NFL
By: Melo Williams
Now that the 2022 preseason is in the books for the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) I like the potential of what this Steelers team can become though some tough decisions must be made by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. However, Mike Tomlin is who you trust to make those tough decisions. The biggest decision to be made is at the quarterback position and all three quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, and Mason Rudolph has made it a tough decision for Tomlin.
Personally, I feel Coach Tomlin has a good problem on his hands having to decide on who will start Week 1 under center for the Steelers. The Steelers quarterback competition this preseason was a dandy and one for the ages but a big decision must be made and will be made soon. As big as the QB1 decision is, the biggest decision was already made and it appears to have been the right decision when the Steelers selected rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett with their 20th pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Steelers Nation, if history means anything to you, then you know you’re in good hands with Mike Tomlin and in Mike Tomlin, you should put all your trust in. You ask why?… Let’s start with what we know as three facts with Mike Tomlin.
The first fact, the standard has been the standard since 2007, Tomlin’s first year as the Steelers’ head coach. Leading by example by doing your job is the foundation of the standard.
The second fact, Tomlin has never wavered from the standard and that has helped Coach Tomlin reach a level of success as a head coach that includes many records and accolades but mainly never having a losing season in 15 years as the head coach of the Steelers. Only Bill Belichick has done it better though some have said since Tomlin been the coach of the Steelers he’s been the better coach between himself and Bill Belichick. It was explained that Belichick benefited greatly with the luxury of having arguably the best quarterback of all time Tom Brady and those amazing defenses the Patriots built their identity behind as equally important as Brady was to the Patriots offense but had some cheating controversy along the way like “spy gate” and “deflate-gate”…Mike Tomlin has always done it the right way.
The third and final fact, Mike Tomlin’s record without Ben Roethlisberger as the starting quarterback is 18-15-1. It’s more than a small sample size that Tomlin has shown leadership that guided his teams to wins without an elite quarterback in the regular season and playoffs. Tomlin compiled a winning record with backup quarterbacks Charlie Batch, Dennis Dixon, Byron Leftwich, Michael Vick, Landry Jones, Mason Rudolph, and Devlin Hodges an undrafted free agent from Samford. Hodges had moderate success under Mike Tomlin posting a 4-4 record.
As the naming of the Week 1 starting quarterback for the Steelers looms, I believe Tomlin will do his due diligence fairly critiquing the play of Trubisky, Pickett, and Mason Rudolph before naming the starter. As good as Rudolph has played he’s most likely third on the depth chart. That leaves Trubisky and Pickett as the two who Tomlin has to decide on who will be number one on the depth chart and who will be number two as the backup quarterback.
As a fan of the Trubisky signing for the Steelers and as well as he’s played in the preseason, Trubisky deserves to be named the starter. It’s easy to see Mitch has grown as a quarterback and leader since his days with the Chicago Bears and the one season in Buffalo as Josh Allen’s backup. However, the quarterback who most scouts said was the most pro-ready quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft, rookie Kenny Pickett I believe is who should be named the Week 1 starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pickett has played like a seasoned vet with so much poise in all three preseason games. Through his first two preseason games, Pickett posted a 138.6 passer rating with three touchdown passes and zero interceptions and fumbles. In the second preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pickett completed six of his seven passes for 76 yards and one touchdown. In the final preseason game against the Lions, Pickett played the entire third quarter and part of the fourth quarter helping to contribute to the win finishing 10-of-14 for 90 yards. Pickett not only has shown his physical football abilities but has shown the intangibles you want from your 1st round quarterback like confidence, poise, and great decision making. He’s shown great understanding and command of second-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s offense making plays from the pocket with his superior passing skillset though he has small hands and loves wearing gloves. If Mike Tomlin decides to go with Trubisky early on and Mitchell Trubisky struggles for whatever reason or reasons, Tomlin will not hesitate to make Pickett QB1, if he’s not named the Week 1 starter for the Steelers 2022-23 season. It’s no secret, especially after his blazing start in preseason that Kenny Pickett is the Steelers’ future franchise quarterback.
Whoever wins the starting quarterback job to start the season for Mike Tomlin and the Steelers offense, between veteran Mitchell Trubisky and rookie Kenny Pickett, they have big shoes to fill with expectations of what the standard is under Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers as a franchise, with both players being capable of doing the job. However if the initially chosen quarterback struggles, the Steelers have a solid backup as insurance that can get the job done. As Mike Tomlin enters his 16th season as head coach of the Steelers, the first without future Hall of Famer quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Tomlin is pumped up and excited to show why he’s regarded as one of the best NFL head coaches of all time, and that fact is something Steelers fans near and far must understand going forward and continue trusting Mike Tomlin.
