The Steelers have become a dysfunctional franchise in all areas. Steelers fans are also delusional. I hate the fact that they failed to admit their errors and made Pickett and Canada the scapegoats for a lot of glaring issues. I take great pleasure in their failures because they hide behind their past and the Rooney way. I surely hope the Bengals have something to play for next Sunday😈
Maybe Kenny Pickett wasn’t the issue
- Thread starter KennyHeisman8
- Start date
I have read your posts for a while. You are far too intelligent to post such a simpleton statement. Kenny is in a much better situation, happy, and with a fanbase that supports him. Did you hear that crowd when he went in at halftime? They love him there and have accepted him as one of their own. Don't worry maybe Russ and Ciara will take a selfie with you🤪.
You've got me all wrong. I'm happy for Pickett, he gave me the best season of Pitt football in my life. I hope he goes on to have tons of success in the NFL (preferably not in Philly, or the AFC North). I hope his name goes up there with Marino in the halls of Pitt QBs in the NFL.
It's how he went out that disappoints me. Sure, he didn't come into the best situation. But he could have stayed in Pittsburgh, competed for that spot, if he didn't win it then spend a year learning behind one of the greats of this generation. Then in 2025 taken over my hometown team. He didn't blow people away, definitely didn't do enough to guarantee his starting job in Pittsburgh. If Tomlin didn't bring someone else in to compete, it'd have been malpractice. Kenny was comfortable competing again known commodities and backups, not a borderline future HOF'er. But Kenny made his demand, knowing that it's Tomlin's policy to trade anyone that puts him in that position. I'll always be bitter about it, make my snide comments when the opportunity presents itself, but I'll still root for the kid (provided he gets out of Philly and the AFC North).
They will. The Steelers with Rooney/Tomlin are about as relevant to the NFL playoffs as Pitt is to the CFB.
People are calling Pickett fragile yet he practiced all week and played today with broken ribs
Maybe find another guy to pile on Stillers fans.
Every narrative is aging like milk
Maybe find another guy to pile on Stillers fans.
Every narrative is aging like milk
Kenny had a rushing TD too. He also made an incredible play on a TD that was called back for holding. It was the same play he got injured.
I’ve talked trash on Kenny more than anybody on this board. I called him garbage his first 3 1/2 years here at Pitt. But……when he was coming out in the draft i said he would be a good fit for a team that needed a system QB. I said if your not a team that you know your offensive scheme works don’t draft him but if your a team with a scheme that you know works he could be a starter immediately and possible a career starter ( Jake Delhomme, Matt Hasselbeck, Mark Brunnell etc.). The Steelers are so incompetent they drafted a borderline starter to a team with a OC with NO NFL PLAYCALLING EXPERIENCE. And this is a practice with Tomlin ( see Mason Rudolph with Fikner ). For the sake of his career Kenny had to get away from the stupidity of the Tomlin regime when it comes to QB play. I can’t blame him for wanting out and i think most offensive guys should want out. And I was the most critical of Kenny in college but he got screwed by the Steelers incompetent plan of developing QB’s
My Pitt brother. I fear you have been taken for a ride by Pittsburgh media. These fellows lie or run with BS stories all the time. I bet you still believe he refused to suit up against Seattle as well even though the sat on the bench all year with a smile and played with broken ribs and stayed suited up as the emergency QB after getting hit again!! Dude the media even tried to lie on Cam Heyward.....problem is he clapped back. Like I said you strike me as a smart dude. Don't drink the Steelers Kool Aid. There was never going to be a competition. Fields now knows that as well. This isn't our Dad's Steelers anymore. Anywho Happy New Year my friend. Perhaps Eli will give us something to cheer collectively about next season.
This blaming Pickett for the Steelers woes is pathetic. No, he wasn't the answer. But he sure as he'll wasn't the problem either. They had a hall of fame QB before him and like Pickett, everyone wanted to blame all the Steelers problems on Roethlisberger's age. Meanwhile, Brady was still winning Super Bowls.
The Steelers haven't won a playoff game in eight years. That is the longest drought since before Chuck Noll.
