There are 32 teams in the NFL that aren't going to let out their draft plans as they try to draft a talented player to take someone's job. The same could be said about free agency. Coaches and GMs are trying to win games and championships and they'll make the moves they feel necessary to help achieve that goal.
Pickett Steelers divorce
- Thread starter HopeandChangeforAntoons
- Start date
I want Kenny to have a successful career, but the QB should be available to talk to the media at the end of the year. His WRs sulking and wanting the third stringer to start is alarming and the three biggest stars on the team including one of the best defensive players in the league trying to bring Russell Wilson in says a lot.
Who cares? The Steelers upgraded their QB room for very cheap. At the end of the day I root for wins and losses. How honest they are to their backup QBs isn't super important to me.
Here we go again letting the Steelers hijack the message board again with Pitt's spring game 2 days away. The people who blame Kenny will not listen to logic, reasoning, or acknowledge context clues. We've argued about on like 4-5 separate threads to the same conclusions. One thing that can't be argued is the media took every swing possible at chopping Kenny's character down. Anyone who doesn't acknowledge that members of national and local media tried like hell to make this man look like the biggest jerk in NFL history isn't being honest or objective. Anyone unbias person can admit the way Kenny's name was dragged through the mud was excessive, targeted, and malicious. Are the clowns on here talking about "poor little Kenny" what if that was your son, or your nephew, or just your friend. I'm glad Kenny is a strong person because I don't give a 💩 what people say...words hurt. Even when you're a millionaire.
NFL players have murdered people literally and not been talked about as badly as this. The F'ing Pouncey brothers wore free Hernandez shirts🤣. This world is so F'ing backwards.
Where was he supposed to compete? There would have been ZERO competition once wilson signed. Just like there will be no competition between wilson and fields. Why exactly did wilson sign here and not the New York Giants?
It'too bad that Tomlin is such a terrible judge of talent and character. I mean, he saw Kenny for 5 years on the Southside and knew exactly what he drafted. At least that's what he claimed with his "proximity" and "bird's eye" view comments about his leadership, work ethic, and how he conducted himself.
Five years with "proximity" and a "bird's eye" view and he didn't know he was wasting a 1st round pick on an uncompetitive, mediocre, cancer of a QB.
Says more about Tomlin than Pickett.
Five years with "proximity" and a "bird's eye" view and he didn't know he was wasting a 1st round pick on an uncompetitive, mediocre, cancer of a QB.
Says more about Tomlin than Pickett.
Wow. Up past 9? Don’t you have some clouds to yell at early tomorrow, grampy?
I have a feeling when the Steelers are about 7 games into the season & people “suddenly discover” the QB situation is far from solved things are going to get wild…
This should be the headline, not any of the he said/she said stuff.
The most alarming thing for Kenny was the locker room wanted him gone.
Truth is both those dudes are unrestricted free agents. I actually feel bad for Steelers fans. When I was a kid the Steelers were a model of stability. Lately they seem more like the Browns of old... desperate and constantly scrambling and in disarray.
I would discount the wrs.
Your interpreting cam wanting them to sign Wilson as wanting Picket gone and I don’t think that’s true
When Dan Rooney died or at least gave up reigns, the Steelers we all grew up with died.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
Yeah, this observation cuts pretty deep no matter how you view Pickett.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
I remember sitting around in college and making fun of guys that rooted for other NFL fan bases for being completely unhinged.
We'll see at the end of this season. I've speculated that Tomlin is on the hotseat and needs a playoff win to keep his job (Hence the reason to put all his eggs in the Wilson basket). If this does happen (no playoff win and Tomlin is fired) then I'll say there is no more Steeler way and they are no different than all the rest. If Tomlin comes back it is more of the same.
Once again - this thread has all the Steeler hater Pitt fans getting their warm and fuzzies.
So much in common with Nitters. That group had mostly gone silent since the Steelers drafted Conner, but here they come again!
Why wouldn’t a team that has gotten below average QB play for 2 years take a free flyer on Russell Wilson? I love KP, but regardless of circumstances, he just didn’t perform well enough to prevent a team to at least look.
And while I appreciate Masons efforts last year a great deal, of course you would rather take another flyer on Justin Fields.
Pretty easy business decisions. I didn’t love parting with KP, but doubt we would have if he didn’t ask. Still a cheap QB room this year.
So much in common with Nitters. That group had mostly gone silent since the Steelers drafted Conner, but here they come again!
Why wouldn’t a team that has gotten below average QB play for 2 years take a free flyer on Russell Wilson? I love KP, but regardless of circumstances, he just didn’t perform well enough to prevent a team to at least look.
