4 things the Steelers changed after Canada

their underwear.

their thinking.

their sleeping habits.

danny smiths gum brand.

were those it blast?

 

I was thinking...

Less ice, more liquor

Smoking on the sidelines is allowed again

Cocaine when we need to gain a yard

and everyone gets a support pet.

 

YES PLEASE

 

I don’t think anyone has said it’s all Rudolph, but you can’t deny the difference in play between Pickett and Rudolph. Hell the players even commented on it and backed Rudolph. Villanueva talked about the difference between the two. How Pickett makes their job harder because he’s not where he’s supposed to be.

 

I outlined in another post in another thread that Mason did benefit in a distilled Canada system.
They weren't running the same plays or even that same weird sequence of calls.

That said, it's really simple... Mason is a veteran QB with starting experience.

I really hope no one is thinking he will ride in on a white horse and carry the Steelers to repeat Super Bowl appearances.
Mason is a backup, that's the reality. It's nothing against him. He should be able to start a game(s) when called on.

 

And keep in mind they still had to use the same playbook and basic scheme because you couldn’t just change those entirely mid season

Now an entire off season to work with

 

I think the bacon even changed after they got rid of Canada

 

Ham. Haha.

 

Still doesn’t change what we saw. Rudolph showed way more pocket patience, pre-snap diagnosis acumen and went through his progressions much better than Pickett has in two seasons. I’m hopeful Pickett can improve in those areas, but I’m concerned about his overall football IQ at this point.

 

Will you be here all week?

 

The biggest thing that changed after Canada left was the Qb... if it was all Canada's fault then Trubisky, who also had starting Qb success & more experience than Rudolph should have had success without Canada holding him back... That's not what happened... A lot of Picketts failures were pinned on Canada,,, it's a convenient excuse...

 

The problem is Kenny Pickett hasn't proved he is more than a back up either.

 

Canada sucked

Let’s be very clear on that

 

I think there’s way too much evidence in Kenny’s sub-par play over the last two years to make the statement that his issues were 100% Matt Canada’s fault. Kenny played well against the Bengals but against the Cards the next week before he got hurt he’d reverted to his inconsistent play. The play he got hurt on he bailed early from the pocket and failed to go through his progressions and if he had he’d have seen a wide open receiver in the left flat. If Kenny is our guy next year, I’ll be rooting for him as hard as you are. But Mason was clearly the better QB in 2023.

 

Cincinnati had one of the worst statistical Ds this year. No denying how bad MC was though just some perspective.

 

no doubt Mason played much better - as Mike T may call it 'above the line'. But Kenny didn't get too much of a chance post Canada. His first game post Canada -I believe we hit 400 yards for first time in what.....2 years or longer? Much better yardage and moved the ball much better - didn't score a ton of points though.

Then the very next game Picket was hurt and out by half time. I think we had 7 points at the time and he got hurt basically at the goal line.

1.5 games is not much to go by in talking Kenny and his post Canada playing time.

 

Pickett picked up his stats as well. Remember he only had 1 1/2 games without Canada. The first game had a massive jump in yards and some added stuff that wasn't there before. Second game after he was hurt right before the half and they were moving the ball well again. They just needed to work on the scoring.

Trubisky just flat out sucked. Mason comes in with the benefit of those guys getting more familiar with calling the offense their way and being in a position where they needed to push the ball more and be aggressive. He was hitting the throws that Trubisky was missing. We don't know what Kenny would have looked like down the stretch but what we do know is he was using the middle of the field more before he went down as well. His biggest problem when he played after Canada was scoring.

 

I cannot agree with this line of reasoning.

I don't think we are looking at a Mahomes. But I am pretty certain we are looking at much better than what we saw.
I just don't know how much better.
I think Aurthur Smith's offense plays to his strengths, but I am not confident Smith is any kind of QB whisperer.
Either way, I toss in the ante and in for the show.

 

I think KP was badly hindered by MC, but do I think i'm watching a 10 year starter?

I'm not sure about that either, don't like him in the pocket at all, and he has accuracy issues.

We'll find out for certain next year. There's no more excuses for people to make for him. I'd grade KP's play and MR's play as inconclusive last season, for different reasons.

 

I hope you’re right and he’ll get the chance to prove he belongs, but his durability and below average intellect (based on a test used and relied upon by the NFL for decades) suggests otherwise. Other than a few sporadic moments, his inconsistent play on the field seems to confirm the high floor/low ceiling analysis many had him pegged for. He needs a legitimate competitor for the QB1 role next season, be it Mason or someone else.