my brother said that they basically bashed Canada and his system for the lack of offensive productivity. I'd love to hear if anyone else happened to see it.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

But speaking of Roethlisberger, he set an impossible standard for a rookie QB. Everyone wants instant gratification and a stud from the start. Nevermind that it takes young QBs 2-3 years to develop unless they are one of the rare special breeds.

For Kenny, some of it is anti-Pitt. It also is because he doesn’t have a huge arm and build. The same people complaining about Pickett would probably love Levis in the first because he has a big arm. They say Kenny isn’t big but would take Bryce Young. They complain about Pickett’s running but want Stroud, whose knock is the lack of ability to make plays out of structure. It’s a weird dynamic. Pickett can shut them up if he starts throwing touchdowns, which is very difficult in this offensive scheme.

Even Nitter Stan Savran had made this point several times on the air. Ben had a HOF coach. He had a pedigreed OC and QB coach. I believe Arians was on staff then. Ben had a HOF running back. He had HOFers on his OL. He had all pros and HOF candidates in his WR corp. he had a TE who didn’t drop balls like Friermuth. He had a historic HOF defense. So people are spoiled remembering Ben’s rookie year. It’s apples and oranges and Ben didn’t have any of the pressure that Kenny has.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Did anyone watch the post-game show on NFL Network Sunday? I didn't see it, but my brother said that they basically bashed Canada and his system for the lack of offensive productivity. I'd love to hear if anyone else happened to see it.

This is one of the two worst things about the Steelers finishing 8-9 or 9-8.

Aside from the draft choice aspect, this franchise is no longer that smart and is very arrogant. They will take this strong finish as more than it is. Playing a string of really bad teams. Just like when they started 13-0, they were incredibly lucky and played mostly lousy teams. The fact they lost their last 5 games including a playoff game to the Browns failed to resonate with management.

 

[TheSpecialSauce]

Did anyone watch the post-game show on NFL Network Sunday? I didn't see it, but my brother said that they basically bashed Canada and his system for the lack of offensive productivity. I'd love to hear if anyone else happened to see it.

 

[andypappas]

People can bash Kenny all they want, but the guy running the offense is the problem. How is Pickett supposed to complete passes when his 2 best receivers on the sidelines and his receivers are Sims, Gunner and Gentry? I noticed a couple plays with those 3 out there. I am sorry, but there is no way Sims and Gunner should be on the field with Pickens and Johnson on the sidelines.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

That's about the same way I feel about Pickett.

Trevor is only in year 2, btw.

And Burrow was good as a rookie when the line that he was playing behind, which was worse than what the Stillers are trotting out this season by a good margin, gave him time to throw. And didn't get him injured.

 

[snaphook297]

Here's an article from the Penn Stater Adam Bittner. Shouldn't be a surprise.

PFF grades: The data has a clear verdict: Mitch Trubisky is the Steelers' best quarterback

Each week, the Post-Gazette will recap the most interesting Steelers player grades released by Pro Football Focus, the scouting website that evaluates...

www.post-gazette.com

Because mcsorley is untouchable. Bwahaha

 

[UPitt '89]

Pickett is and will be exactly what I thought. A good starting QB in the NFL. He isnt going to be Roethlisberger but few teams can find that type of QB. I think he will be an above average QB. The guy is just a rookie and showing good signs. It took Trevor Lawrence 3 seasons and Joe Burrow 2.

This is only Lawrence's 2nd season.

 

[joeydavid]

I get a pretty large sampling every week of Pittsburgh media’s feelings toward Pickett.

Most of the guys on The Fan are either supportive or objective about Kenny. Tenured and respected guys like Savran and Pompiani usually speak pretty favorably.

I don’t count Madden because he’s only looking to stir the pot. Then there’s the idiot hockey writer, Josh Yohe, who is over the top in his criticism of Kenny.

And then there’s this guy…what a jerk.

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[Team_Pitt_Fan]

This is what’s most bothersome to me. I don’t know what the main rationale is for it…

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The awful play calling.

 

[pittdan77]

And then there’s this guy…what a jerk.

I'll defend Mark.

He wrote an article the day after the game saying that the Steeler's offense is crap (don't see how that isn't obvious) and it was mostly pointing at Canada. Specifically, that Canada is holding Kenny back. Of course a bunch of people who didn't read the article came at him. Pitt fans led the charge, of course. Mark will definitely say that Pickett made a crap throw on a play but he is generally supportive of Pickett.