And while I appreciate Masons efforts last year a great deal, of course you would rather take another flyer on Justin Fields.
Pretty easy business decisions. I didn’t love parting with KP, but doubt we would have if he didn’t ask. Still a cheap QB room this year.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
It’s not that heavy. It really isn’t.
There is a small, vocal, minority that hates on him. Mostly your PSU/WVU overlap.
There is another vocal minority that thinks he was done extremely wrong. Mostly the Pitt/non-Steeler overlap.
Like I said - these groups have a lot in common, and thus are dominating the conversation.
Most fans just want the team to have good QB play, and wish Kenny the best. That isn’t mutually exclusive
If that were true you wouldn't see article after article about him on Steelers platforms. There is a freaking article on several Steelers platforms and Steelers color commentators posting about him getting a new number. Some people are just obsessed and don't want to let go of their punching bag. I lost all respect for the Steelers after they way they treated him. The Steelers had players accused of rape, drug use, James Harrison literally quit on the team and slept through team meeting and didn't get this type of BS and treatment. I hear you but this crap was absolutely personal, because Kenny did nothing to deserve all the 💩 they gave him publicly and behind closed doors through puppets like Gerry Poohlac🤢
Once again you are missing the point. Most people criticizing the Steelers and or supporting Picket are not questioning the Steelers right to look to upgrade the position nor the fact that there are still question marks about KPs prospects. The issue is how KP has been trashed for alledgedly refusing to compete for the starting job.
So to summarize
1. I doubt most would argue that bringing in Wilson in to "Compete" for the job was probably the right thing to do
2. I doubt most would argue that the Jury is still out on KP. He did some really good things most rookie or young QBs dont do (late game drives with key throws) and he also has some weaknesses that are serous concerns about whether or not he can lead a team.
3. Theres a legitimate argument to be made that few QBs would have performed well with Canada as an OC and the state of the OL early on before they plugged the rookie in at RT.
4. Theres no debating KP requested a trade.
The real question and what is up for debate is.........
1. Did the Steelers guarantee the starting role to Wilson?
2. Given the reported interest by the Steelers in FIelds even before they signed Wilson, did they decide to move on from KP even before he asked to be traded.
IMO, given what's been reported about WIlson, its unlikely he would sign with any team unless he was told he was going to be the man.
I'll add further that I think the Steelers wanted KP to be asked to be traded. As I said I think the Steelers decided they made a mistake and wanted to move on. They were infatuated with FIelds but knew they couldnt sign him AND keep PIckett. So I do think they told KP that WIlson was going to be the starter and knew KP would not want to sit behind Wilson and would request a trade. (ie the classic move of making life so miserable for an employee that they choose to leave so you dont have to fire them) The fact that it didnt take long to get Fields tends to confirm that.
Picket saw the handwriting on the wall and requested the trade. I think both parties acted in their own best interest. You may question whether or not that was a good decision in both cases but there is nothing overly nefarious or negative in either decision,
Again what is bullshit IMO is the crap out there (and allegedly fed by the Steelers) that KP didnt want to compete and quit. If the organization is sending clear signals they dont want you around what would you do? I think all KP wanted was a fare shot at earning the starting job. If your're going to be relegated to be a back up why not go somewhere where you are wanted?
IMO how the steelers fill the holes on offense and whether or not this OC is any better than Canada is as important to their success on offense this year as how either Wilson or Fields perform. I personally dont think either is a huge upgrade over Picket
I’ve been saying for the past three years that the way that they handled Mason Rudolph, and how they are dishonest with how they do business is a turn off to real high character players, who signed here only to find out that they were lied to. I told everybody that Mike Tomlin just is not good at evaluating QB play and his “process “would eventually waste team assets and expose his lack of coaching ability. I’m glad now I’m vindicated because the fan base really was under the impression all these years that the problem was Mason or Kenny or some of the other guys who got screwed over but its all Tomlin.
Again recruiting a guy to come in and compete is a lot different than wanting KP out. Its rare for a team to get through a season with just one QB. You need someone to step in and not be a huge drop off (see MItch). So it makes sense they'd want a proven vet especially given KPs injury history. Ive read nothing that indicates that these guys wanted KP out
It didn't sound like they wanted him to just come in and "compete." Also, not 1 teammate defended him when they said he refused to dress. Most seemed like they were relieved Mason was now the starter.
I still think it’s a minority that’s trashing him. I can still like and respect him while still feeling like overplayed his hand.
