Kenny Pickett’s Development

[newcfo]

is easily the biggest factor in determining how far this team goes this year. Pickett has had some very strong performances (Miami in 2017, Duke, Wake Forest) that lead you to believe he can be a difference maker but other times when the passing game really held the team back.

Obviously a lot has to do with the receivers, Whipple and the OL. I do really like both Mack and Ffrench and Matthews has carved out a solid role. Whipple should have some decent material to work with. The OL is the biggest question mark, IMO but the staff seems happy with who they’ve got considering how they are recruiting the position.

The defense and special teams are going to be good, maybe very good. The schedule is not all that bad. Pickett has a solid opportunity here to really help move the program forward.

 

[Jeffburgh]

Yep. In college ball, most often teams cycle around how experience their QB is, you start to max out your success as you have good QBs in their upper class year.

He has to increase his passing totals, obviously, but game management is the key. Not making mistakes, doing the little things, and making key big plays at key times.

Kid has heart and decent talent, gotta hope he takes the next step.

 

[President Stache]

Well last year was depressing. We thought maybe the next Marino and he looked like the next Tino. If he can get Tino level improvement then I’ll be happy with that.

Hopefully the injury he had was the main issue last year

 

[Jeffburgh]

Well last year was depressing. We thought maybe the next Marino and he looked like the next Tino. If he can get Tino level improvement then I’ll be happy with that.

Hopefully the injury he had was the main issue last year

IDK, I never thought he was going to be Marino like, he isn't that kind of gun slinger. He is more a Peterson type game manager, with maybe a little more upside as a dual QB.

 

[jrnPitt]

is easily the biggest factor in determining how far this team goes this year. Pickett has had some very strong performances (Miami in 2017, Duke, Wake Forest) that lead you to believe he can be a difference maker but other times when the passing game really held the team back.

Obviously a lot has to do with the receivers, Whipple and the OL. I do really like both Mack and Ffrench and Matthews has carved out a solid role. Whipple should have some decent material to work with. The OL is the biggest question mark, IMO but the staff seems happy with who they’ve got considering how they are recruiting the position.

The defense and special teams are going to be good, maybe very good. The schedule is not all that bad. Pickett has a solid opportunity here to really help move the program forward.

I believe in Pickett's case a lot will have to do with the OL. If he's pressured consistently we could be viewing a repeat of his performance of last season.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Pressure can be also be negated somewhat by a good OC. You can't get to the QB if the ball is gone quickly. If Kenny can't read a defense and get rid of the ball quickly then he's going to lose his starting job.

I think Whipple was a great hire. I think a lot of people are going to be surprised with how much the passing game improves.

 

[thom67]

I spoke to Bostic at a Pitt fundraiser last spring. I asked him about Pickett’s last season and what to expect for this fall. He stated that most of Pickett’s problems last year were due to the OC and the offense that Pickett had to use. They did not use him properly and with a new OC/different offense this year, he expected Pickett to be a really good QB.

 

[newcfo]

Kid has heart and decent talent, gotta hope he takes the next step.

He really is a tough kid for the quarterback position. His heart gets overlooked sometimes.

 

[McKee Place]

I never had uber high expectations some had but I figured he could become as good as the guy who just finished up at Syracuse, as they appear to be similar. That still wouldn't be too bad if he can swing that.

 

[pittbb80]

Im not sold on Pickett but I do agree that at least part of his problems were related to the OC.....

I'm hoping Whipple will simplify things and help him be more decisive with his throws. I also think Watson had him thinking more about not messing up than making a play. I dont think you can be a successful QB if your hesitant to release the ball because you dont want to make a mistake. If not I do think Patti and Beville will be good enough to provide competition and a viable replacement.

My issues with PIcket are that he appears to stare down receivers (which may have been in part due to Watson), does not see the field well, and has little pocket presence. He seems to want to flush too soon and does not have the feel to side step or step up to avoid the rush.

 

[steelcurtain55.]

Got to have ice in your veins to step up in the pocket. Pocket mechanics are his biggest room for improvement.

 

[Jsr862]

Pickett has yet have a coach call plays to his natural strength. We will see if that changes... I never expected Marino out of him.. but I did expect final Rutherford and Decent Palko mix.... I can't recall Rutherfords arm stregth... but Pickett has his legs and could be as good of a passer with Palko.. few those throws last season had me awe... there was one early on in the year o forget which game it was because it did end up in complete but just the distance and power behind the throw was so impressive I don't even think the receiver expected it to be thrown so far.

 

[HOF Coach]

Chris recently did a podcast that featured Kenny's private quarterback coach.

One thing really jumped out to me. He said that the previous OC had Kenny going through his progressions from closest receiver to furthest receiver (or something along that line of thought).