When they got rid of Pickett and brought in Fields and Wilson, everyone began to believe for some odd reason we were a team that was ready to go deep in the playoffs. Then when we began to win, beating absolutely no one, people thought we were a Super Bowl team. Our signature win this year is Baltimore where we won on six field goals. Yeah, Washington was a good win, but look at our last three games and then look where the team is now. Blaming one another and arguing. We will see how they respond next week, but right now I see pretty much the same team I've seen since the end of the Roethlisberger years and it's comical to me that people still blame Pickett for how they suck now. He hasn't worn a Steeler uniform in a year.
The Steelers haven't won a playoff game in eight years. That is the longest drought since before Chuck Noll.
When they got rid of Pickett and brought in Fields and Wilson, everyone began to believe for some odd reason we were a team that was ready to go deep in the playoffs. Then when we began to win, beating absolutely no one, people thought we were a Super Bowl team. Our signature win this year is Baltimore where we won on six field goals. Yeah, Washington was a good win, but look at our last three games and then look where the team is now. Blaming one another and arguing. We will see how they respond next week, but right now I see pretty much the same team I've seen since the end of the Roethlisberger years and it's comical to me that people still blame Pickett for how they suck now. He hasn't worn a Steeler uniform in a year.
I don't think anybody blamed Pickett for all the Steelers' problems or thought Fields/Wilson would get us deep into the playoffs. If anything, I've been pleasantly surprised with Fields and Wilson. I thought this could be the year Mike T's streak came to an end. But, alas: the legend lives on.
How's that working out at Houston? They hired someone that's never called plays in any offense at any level and drafted Stroud that season. Oh, Stroud's thrown for 7,000+ yards in two seasons. Houston must be incompetent.
How'd that work out with the Chargers? They hired someone that never called plays in any offense at any level and drafted Justin Herbert that same season. Oh, he won a Rookie of the Year award, made the Pro Bowl, and was top 10 in MVP votes? Typical Chargers incompetence.
How'd that work out with Arizona? They hired a Head Coach that called his own plays, but never coached at any capacity, let alone called plays in the NFL. Oh, Kyler Murray won Rookie of the Year and made two straight Pro Bowls?
The Steelers drafted a Heisman Trophy finalist because he played at Pitt and they didn't want to make another Marino mistake. If Kenny played for Rutgers and had the same success, he never would have been drafted by the Steelers in the first round. He wasn't even drafted to start his rookie season, that's why they brought in Trubisky, a QB with 29 wins in 50 starts and a Pro Bowl over the previous 6 seasons.
that's a good one, competed for the spot. There would have been no competition. Tull & Heyward predetermined that a long time ago.
It's as if people don't know that Wilson was promised to be the starter after Pickett and Rudolph were told they would compete for the job. Pittsburgh Steelers media successful.
Wasn't even all about the state line either which was decent. But if you watched the game, handful of his passes where on absolute dime point. I've like many here watched every game of his Pitt career and seen what he could do. Definitely didn't see that confidence and Moxy in Pittsburgh, feel like Canada or Tomlin messed up not adapting to the players needs or ability. I mean I know I sound like a typical Pitt fan, but same thing happened with James Conner, bunch outside rub plays or designed pass plays to him. I just want to know who watched his college film and thought, yeah this guy is an amazing outside zone runner who can catch the ball?
Kenny will have a nice long career as a back-up at worst. Ryan Fitzmagic type I feel, get some shots due to injury and make some buzz.
Kenny will have a nice long career as a back-up at worst. Ryan Fitzmagic type I feel, get some shots due to injury and make some buzz.
Kenny's first pass in the NFL was a deep interception. Not a poorly thrown ball. Certainly catchable. I have a feeling he was told to never try that throw again. He was Cavanaughed.
With CJ Stroud now that that offense is on film he has struggled this year and will continue to struggle moving forward. Justin Herbert hit a plateau once teams had film of that offense and now is starting over. Kyler Murray will NEVER win a Super Bowl and he can only beat certain teams. You know that the standard for determining if an offense works is NOT one year or even 2. Let’s see them do it for 3-4 years. Then you know a scheme works. EVERY SEASONED COACH AND GM KNOWS YOU CAN LOOK GOOD WHEN NO ONE HAS FILM ON YOU. But that is why sustained success is so elusive and the guys who can adapt (Andy Reid, Sean Payton, ) can always do it. To know if a scheme works show me a body of work for 4 years.