I don’t think they deliberately wanted him to be “asked to be traded”. First - they could trade him anyway. And second - that diminishes his value because it increases the urgency to move him.
It’s a fine line between “refusing to compete” and “not wanting to start as the backup”. I get why he didn’t like it. But it was a response on his part where in his mind he would go to a situation to compete to be a starter. The market really wasn’t there for him. Otherwise - he would be on that team and the Steelers would have more trade value in return.
I do think the jury is still out because his ability to make plays to win games. But we are more optimistic than the NFL trade market was. He also has looked overmatched and anxious. I think The physicality of the league has been a problem
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How did they “handle Mason Rudolph”? He had tons of opportunity in 2019. He got beat out by a duck caller. He had an opportunity in 2021. He struggled.. He did I nice job last year. I appreciated his efforts. He isn’t a high end NFL starter.
Are you really…with a straight face…saying that these are really good NFL QBs that just had a bad head coach?
This is all backwards. Tomlins relative recent success is what prevented them for years to draft high enough to more easily replace Ben. And his lack of a QB is a big reason for the recent playoff win drought. It’s been a post- “prime” Ben vicious cycle.
So it’s not the “evaluation”, it’s the draft positions they have had. Kahn took a swing to shake this up.
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That's laughable. The Steelers had one of the most prolific offenses for years and didn't win 💩. Mediocre Mike has been greatly outperformed by his arch nemesis John Harbaugh. By the way they got Lamar at the end of the first round so spare me the he couldn't get a good QB. They traded up to the 10th pic to get Devin Bush🤣🤣🤣🤣. Y'all crack me up man for real. I get it Mike Tomlin is a nice guy. I heard him share his story at a religious event. I respect him as a person, but don't respect him as a leader. Any leader who has different rules for different players instantly loses credibility for me.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
The "relative success" with a HOF QB is what makes me question Tomlin's coaching. I mean, even wasting a pick on Rudolph was pretty stupid considering what they needed in that draft to make a run at a championship. They couldn't even go and get Ben a center when there was a draft full of very high quality guys. So "relative success" isn't really why the Steelers are sitting where they're at today. A lot of this mess would be a lot more forgivable and a lot less open to criticism if Tomlin could have won when he did have something. Now he's being asked to do more with less and a lot of people seem confused as to why many of us have our doubts.
Defend what? What teammates are going to get involved with what medical, training, coaches and players are discussing about a player's injury and availability? This is one of the dumbest lines of thought propagated by the media. It's about as solid a take as they didn't say anything negative about him either, so it's all good.
When football administration and coaches start making decisions based on the wants of a few player, it's not a good thing. Maybe the 3 guys you mentioned earlier, who eat up 40% of the Steeler's cap - two of which have never won a playoff game in their career, should just shut up and play football.
Then you won’t like many if any NFL coaches. Or coaches at any level. If you don’t think star players get treated differently then the ham and eggers you’re sadly mistaken.
I don’t think anyone was arguing for what this person is arguing against. I think the genuine argument has already been hashed out on this site concerning KP and the Steelers.
The sports media doesn’t have much to write about now so they want to squeeze more juice out of a mostly dry story and this guy is obviously bored.
As Tomlin says, "I’ll admit it: I didn’t treat everybody equally. Sometimes I enforced the rules subjectively."
oh wait...that was Bill Cowher.
Maybe it was, “I treat everyone the same – differently.”
ohh wait...that was Jimmy Johnson.
I got it. Tomlin said this "I have no interest in being consistent. That's not what my objective is. My objective is to be right, and to have it turn out right — first for the Dallas Cowboys and secondly sometimes, hopefully, for the individual involved."
or was the Bill Parcells?
But Tomlin definitely said, "I need to treat everybody fairly, but fair doesn't always mean equal."
Nope, I was wrong. That was Tony Dungy.
Well anyway, what do any of them know about coaching?
They “ handled Mason Rudolph “ this way……
1. Draft him to play QB while the GM and coach have a fundamental divide on what attributes a QB needs so when he is drafted the coach can’t wait for him to fail because he isn’t his guy anyways since Colbert has the final say
2. Not give a rookie qb a qb coach his first 2 years in the league
3. Bench him after 6 bad quarters of football
4. Not have him play under a legitimate OC in his NFL career. No OC Tomlin hired while Mason was a here had NFL play calling experience.