So far as this tweet, everyone was talking about how bad the Broncos and Rams game was on Twitter. Going back, there was some weird speculation before the draft last March that the Steelers would go get Mayfield or Wilson in a trade. Stuff was mostly being pushed around by blogger nonsense and I think PFT picked it up. Kaboly took crap for saying that the Steelers had zero interest in those guys and that Tomlin would take a QB in the first round if it was possible. Pat McAfee used that same picture when he asked Ian Rappaport about these rumors and mentioned what Kaboly was saying (he's been on McAfee's show a couple times). Everyone on that show was of the same opinion about the Steelers trying to trade for a QB. I don't know for certain but I'm guessing that was the motivation and it failed badly without context.

 

[lilspainishflea]

 

[Pitt79]

Here's an article from the Penn Stater Adam Bittner. Shouldn't be a surprise.

PFF grades: The data has a clear verdict: Mitch Trubisky is the Steelers' best quarterback

Each week, the Post-Gazette will recap the most interesting Steelers player grades released by Pro Football Focus, the scouting website that evaluates...

www.post-gazette.com

This is when you base everything on "data". If you look at the stats between the two, they are pretty even, neither one is better at all the stats, but consider Mitch is in his 6th year, and look at some of Kenny's 4th quarter drives.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

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Would seem to be even better now.

 

[HailtoPitt]

This is when you base everything on "data". If you look at the stats between the two, they are pretty even, neither one is better at all the stats, but consider Mitch is in his 6th year, and look at some of Kenny's 4th quarter drives.

It's clear as day that Kenny is better. It was obvious he was going to be a good college QB when he first took the field at Pitt. And it's obvious that he is going to be at least a decent NFL QB from just a handful of starts. Driving the team for the winning score is one of the top qualities you want to see from a QB. Some guys have the best QB talent in the work and can't do that.

This is why I didn't like Pitt continuing to play Slovis. It seemed obvious that Patti was simply a better college QB and gave the team the best chance to win. In the NFL you have time to groom a guy with talent, and you can sign him to a long term deal. In college, get the guy out there who is going to win you games. By the time you get someone likely Slovis ready, you will have spent 4 years and then he's done, anyway. Probably way the simpler offenses tend to work.

 

[FrogmoreZeke]

Dulac is a Nitter.

Who covered the Pitt beat back in the eighties and nineties along with another Nitter, Steve Halvonic for the Pitts Press. Both were in a fierce battle to uncover as much dirt on Pitt sports as they could. People think the media coverage is biased now ain't seen anything like what it was back in those days. Myron Cope and Beano Cook helped keep things even. I was in the Pitt press box covering a game when Jim O'Brien, the SID at the time, called Halvonic a Jaggoff in front of everyone.

 

[lilspainishflea]

This is when you base everything on "data". If you look at the stats between the two, they are pretty even, neither one is better at all the stats, but consider Mitch is in his 6th year, and look at some of Kenny's 4th quarter drives.

Yeah you have to grade on a curve. Mitch has 10x as many starts and 6 years of camps, practices, meetings, etc. Kenny had the rookie offseason and wasn't even given half the starters reps in camp. No reason to think Kenny can't get better but there's also no reason to think Mitch could either given his experience.

I think another underrated factor is that Kenny is cheap AF. He has a $2.5 million cap hit this year and cost the 20th pick. Carr is 10x that. So is Russ Wilson, who Denver also gave up the 2022 #9, 2023 #3 (currently), 2022 #40, and #2023 #34 plus a bunch of players. Insane. That's why you take a 1st round QB when you don't have one, even if he doesn't have the projectible ceiling that Zach Wilson might.

 

[The Ole Six-Fiver]

It's clear as day that Kenny is better. It was obvious he was going to be a good college QB when he first took the field at Pitt. And it's obvious that he is going to be at least a decent NFL QB from just a handful of starts. Driving the team for the winning score is one of the top qualities you want to see from a QB. Some guys have the best QB talent in the work and can't do that.

