Congratulations to Mitch Trubyski. His career as Pittsburgh Steelers’ titular quarterback ended without loss, dismissal or interception.
Or some real starts.
Let’s be honest. Kenny Pickett will be Steelers’ new starting quarterback. He will be Ben Rothlisberger’s successor.
He has to be, right? If not, why was he selected by the Steelers with his 20th pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night?
At this point, some of you may be thinking, “No! They will give Trubyski several symbolic starts at the beginning of the season, until it becomes clear that Pickett is the better player. Just to look good after signing with the man this offseason.
Sure. I guess the Steelers could play this game. They could only make the Trumpet Starter by name.
But what would be the point? Why should I worry? Picket will turn 24 in June. He played in 52 games for five years at Pete. Some of its biggest strengths are its intangible assets.
Experience. Maturity. Ability to read and diagnose protections.
Consider some of these quotes from coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert when announcing the decision for the picket on Thursday night.
Colbert: “Kenny is just a mature man with even keels. When we study defenders, we not only observe them on the field, but we also observe them off the field when they go out, how they are with their teammates, how they interact with their coaches, how they manage media interviews … we think the maturity he showed on and off the field, will help him in this endeavor. ”
Tomlin: “We talked about his high floor, and the high floor was because of the intangible assets, but also the expectation and professional accuracy were very obvious and consistent in studying his tape.”
Tomlin: “It was good for him to go back and go back to school and gain another year of college experience. He is 24 years old. He is a mature young man. You see maturity in his game and I think all these things will put him in a position to compete. ”
Does it sound like someone they plan to slowly prepare for? Not so for me. Not behind Trubyski, who was a duplicate of Josh Allen last year. Or Mason Rudolph, who was a duplicate of Devlin Hodges at times in 2019.
Let’s not joke. All those stories that revolved around the signing of Trubiski are now hollow.
• The Steelers can fix it after the Chicago Bears coaching staff ruined it.
• He raised so much learning behind Allen in Buffalo last year.
• He is young and has positive sides, so if things work out under his two-year contract, maybe he can become a long-term starter.
It’s all funny after what happened on Thursday night.
“I’m quite familiar with the race,” Pickett said after being selected. “I’ve been doing it my whole life. So I know how to be a good teammate and compete at the same time. I’m excited to join the quarterback’s room, meet these guys and honestly get better every day. ”
If the Steelers had chosen Liberty’s quarterback Malik Willis over Pickett, the dynamics would have made more sense. The book about Willis is that he is extremely talented, but he needs a lot of spices. He is raw. He didn’t play at Power 5. He thought it would make sense to sit behind Trubiski for a year or two.
At the moment there is a feeling that – at least at the beginning of the year – Trubiski, Pickett and Rudolf are three of the same. But Pickett is better to be much better than he really is soon.
But for now, Tomlin and Colbert can hand over the game “It’s an open race.”
“We have three young quarterbacks,” Colbert said. “I think it will be a great race. They will all be involved to see who will be the incumbent, but now I think we have three really good opportunities. ”
Maybe the Steelers can still fix the Trumpets – because all of Pittsburgh is convinced to believe in mid-March. But to prove it in the long run, he will probably have to do it in the fourth city in four years.
Because this will be the picket team. The kid from his hometown school who nearly won Heisman. He was not taken in the first round with so many defenders, line players and talented receivers still on board to be a reserve until he was 26 years old.
Unless Pickett stinks. And his hands are really too small. And the ceiling is much lower than the floor is high.
If we get to this point? Hmmm, how good is that Kedan Slovis kid who replaces Pickett in Pete? When does it enter the draft?
And Phil Yurkovets of Boston College, you know he went to Pine Richland, right?
Hey, interrupt my vacation. I’ve been in quarterback since Rotlisberger left Kansas City. Some habits are difficult to break.
Tim Benz is a full-time writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via Twitter. All tweets can be republished. All emails are subject to publication, unless otherwise stated.
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