Herbert is still very good. He had a bit of the anti-clutch gene, which the entire Chargers organization has had for years. Jim Harbaugh was a terrific hire for that team and for Herbert.
Or……… he never learned how to properly be able to take with defenses gave him because the system that he was in wasn’t a proven system. There is no reason why Brock Purdy should’ve gotten into more postseason championship games than him at this point in his career. And Brock Purdy is the very definition of a system quarterback. The main point is would you rather have a long time NFL OC like Norv Turner molding your quarterback? Or a guy who doesn’t have a track record of doing it?? this is why I’ve been saying ever since Mike Tomlin fired Todd Haley that he needs to do a better job of hiring coordinators who can teach young quarterbacks to play
I think just about everyone is saying this. I don't know anyone who trusts Tomlin's ability to develop a young QB, that's why he had to go out and get a QB like Wilson. It took a new GM to hit the reset button on how the team builds, it'll probably take a new head coach to properly usher in a young QB because I don't trust Tomlin or his offensive staff to achieve this.
Lol, yeah Herbert hit the plateau, which is why he's having arguably his best year of his career with an offensive line that makes Pittsburgh's look like All-Pros. I wish the Steelers could get a QB that hit his plateau at 3,500 yards, 20+ TDs, 3 INTs, and a 99.9 Passer Rating.
Say what you want about the other two, but both of them are easily top half of the league QBs and probably scored more Touchdowns in their first 8 games than Kenny had in two years.
You can also add Joe Burrow to that list (sorta). They hired a Head Coach, who is also their play caller, that only called plays for 1 month in the NFL as the QB Coach after both his Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator were fired, leaving him to call plays for the Dolphins during the month of December. He also hired an Offensive Coordinator that has zero play calling experience in the NFL to work under him.
My point was that the Steelers bringing in a fresh play caller for a rookie QB is basically the norm right now in the NFL. Teams are hiring semi-successful Offensive Coordinators as Head Coaches as fast as they can be produced. So almost every team is looking for that fresh, new OC that had some success in college or as a Passing Game Coordinator under some young offensive Head Coach.
You must have been living under a rock.
CJ is struggling because his offensive line is a turnstile and he lost his two best WRs early - Diggs for the season and Collins for a some weeks and now Tank Dell for the season. If the Steelers come here they are going to get smoked because the Texans have young smart coaches that can scheme them to death.
Bs. Everything was lumped on him. Stop being a cult member.
These are not good comparisons.
Houston's offense has regressed badly in year 2 of Bobby Slowik. Stroud is top 5 in sack rate and leads the NFL in 3rd and 8+ rate. Through 1.5 seasons, Slowik is on the hot seat and is probably fired after 2025 unless Slowik drastically returns to form. And at least Slowik came from the NFL - the 49ers - and an extremely successful unit known for creating good OCs at that. Stroud also went #2 overall and many thought he was the better QB prospect.
Steichen was at least in the NFL already, unlike Canada. He was so successful he not only got another OC job and a Super Bowl appearance but was promoted to HC. Canada never held ANY job in the NFL before or since the Steelers. Herbert went 6th overall in a class where BOTH of the QBs taken above him have now led the entire NFL in passing.
Kingsbury not only was a successful college OC but also a successful college HC. Way more accomplished than Canada's less than 3 years OC experience and interim HC. Kyler Murray went #1 overall and was the best QB prospect in several classes prior to being drafted.
The Steelers' hire of Matt Canada wasn't bad because he didn't have any playcalling experience, it's that he was also inexperienced overall. He was fired from LSU and basically fired from Maryland as well. Had no NFL experience at all and was never a college HC either. He was a terrible fit for a rookie QB.
Kenny also didn't get near the draft capital of any of these guys. Herbert - the lowest rated guy on the list - might have gone #1 overall in Kenny's class. It's just a ridiculous comparison to say that "well better coaches and better players worked out for these other teams so it wasn't a stupid idea for the Steelers." Yes it was. Canada was not a serious choice in general and certainly not for a prospect like Kenny who probably tops out as a starter only with elite coaching around him. As we saw with Mason Rudolph and Mitch, the offensive infrastructure in Pittsburgh in 2021-2023 made literally every single QB who played in it a worse version of their baseline.
