Here’s what we know after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason win over Seattle Saturday night. All three quarterbacks had some really positive moments. All three quarterbacks had some less than positive moments as well. So what does that mean? It means that you should draw no conclusions from anything you saw despite the good feelings and general overreactions coming from everywhere.
The idea that Kenny Pickett did enough to supplant Mason Rudolph as the backup in one game is a huge overreach. Yes, Pickett made plays. He made throws and he showed the ability to turn chicken crap into chicken salad with his legs. But let’s take a breath here. He accomplished this largely against guys who probably will not make an NFL roster come September. It was an instant reminder of what we saw from the late Dwayne Haskins last year. He played very well in the opening preseason games and then he got a shot in the finale against starters in Carolina. It didn’t go well and Rudolph remained the backup.
For his part last night, Rudolph made some good throws. He showed he could get out of the pocket and use his legs but he also threw two balls that should have been picked. We know at this point in his career exactly what he offers and it hasn’t changed much. However, his experience continues to give him the advantage over Pickett. Again I have to remind you that this is ONE GAME.
Mike Tomlin would love nothing more than to see Pickett play well against better competition in the next two weeks. He and Omar Khan would then be able to shop Mason Rudolph and get some draft capital for him even if it’s a late round pick. While there’s just two games left to decide all of this, those provide way more evidence than just one game does.
Coaches have to look at the tape and consider offensive line play, receiver play and what the defense was doing. There’s way more that goes into this than some throws and scrambles from the pocket. Most fans unfortunately don’t realize this and are more than willing to slap labels on guys. It’s part social media and part ‘rush to judgment.’ It is what it is but I guarantee Mike Tomlin hasn’t made anything close to a decision yet and we shouldn’t either.
Feature image courtesy washingtonpost.com