5. Lie to him about a competition in 2022
6. Watch Mason OUTPLAY Trubisky and Pickett in training camp and not give him first team reps to show he was the better QB when he had shown it ALL OF TRAINING CAMP AND OTA’S IN 2022
7. WATCH HIM OUTPLAY EVEN BEN’S FINAL FEW GAMES AND LIE AGAIN ABOUT A CONTRACT
And yes……….Mason could’ve been a good QB but Tomlin is a bad head coach when it comes to establishing an offensive identity. Tomlin never evaluated his QB based on play he did it based on attributes and a flawed evaluation of 2019 when NO QB IN THE NFL COULDVE SUCCEEDED WITH THE STEELERS RECEIVERS THAT YEAR.
But hey keep claiming Tomlin is a good coach while he doesn’t win playoff games
Regarding the last part for sure being antsy in the pocket was a problem earlier in his career at Pitt. But that also was when he didn’t have the talent to throw to and the Ol was a mess.
My point is qbs look overmatched and anxious when they can’t trust their OL and get earholed frequently. What’s intersting is that when the game was on the line he had the composure to hang in there and didn’t look over matched. It may also have been when they (Tomlin and Canada) took the training wheels off and allowed him to be more aggressive. Bens stats were significantly better in the fourth quarter as well indicating a trend
I don’t think he can be a “franchise” qb who can carry a team like Ben (those are few and far between) I do think he can win championships if he has the talent around him I think he can be a cousins type qb But we’ll have to wait to find out
I also think Canada was a huge wet blanket on his performance. He improved significantly in the first game without him and was playing well in the arizona game
Small sample size for sure but combined with his late game performance it indicates there is some upside
Yup. They didn’t adress the OL when he was aging and wasn’t as mobile. They also swung and missed at the wr position His best receiver later in his career after AB went off the reservation was drops Johnson When you think about it it’s a testament to how good Ben was that the offense wasn’t Absolutely putrid later in his career
Here's my diatribe.
Seems clear that Tomlin was very spoiled by BR and never really had to learn anything about developing young QBs. People dismissed it a few years back when Glazer said Tomlin would prefer a vet FA over a rookie QB, but we probably should have been paying attention. While they wouldn't have drafted KP without Tomlin's approval, I still get the feeling that Colbert championed it. So it doesn't surprise me that Tomlin glommed on to RW. Wilson will do his thing and manage his thing like BR did, no babysitting required.
Tomlin wants to win now and may actually need to more than ever in order to keep his job. Thing is, Wilson and Fields are guys who are more likely to get you fired IMO...the team isn't a SB contender just by adding those guys. And I think the offseason has been kinda schizo with making the big FA acquisition an ILB even as they lack a starting center and a second starting-caliber WR. Exactly how much do they need to spend on defense to make it work?
I mean, I get why some aging vets on defense chased after Wilson. They're looking at careers with little to no playoff success, so they'll jump at the Russell Wilson show coming to town flashing his ring. But IMO the organization really needs to almost be looking past guys like Heyward and Watt at this point. If KP wasn't the guy, fine, but then draft the new young king and be patient as you build around him. If the old guys don't like it, fine...they can leave or be moved. I think the franchise needs a legit direction and long-range plan.
Edit: I actually think KP is a great spot for a career reset. He's playing on a talented team with an offensive-minded head coach, with much better weapons around him if he has to step in. And he and his wife are close to home. I'm happy for him.
Seems clear that Tomlin was very spoiled by BR and never really had to learn anything about developing young QBs. People dismissed it a few years back when Glazer said Tomlin would prefer a vet FA over a rookie QB, but we probably should have been paying attention. While they wouldn't have drafted KP without Tomlin's approval, I still get the feeling that Colbert championed it. So it doesn't surprise me that Tomlin glommed on to RW. Wilson will do his thing and manage his thing like BR did, no babysitting required.
Tomlin wants to win now and may actually need to more than ever in order to keep his job. Thing is, Wilson and Fields are guys who are more likely to get you fired IMO...the team isn't a SB contender just by adding those guys. And I think the offseason has been kinda schizo with making the big FA acquisition an ILB even as they lack a starting center and a second starting-caliber WR. Exactly how much do they need to spend on defense to make it work?
I mean, I get why some aging vets on defense chased after Wilson. They're looking at careers with little to no playoff success, so they'll jump at the Russell Wilson show coming to town flashing his ring. But IMO the organization really needs to almost be looking past guys like Heyward and Watt at this point. If KP wasn't the guy, fine, but then draft the new young king and be patient as you build around him. If the old guys don't like it, fine...they can leave or be moved. I think the franchise needs a legit direction and long-range plan.
Edit: I actually think KP is a great spot for a career reset. He's playing on a talented team with an offensive-minded head coach, with much better weapons around him if he has to step in. And he and his wife are close to home. I'm happy for him.
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