This is why I didn't like Pitt continuing to play Slovis. It seemed obvious that Patti was simply a better college QB and gave the team the best chance to win. In the NFL you have time to groom a guy with talent, and you can sign him to a long term deal. In college, get the guy out there who is going to win you games. By the time you get someone likely Slovis ready, you will have spent 4 years and then he's done, anyway. Probably way the simpler offenses tend to work.

Good post on multiple levels. Especially Slovis/Patti. In college, especially now in frenetic transfer culture, you have to win right now (or conclude you can’t) right away with these bungee players like Slovis. The RI game was after the guys concussion so deserved some benefit of doubt, but It was clear as crystal in the early stages of the GT game that Slovis wasn’t going to cut it for us. That GT game, essentially one you just can’t lose if you are Duz (given it was a conference game against a team at complete rock bottom), was clearly slipping away, and a trademark “Pitt Loss For The Ages” was shaping up. Slovis was toast; it was over for Slovis. Duz needed to make the move to Patti (or even to Yarnell) to start the 2nd half of that game. Slovis was THAT bad. Yet Duz acted as you said, like Slovis was some kind of 5 year project he had to “nurture.” 3 gut wrenching losses was a result and it was nearly a ruined season from that point. So bull shat to the “nurture” theory with upperclassman transfers. Get ‘en in, let ‘‘em show something, if they don’t, get ‘en out! In 2022 if a transitory guy like him clearly stinks he has to sit. Terrible decision.

On the flip side with Pickett, while I’m very happy he was able to engineer a couple game winning drives these last two weeks, the team still realistically needs some minor miracle to make the playoffs and will be 99.9% likely to get throttled in the first round (as usual), yet then pick in a poor position in the draft as a result of the late season ‘success.’ I see that as a continuing recipe for mediocrity. I think the Steelers had a luxury of a long term situation with Pickett to ease him in, get a bit of experience over this first season, but let Mitch take the brunt, likely (dare I say hopefully) lose a bunch of games, and give a better chance to retool with better talent in the coming draft. They didn’t need to win immediately with Pickett, unlike Duz with Slovis.

 

[martingale]

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Sample size anyone?

I want Kenny to succeed but stats such as the above don't pass the law of large numbers test. In a small sample, an 60% Free Throw shooter can complete over 90% of their attempts. A balanced coin can have 7 tails in a row.

KP has some opportunities to improve. He still leaves clean pockets (the last TD throw was almost a sack because of KP's drifting towards the left). He is not making the right pre-snap reads enough (Baltimore blitzed out of stacked players which KP did not read and caused him to take unnecessary hits). Even his best throw (seam to Sims) was not perfect since he looked left first causing him to throw ever so slightly late to Sims limiting the upside of yards after catch.

 

[pittbb80]

Wonder what fat boy and the media haters have to say about this

In a recent “Footballin’ with Ben” podcast, former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger admitted that he may have put too low of a ceiling on Pickett.

“I severely underestimated Kenny,” Roethlisberger said. “I think he throws the ball better than I thought. He runs way better than I thought, he’s faster or just more elusive, but he runs the ball way better than I expected. His decision making is really good. His leadership, toughness, just enough of an edge to him, it looks like. I apologize that I did not make this vocal. Kenny, keep doing what you are doing.”

Now Roethlisberger says “the sky is the limit” for Pickett.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

Who covered the Pitt beat back in the eighties and nineties along with another Nitter, Steve Halvonic for the Pitts Press. Both were in a fierce battle to uncover as much dirt on Pitt sports as they could. People think the media coverage is biased now ain't seen anything like what it was back in those days. Myron Cope and Beano Cook helped keep things even. I was in the Pitt press box covering a game when Jim O'Brien, the SID at the time, called Halvonic a Jaggoff in front of everyone.

what a cast of losers. Dulac, Adamski, Bittner, Biertemfel, Cook, Benz, Madden, Kaboly, Yohe. Most are nitters, but Madden is basically just a troll now, and Kaboly is trying to be Madden light (pun intended). Who can forget Adamski comparing Hackenburg to Sydney Crosby?

The only objective nit in Pittsburgh media was our beat writer last year, McGonigle, who was actually one of the better ones on the Pitt beat (Shelly Anderson anyone??).

Fortunately some are starting to fade away, Junker, Hagman. Dulac is older than dirt and fairly useless, maybe he will follow Bouchette soon.