Pickett Steelers divorce
- Thread starter HopeandChangeforAntoons
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Colbert was awful toward the end. The sooner we can cut bait with some of his atrocious picks, the better. Pickett is like a 4th round talent. Why continue to drag it out? Texas/Browns fans think Colt McCoy got screwed. USC/Browns fans think Cody Kessler got screwed. But there are way more Pitt fans in Pittsburgh, obviously, so it's augmented 10,000-fold. Everybody saw their guy do it in college and they just "know" he can do it in the pros, too.
Time to find a real quarterback.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
That’s not the point of this debate it’s fair to debate the merits of keeping KP or moving on. It’s a business and the Steelers decided they were better off with Wilson and fields. I personally don’t think they are an upgrade but time will tell
The bullshit part is how the media (perhaps fed by the stillers) and the yinzer fan base trashed KP for not wanting to compete for the job. He saw the hand writing on the wall that the Steelers decided to move on (despite public comments to the contrary). And made a business decision to move on as well and request a trade It’s pretty clear that Wilson was guaranteed to start and the Steelers were infatuated with Fields. KP had zero shot at competing
I’d have more respect for the Steelers had they simply said we need better play from the most important position on the field and we think Wilson and fields provide that. But they either initiated the KP didn’t want to compete story or at the very least have made no attempt to tamp down that nonsense
KP has been very professional through out this saga and kept his mouth shut
You're right, the Steelers hardly played any playoff teams. I'm sure the strength of schedule should clear this up. The Giants ranked 25th in SOS, while the Steelers with a paltry 4th hardest SOS in 2023. I can't remember, is 4th harder than 25th?
Did the missing Giants QB make them one of the worst defenses in the NFL? Did he cause their star RB to leave? Was that why they gave a promotion to their OC who helmed the 30th best offense to keep him from bolting? Is that why they have said if one of the top 4 QBs are available they'll draft him?
Also, saying the Giants offense sucked because of QB issues doesn't clear anything up because Kenny Pickett graded out worse than the Giant's QBs and they still made the playoffs. So just ask yourself, if you were a QB looking for easy competition on a playoff caliber team would you go to the Giants or Steelers if all offers were equal? You know the answer.
You do realize that Colbert didn’t make decisions in a vaccum. Mediocre Mike has his fingerprints on those draft decisions as well
No, none of us realize that because none of us are privy to exactly how their draft process works. Is it probable that Tomlin has a say in the draft process? Absolutely. But there have also been insinuations by people that it was mostly a Colbert thing. At the end of the day, none of us know. But I do know that the first Colbertless draft was the best one in a long time.
Also, hasn't Colbert made remarks to the effect of finding the Steelers their future QB on his way out?
I bet you thought this was clever, but it's actually the exact opposite. He got cut because he AGREED to be the backup. They threatened him that they would bench him as the backup unless he waived his $37 million injury guarantee. He refused to waive it, so he became the backup. Then they cut up to avoid paying that additional $37 million guarantee.
He got cut for accepting being the backup.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
“It definitely hurt. It was a low blow for a bit,” Wilson said of the discussions that came in the middle of Denver's five-game winning streak. “I came here for a reason, and that’s to win more championships." Sounds like a guy that agreed to be the backup.
Slice it any way you want. Dude wasn't signing somewhere to be the backup.
Well I don't disagree with you on most of that, and I am not suggesting that I think he sucks, although I am skeptical that he has what it takes to be a good, long term starting QB at the NFL level. Any new QB would have struggled with his circumstances in Pittsburgh. I really thought when then signed Trubisky then drafted KP right after they had a long game in mind.
Mike probably had more to do with Kenny being here than Colbert. But it's easy to blame the guy who's no longer here. Where have we heard that before..hmmm.
Well...you just contradicted yourself by putting the blame on Colbert's feet in your previous post. Which one is it?
How did I contradict myself? I said Colbert's drafts have sucked, and then I said the first draft after he left didn't suck.
You made it seem like it was a given that Kenny being picked was solely on Colbert - and then you said no one really knows.
Yeah, I don't know with absolute certainty what percentage of the selection should be assigned to Cobert vs Tomlin vs whomever else. Just saying that if you piece certain things together it sure makes it seem like Colbert owned the majority share of the stock in those meetings/decisions.
I think the ultimate what-if game is if you switched Purdy and Pickett for the past 2 years what would the results be?
No problem being skeptical, really an incomplete body of work for Pickett. Didn't start rookie season from the beginning, and had two great finishes to end the season, showing promise. Last season was 7-4 as a starter, although stats weren't great (Mitch was 0-2 in games he finished against two bottom feeders so I put stock in the won-loss column). Then the injury and Tomlins decision to go with a hot hand in Rudolph for remainder of season. So I think the Pickett story was incomplete here and deserved a year with a new OC to see if he indeed had what it takes.
💯 H2P!!!!
They'll be back to the drawing board next year too, because they have a one year band-aid. I know yinzer nation thinks they struck gold with the rejects they signed, but the aren't competing for any championships with these retreads.
Totally agree - it's amazing that the Yinzers are all excited about a guy that was paid $39MM to go away. And the second guy is shipped out as well.
Yeah it's amazing that the Yinzers are celebrating "knowing" that Kenny is bad because now they get to go find someone great. They act like Kenny was the first QB they tried to get to replace Ben and he was uniquely a failure. How about Mason Rudolph? How about Mitch? And now it's not only two rejects but also neither is under contract for 2024. So if either plays even average they're going to back up the truck for him. Silly.