He said that Coach Whipple has Kenny going through his progressions the exact opposite, which this coach said is the more traditional way to read a defense.

Someone can correct me if I don't have this exactly correct. But if I do, it is no wonder Kenny was a mess last year.

Kenny Football returns this season...call the ticket office for season tickets!

 

[steelcurtain55.]

The thing Tyler had was incredible IQ and anticipation.

QB reads can be done multiple ways. You can read 1 defender say like a slant/arrow combination where you read the flat defender. If he widens, hit the slant. If he sinks hit the arrow. You can read multiple defenders like the air raid, west coast guys do.

The thing rod had was Larry. The coverage was some kind of bracket, but he had Larry and Kris Wilson.

Kenny doesn't have anything close to that.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Rod could throw the deep ball and the fade.

 

[thebadby2]

Pickett has yet have a coach call plays to his natural strength. We will see if that changes... I never expected Marino out of him.. but I did expect final Rutherford and Decent Palko mix.... I can't recall Rutherfords arm stregth... but Pickett has his legs and could be as good of a passer with Palko.. few those throws last season had me awe... there was one early on in the year o forget which game it was because it did end up in complete but just the distance and power behind the throw was so impressive I don't even think the receiver expected it to be thrown so far.

If you don’t need recall Rutherford’s arm strength, how can you compare him to Pickett?

Rod had a cannon. Far more arm than Palko or Pickett. . Palko was a gamer, an improvisational football player who just made plays instinctively.. Rod was a big armed pocket passer whose major flaw was that he was too mechanical and not very instinctive. That said he had the strongest arm and threw the best looking ball of any Pitt starting QB since Marino.

Pickett has a long way to go before he deserves mention in the same sentence as the other 2. The OP and OC will have a lot to do with that.

 

[Pitt-Chains]

If you don’t need recall Rutherford’s arm strength, how can you compare him to Pickett?

Rod had a cannon. Far more arm than Palko or Pickett. . Palko was a gamer, an improvisational football player who just made plays instinctively.. Rod was a big armed pocket passer whose major flaw was that he was too mechanical and not very instinctive. That said he had the strongest arm and threw the best looking ball of any Pitt starting QB since Marino.

Pickett has a long way to go before he deserves mention in the same sentence as the other 2. The OP and OC will have a lot to do with that.

Not disagreeing on the strongest arm.. Tom Savage had strong arm.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

If KP can make decisions quickly, not stare down a receiver, look off a receiver & pump fake he will be fine. His arm strength is fine and he can run when needed.

 

[cashbin99]

If you don’t need recall Rutherford’s arm strength, how can you compare him to Pickett?

Rod had a cannon. Far more arm than Palko or Pickett. . Palko was a gamer, an improvisational football player who just made plays instinctively.. Rod was a big armed pocket passer whose major flaw was that he was too mechanical and not very instinctive. That said he had the strongest arm and threw the best looking ball of any Pitt starting QB since Marino.

Pickett has a long way to go before he deserves mention in the same sentence as the other 2. The OP and OC will have a lot to do with that.

I agree that Rutherford had a strong arm but his accuracy and touch was poor at best. His inaccuracy gave Fitzgerald the opportunity to make highlight catches almost every game.

 

[thebadby2]

I agree that Rutherford had a strong arm but his accuracy and touch was poor at best. His inaccuracy gave Fitzgerald the opportunity to make highlight catches almost every game.

You're not giving Rod his due. He wasn't the most accurate on short and intermediate throws, but he was pretty good with all the throws--and he could get the ball down the field unlike any QB we've had in the past couple of decades, including Savage. I vividly remember him hitting Kris Wilson perfectly in the hands in full stride on 50 yard post patterns multiple times that season. Wilson was very athletic and ran great routes but he had shaky hands and only caught a couple of them. A couple of Wilson's drops on perfect deep were very costly, particularly the one in the first half of the 2002 game at ND that probably cost us the game. . You might not recall that Rod threw for 3700 yards and 37 TDs as a senior, and was first team all BE. He still holds the Pitt single season passing yardage record.

 

[raleighpanther]

Chris recently did a podcast that featured Kenny's private quarterback coach.

One thing really jumped out to me. He said that the previous OC had Kenny going through his progressions from closest receiver to furthest receiver (or something along that line of thought).

He said that Coach Whipple has Kenny going through his progressions the exact opposite, which this coach said is the more traditional way to read a defense.

Someone can correct me if I don't have this exactly correct. But if I do, it is no wonder Kenny was a mess last year.

Kenny Football returns this season...call the ticket office for season tickets!

This is interesting. Pickett didn't pick up open receivers at times last year (this was particularly clear to me at games I was at in person.) The question is, why?

This explanation makes sense, and it puts the blame on the OC rather than the QB, which gives me hope that his 'vision' will improve under Whipple.