I agree with a lot of what you're saying. But his argument was that pairing Kenny with someone that hasn't called plays in the NFL is a sign of Steelers' incompetence. Sure the person they picked is, but they were following a practice that is exceedingly common in the NFL.
Kingsbury was absolutely not a "successful college HC." He got fired because he never won more than 8 games and had a losing record 4 out of his 6 seasons, including the final 3 straight seasons.
I agree their offense was a mess, that Canada sucked, that the Steelers drafted Pickett too early, that those QBs that I mentioned are better than Kenny. But teams that draft a QB in the 1st round don't typically have all of their pieces in place. Saying that Kenny only tops out as a starter with elite coaching isn't much of a defense. There are a ton of QBs drafted every year that would fit into that category. Also, what is Mason's baseline, when has he shown it, with what team, what year? Because he certainly isn't doing better in Tennessee this season. What's Kenny's NFL baseline, when has he shown it, with what team, what year?
Kenny Pickett was a 3rd-4th round QB flier taken way too soon because he's a hometown Heisman finalist. Blame Marino and blame Kevin Colbert for wanting a legacy pick for thinking Kenny was better than he is. But none of that changes the fact that he quit and demanded to be traded.
I wonder how many people on here would take Eli's side if Narduzzi brought in, say, Maryland's starting QB on a $25 NIL deal and Holstein immediately entered the portal.
there's a big difference between bringing in someone unproven at a specific "role" and someone unproven in the NFL.
there's a major difference between hiring an unproven OC that was in an organization with a high-powered offense vs. hiring a guy who never had any business being in the NFL.
I would take Eli’s side? It was clear Russ was going to be the starter. I’d feel betrayed and want out.
You also are ignoring that cam heyward, the team leader, was lobbying for Wilson. Thats a fairly hostile environment
Kingsbury went from college HC to NFL HC. That's success. His teams were prolific on offense (top 10 in scoring twice) and literally dead last in points allowed. But he was hired specifically to mentor Kyler and call plays for the Cardinals. He was good at both things. Kyler got extended and the Cardinals had good offenses. So your point that his defenses at Texas Tech sucked has no bearing for this conversation.
"System starter" is literally where QBs picked 22nd go. Hell, it's where QBs picked 12th go. Guys drafted in the top 5 are so talented they are expected to elevate the entire infrastructure. Nobody - not even his defenders - thought Kenny was that guy. But as we saw in the 6 quarters without Canada and in the two games in Philly, Kenny was a better player than most perceive him to be. It's unfortunate that he was saddled with the literal worst OC in modern NFL history, a WR1 that literally nobody in the NFL seems to want, and an offensive line that saw 4/5 of it replaced over Kenny's two seasons.
Are you being obtuse about the baselines? Kenny's and Mason's baseline are the post-Canada Steelers. They literally played in the exact same environment except minus Canada. Both played much better.
Kenny was not a 3rd or 4th round QB flier. He had plus tools and was graded as a 1st round pick by all major scouting services that I saw, including the NFL and ESPN. Moreover, to the extent that he was overdrafted by 2-3 rounds, again that's on the Steelers - a multi-billion dollar organization constantly held up as the gold standard for the entire league - and not on him.
I don't even know what your last point is about. I literally can't even understand it or how it relates to this conversation.
Overall, you're way off base here. Idk if you can't be objective about Kenny or you just don't know much about football but your facts and analysis are both really lacking. The Steelers put themselves in a terrible situation post-Ben. They drafted terribly (Najee and Pat F especially), hired terribly, put their franchise QB in a terrible scheme (and he was still the best QB on the roster by W/L and if you only look at his post-Canada numbers he played evenly with Mason) and then chased him out of town for two retreads who proceeded to turn in the exact same kind of season they gave up on Kenny for (with maybe a charity win against the lowly Texans to finally break Tomlin's decade long playoff win drought). Neither of those guys are even signed for 2025. There's a very good chance they give 36 year old Russell Wilson $35 million per year to keep this Hospice charade going for two more seasons. It's laughable at this point.
Kenny had a really nice game but the only thing people will remember is one of the most embarrassing plays by a qb this year as he tackled himself faking a throw. That’s the replay I keep seeing
Really? Which decade are we talking about where 1st round pick QBs sit their first year or two?
