SCB Steelers Quick Hitters: The ‘Tier Four’ Edition

Good Tuesday to you Steelers fans.

Your quarterback, Kenny Pickett, the guy who won seven of his last eight games and led four game-winning drives in his rookie season has been placed in the bottom tier of Mike Sando’s annual Quarterback Ratings. Sando writes for The Athletic and polls 50 coaches,  coordinators and executives each year to build his “QB tiers.” Pickett is grouped with QBs such as Trey Lance, Sam Howell and Jordan Love. Is his placement in the bottom tier fair? That’s a matter of your own perspective but some of the comments are very similar to those we’ve made on the Podcast. Pickett does not possess a big arm. He should never be mistaken for Justin Herbert or Josh Allen in this category. He does however possess smarts, toughness and leadership qualities that can often take a player and his team far into the postseason. Pickett must rely on anticipation and “throwing his receivers open” in order to make up for his lack of arm strength but these are things that he knows. I despise rankings of this sort for many reasons but in this particular case, they may serve as even more motivation for Pickett – as if he needs any more.

The Pads

Today the Pittsburgh Steelers will take to the grass fields of St. Vincent College in their full battle gear. This is always a big day – at any level – because it helps separate “men from the boys” so to speak. We’ve heard a lot about Nick Herbig, the rookie outside linebacker. He’s had a great camp so far as a pass rusher but will he be able to set the edge against the run? Will Connor Heyward be suitable as a fullback when called upon? How do all of the rookies handle the physicality of the pro game? We may not get immediate answers today but over the next week we will most definitely find out.

Tweet of the Day… Here We Go!

👀 pic.twitter.com/vBFCBOah4G

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 31, 2023

Camp Tidbits

Damontae Kazee is currently in a walking boot and there is a timetable right now on his return. Have to feel for Kazee as he missed the start of last season too with an injury. This is likely to open the door for Keanu Neal a bit more and he’s likely to shine as the pads come on. Hitting is his forte… I still think Pressley Harvin III will win the job but there’s a clear battle for that position underway. Braden Mann, who punted over 200 times with the Jets over the last three seasons is his competition and it’s expected to be close… George Pickens is a unique individual who the fans seem to really love. Why not? The guy can flat out catch the football but now he enters that dreaded second season where the ‘Sophomore Slump’ looms. Looks no further than Chase Claypool. I’m hopeful Pickens is a different player… Joey Porter, Jr is having a good camp so far. He’s displayed more speed than I think was expected from him.

THANK YOU

I wanted to make sure I gave out a shout to Frank Walker and Gryffin the King. Frank is a Pittsburgh Area attorney who has sponsored this column for a long time and he has agreed to do so again this year. Believe it or not, it takes money to run this site and Frank remains a great contributor to that! Gryffin is a Golden Retriever who sponsors our weekly game preview called the ‘Three-Point Stance.’ He is a wonderful pooch and I’m grateful to him and his owner for their continued support!