I’m guessing Kenny Pickett probably didn’t think much about being in front of a lot of microphones and cameras heading into week 18 of the 2023 season. As the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers it’s a weekly rite of passage. I’m also guessing that Pickett didn’t think he’d be addressing the media as the backup quarterback for week 18 either. That’s where he found himself this morning in what I can only imagine was pretty darn uncomfortable.
First and foremost, Pickett needed to get out front on the rumors that he refused to be the backup QB on Sunday in Seattle after finding out he wasn’t starting. He claims that wasn’t true and instead he explained that the trainers didn’t believe he was ready to go. Thus, he didn’t dress for the game and Mitchell Trubisky was the number 2. Like any competitor, Pickett isn’t thrilled with his current predicament.
There’s always been a long-held mantra in football that a starter can’t lose his starting job due to injury and that could not be any less true. Pickett’s injury was real. It led to surgery and rehab but when the guy who replaces you is substantially better, you don’t get your job back. This has gone on for much longer than people seem to recall.
Let’s assume for a moment that Pickett never suffered this injury and instead Mike Tomlin made the change to Mason Rudolph simply because Pickett (and Trubisky) wasn’t producing. Would that change your perspective on how things have transpired? I say this because it is impossible – to some I suppose not – to dismiss the drastic change in the offensive fortunes of this team. This has been much more than just numbers too.
The decision making… the willingness to hang in the pocket… the down-field aggressiveness… the overall tempo of the offense are all things that have been noticeably different. Pickett fans can shake their heads in denial all they want to but facts are facts. Tomlin going with Rudolph in another must-win game is the least surprising thing I’ve seen. How couldn’t he go with the guy who has put up 64 points in the last two games?
Pickett knows it as well. You can see his disappointment and frustration. Both are understandable and to be expected. His fate for 2023 is largely in place but 2024 remains wide open.
That’s probably a place he didn’t think he be would either.