For example, one of the first offensive plays of the GT game last year saw Aston break free past the last defender; no defender picked him up. A soft pass over the top and it would've been an easy TD. But Pickett threw a short out, which I think went for about 3 yards. Watson's 'closest to farthest' progression thing explains why it happened. It wasn't Pickett's inability to read the field, he was simply doing what he was coached to do. The short route was open, so he threw it. Under Whipple, Pickett will be looking down the field first (the GT play should go for 6), then coming back in.

 

[TheChair]

Rod had a very strong arm but he broke his wrist a lot when throwing and the balls came out poorly. It felt like he was trying to throw things more like a baseball than football much of the time.

He played with great receiving personnel and a fantastic offensive coach. Larry was every bit if not more the player on O that Donald was on D. He had a lot of advantages that Kenny has seemingly not had yet. But, Rod worked hard and was a good player.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Double digit passing yards
#goals

 

[pbrad]

Well last year was depressing. We thought maybe the next Marino and he looked like the next Tino. If he can get Tino level improvement then I’ll be happy with that.

Hopefully the injury he had was the main issue last year

I would love for him to have Tino like yardage with Picketts toughness. Don't forget Tino threw for 400 yards in a game and his coach called that average.

 

[prlang]

I don't comment often, but I will be shocked if Pickett is the answer. He's had 15 games, of which 12 were average to dreadful. What I saw was a qb who runs into sacks, doesn't see open receivers, doesn't throw the receiver open, and doesn't have a touch to throw the ball over the linebackers and in front of the dbs. I love his intangibles, though, and want nothing more than for him to succeed and pray to God my crow eating starts in the first game against Virginia.

 

[President Stache]

I would love for him to have Tino like yardage with Picketts toughness. Don't forget Tino threw for 400 yards in a game and his coach called that average.

Well, Tino had major issues for years. He did improve nicely though and his last year he was a good QB

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

If pickett has a good year, he will get the comeback player of the century reward with how bad he looked last year.

Lord only knows how Whipples value will sky rocket if he can make picket into a good P5 qb too.

 

[McKee Place]

If pickett has a good year, he will get the comeback player of the century reward with how bad he looked last year.

Lord only knows how Whipples value will sky rocket if he can make picket into a good P5 qb too.

Whipple to LSU

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

Whipple to LSU

He makes a qb out of pickett in one year and he can reach higher then LSU.

 

[McKee Place]

He makes a qb out of pickett in one year and he can reach higher then LSU.

It would figure ...

 

[JoseLind13]

We should quickly find out if Watson’s playbook limited Pickett or rather the playbook was limited by Pickett’s abilities.

Hope is that a year of seasoning and a new OC’s playbook revolutionizes him, but must admit he was awful far too often last year to give a ton of optimism.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

Besides him getting 14 more games under his belt, I don’t see a lot from last year to build on. It would have to be a 180 degree transformation. Watson was such a terrible hire.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Well, Tino had major issues for years. He did improve nicely though and his last year he was a good QB

I’m remembering things differently.
I’m remembering him literally bring the definition of mediocre
The 20-19 record as qb belies that

 

[Jeffburgh]

I never had uber high expectations some had but I figured he could become as good as the guy who just finished up at Syracuse, as they appear to be similar. That still wouldn't be too bad if he can swing that.

I think that is a good comparison, lets mistake prone because the offense will not be as aggressive.

 

[newcfo]

I’m remembering things differently.
I’m remembering him literally bring the definition of mediocre
The 20-19 record as qb belies that

The team he had around him was above average relative to their post-collapse Big East competition.

While he might have thrown for a lot of yards, Turtlin’ Tino was a below average college quarterback and never seemed to have it when it counted.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

I’m remembering things differently.
I’m remembering him literally bring the definition of mediocre
The 20-19 record as qb belies that

I’m thinking he is mixing up stull with Tino.

 

[President Stache]

I’m remembering things differently.
I’m remembering him literally bring the definition of mediocre
The 20-19 record as qb belies that

No, dont get me wrong, I think the 4 years he was at Pitt was among the most excruciating football watching of my life. But after it was said and done and look back at his senior year stats, it made it look like he was a good qb.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

He was never a good QB, and was never even close to being a good QB. The only thing he did well was fold under pressure.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

He was never a good QB, and was never even close to being a good QB. The only thing he did well was fold under pressure.

That’s how I remember it
Completing a 4 yard pass on 3rd and 25 after back to back self sacks seems to be my memory

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

That’s how I remember it
Completing a 4 yard pass on 3rd and 25 after back to back self sacks seems to be my memory

The self sacks and sliding 4 yards short of the 1st down marker made him very durable. I'm trying to remember another QB that would just throw himself on the ground when the defender was still 5 yards away.