Finding a QB is not easy folks. Look at the Browns jersey with dozens of names on it (and they still haven't found their guy after trading multiple firsts and giving $250 million to a can't-miss player [and a rapist]). As I said many times, you better root for Kenny because there's very little reason to believe the Steelers will easily find the answer in not-Kenny.
That's why I said they're back to the drawing board, rather than saying they've fixed the situation. I worded it exactly how I meant it. Yeah, they'll need to find their guy. But I'd rather be in that situation than married to someone like Daniel Jones indefinitely. Pickett was Mr. Do Just Enough. I'll pass on the Andy Dalton tenure (and frankly, he had work to do to even get to that level).
I hope we suck the next two years, compile some solid young players through the draft, flip Watt into more draft picks, and then hit big on a 2026 QB. Easier said than done? Sure. But at least it gives us a chance to build a championship team. Pickett did not.
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"As I said many times, you better root for Kenny because there's very little reason to believe the Steelers will easily find the answer in not-Kenny."
I have said this many times to people who accuse Pitt fans of blindly supporting Kenny. I wanted Kenny to succeed NOT because he was a Pitt grad, but because if he failed it was back to the drawing board for the Steelers. Failed 1st round QB's set the franchise back. You are investing capital on trying to find someone else.
Having said that, I wish Kenny the best. On the bright side, everybody should be as lucky as Kenny. He's young, rich, handsome, has a beautiful wife and is part of a team that he rooted for as a kid. The best part is he will always be part of the PITT legacy.
Do you think signing Mitch Trubisky to the contract they did was a legit "all-in" attempt to find their guy?! He and Mason Rudolph were peanuts investments. They had so much confidence in Mitch that they still drafted a QB anyway. To act like they were huge swings and misses is beyond insincere. They are 0-1 on finding a QB post-Ben. And frankly that wasn't a colossal investment, either.
Also, everyone likes citing the 49ers because of Purdy. Then let's mention what they gave up to get Jimmy G. and Trey Lance. Because they actually DID go all in on finding a QB. They seem to have recovered from their misses.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
And that was purely luck. Sometimes that's the best way to get something done in sports. Of course a lot of that is prefaced on the fact that the guy is pretty cheap and they can invest better money everywhere else. Great QB's are awesome but exactly none of them win games by themselves.
I hear you, but I think the time investment is as important as anything.
Buccaneers cut bait with Winston, won a Super Bowl not long after.
Eagles parted with Wentz, Super Bowl contenders not long after.
49ers cut bait with Lance, Super Bowl contenders not long after.
Rams cut bait with Goff, won a Super Bowl not long after.
Broncos cut bait with Tebow, won a Super Bowl not long after.
Every situation is unique, but what really kills teams is when they keep waiting for a QB who just doesn't have it to turn into something he isn't - especially when it comes time for that second contract.
I'd rather have absolutely nothing (which means having the hope of getting something in a future draft) than be committed to Prescott, Jones, Carr, and plenty other QBs in this league.
Sounds like you're not so convinced about Kenny's side of it either. I got pushback when I raised this possibility and a snarky response when I asked for elaboration of the Kenny side of it. I loved Kenny at Pitt and would love to be on his side here, but I have questions.
It didn't matter if Pickett was here this year vs. this cast of retreads. They weren't married to him as his cap hit was only $2.6m for 2025. They could release, trade, or keep him as a backup.
They're in virtually the same place they were, so the drawing board is the same.
I agree they won't get better until they hit bottom, but they sure seem content to be 9-8 forever.
You really know how to be not just a jerk, but a "big" jerk.
Nothing, not even Canada, has soured me on the Steelers more than this drama scene.
If true, and I have not read a single rebuttal based on fact, I will root against the Steelers every game.
I’m in business and if I can’t trust the people I work with I leave them or they leave me.
I could write more…
Poison with slow legs and a poor release
You can’t compete when the competition is over. Wilson is the starter.
That’s not competing. That caving.
So all the Steelers' options are:
a) hope a Hall of Fame QB becomes a free agent, wants to play for the Steelers, and then simultaneously have a bunch of Hall of Fame weapons to maximize said QB (Bucs and Broncos);
b) have one of the smartest offensive minds in the NFL as head coach (Rams/Goff and 49ers) and then combine that coaching with an elite QB and multiple Hall of Fame players (Rams/Stafford) or high level QB play and the best overall roster in the NFL (49ers); or
c) get really lucky in the draft with a super talented Day 2 QB, add it to very good offensive coaching and a strong everywhere roster (Eagles).
Sounds pretty easy when you put it that way!
I never said they were huge swings. But they were attempts to address QB, and I think the overall experience with Mitch and Mason were far worse than with Kenny (Mason's final 3 games notwithstanding). Moreover, the Mitch, Mason, and Kenny investments are similar to what will be realistically available to the Steelers. They're never getting a CJ Stroud or Burrow because they're never losing 16 games. So they need smarter coaching to maximize that more middling level player and they obviously don't have that.
The 49ers are a terrible example. Everyone Shanahan has plugged into his system played their career best. He also got to a Super Bowl with Jimmy G. The Steelers don't have anything that makes life that easy for a QB, and under Tomlin they probably never will.
So no free agent or draft pick (let's say between 10 and 20) could possibly duplicate the legendary mystique that is Kenny Pickett? I'm surprised a league full of brilliant football minds (especially the teams that don't have an obvious starting quarterback) doesn't see it that way and he didn't command a lot more trade value.
It's as if he has four years of college football and the better part of two NFL seasons on tape and the best football minds in the world weren't overly impressed.
I honestly don't care who the QB is this season out of Pickett, Wilson, Fields, etc. There was never going to be a great solution. I'm more focused on finding said solution in the next few years.
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