Certainly not the 2020s...2010s maybe?
Let's see how your statement holds up with Pickett's contemporaries.
2024
Caleb Williams - Nope
Jayden Daniels - Nope
Drake Maye - Nope
Michael Penix - Nope
JJ McCarthy - Was slated to start until season-ending injury
Bo Nix - Nope
2023
Bryce Young - Nope
CJ Stroud - Nope
Anthony Richardson - Nope (Started first 4 games but got injured)
2021
Trevor Lawrence - Nope
Zach Wilson - Nope
Trey Lance - Kinda (His rookie season was riddled with injuries, then started the first 2 games his sophomore season before a season ending injury)
Justin Fields - Nope
Mac Jones - Nope
2020
Joe Burrow - Nope
Tua Tagovailoa - Nope
Justin Herbert - Nope
Jordan Love - YAY!!! We found one!!!
So there you go. Out of the 18 1st round QBs taken in this decade, 1 fits your declaration. I'm not math wiz, but I'd categorize 1 out of 19 (including Pickett) as pretty uncommon.
Maye sat - they brought in Brissett
Penix sat - they brought in Cousins
JJ sat - they brought in Darnold
that's three this year .. why does it matter if the plan worked or not? that was the intention.
the teams that didn't have the intent to bench the rookie QB
Bears, Commanders, Broncos, Panthers, Colts, Jags, Jets, Bengals, Dolphins, Chargers, Pats
besides, the pats, not really a list you want to be associated with and the Pats haven't been remotely relevant since Brady left.
if you're serious about winning football games and know how to win football games, you don't throw rookie QBs into the fire day one. There's very few that swim. The ones that do, end up being great.
I don't know why you're arguing against points that I didn't originally make. Did Kingsbury call plays in the NFL before being hired to call plays for a rookie QB? No...argument over. That's literally the only point I made, I didn't make an argument as to his abilities or college success. The OP made a statement about how ridiculous it is for Pittsburgh to hire someone to call plays that never did so before in the NFL. I feel like I just told someone the Earth isn't flat and you jumped in to argue how Jupiter is cooler looking.
But sure, I'm bored today and not much is happening for work so let's play this out.
Where you going with those goalposts bruh? Would you like me to quote where you called him a "successful college Head Coach"? Is getting fired after 3 straight losing seasons what you would classify as a successful college head coach? Did I say anything about his defenses? Did you say he called the offense successfully at Texas Tech, or did you claim he was a successful Head Coach? I'm confused, am I supposed to be reading what you write or should I just wait until you decide later what point you're making?
Also, saying he went from college HC to NFL HC as your proof of success. Well Canada went from a college OC to an NFL OC, so I guess that's also success. "But hey," you say, "Matt Canada got fired and had to take an offensive assistant job before he became an NFL OC." Kingsbury spent a year as an "Offensive Analyst".
Kenny started one game without Canada against the 28th ranked passing defense. Sure he had a good game, but one game isn't a baseline, it's a data point. But remind me how many Touchdowns Kenny had in this incredible, breakout performance?
Mason started one game with Canada as OC. He had 242 yards with 1 TD 1 INT.
In the 3 games he started without Canada he averaged 239 yards and 1 TD.
This season as a starter Rudolph is averaging 229 yards 1.5 TDs and 1.5 INT.
Wait...let's go back to 2019 before Canada. Rudolph started and finished 7 games. He averaged 239 yards, 1.7 TDs and 1.2 INTs.
This might have been my most unfair criticism and I'll move the goalpost myself a little, because I did not make my point clearly. But if Pickett had been in the 2021 Draft Class or the 2023 Draft Class I doubt he'd have graded out in the 1st round. I also do blame Colbert and the organization for picking him, but I was excited that they did. I wanted to see him be successful as a Steeler.
I don't blame him at all for his performance, he was in a bad situation. He was stuck with a bad hand, but he ran away at his first opportunity to do so and save face. When the Steelers brought in the former All-Pro veteran, who showed he was eager to mentor and compete with Pickett, he ran. I thank him for this time at Pitt and hope he makes a ton of money and does well in the NFL, but he ran.
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