4 things the Steelers changed after Canada

There's a couple problems there.

I, for one, do not make excuses for Pickett's play. It's like this 'accuracy' thing. I've seen a ton of BS, from others trying to review, where the basic elements are not even remotely recognized. Things like the Receiver cut the route short, didn't sit in the seam, timing off, play design, etc.... those are not excuses, those are execution.

The one positive thing I can say for certainty is that Aurthur Smith will ensure execution will take place or they wind up on the bench. He is detailed.

On Mason's part, he had 6 years in this league. He has started and he had a mentor that was among the top. WAAAY too much credit is assigned for those last games. He absolutely did a 'good job' but is far, far from a star and we have a lot of film. I like Mason as a backup that I have no issue with coming into the game. But if he is my starter for the season - we've got issues.

On Kenny's part, he has to put everything behind him and apply himself 110% to the playbook Aurthur hands out in the near future and come to camp prepared. He has to get DJ, Pickens, Freiermuth, Harris and Warren and get those game bonds going. They have to know what each other is thinking and trust each other. Kenny has to turn up the volume and he has to be inside Smith's head.

One of the idiot things that Canada did was to break up the units during game planning. Smith is not going to do that.

I think Tomlin was on target and Mr Rooney backed it up with both basically saying this is a huge year for Kenny. If he's up to it, great. If he is not, we'll be after a QB in 2025.

 

Do we think Bradshaw scored high on that? lol.... (I know, everybody's got jokes)

I do agree on the competition. Every player on this roster should be looking over the shoulder at the guy behind them. Competition is good.
While I don't think Aurthur Smith is a genius, I do think he will get an honest assessment.

 

Bradshaw didn’t score well, he was in Kenny Pickett territory. But the QBs who have gone on to have success who have not scored well either had freakish athletic ability (Lamar Jackson), other worldly arm talent (Dan Marino) or a combination of both (Terry Bradshaw). Pickett has an okay arm and okay mobility, but he won’t wow you with either.

 

Plenty of folks have argued that it was all Rudolph. They want to talk about the difference among the quarterbacks while ignoring the change at OC and the weak opposition Rudolph faced in the final three regular-season games.

 

Who would you have rather had under center vs the bills, Pickett or Rudolph? How many consecutive games did Pickett watch from the sidelines despite being healthy? Right now, at this point in time Rudolph is the better qb and it’s not even close.

 

There’s a reason the QB is called the field general. Rudolph didn’t do it alone, but he directed blocking schemes for the line based on a pre-snap read of the defensive alignment. He managed the ebbs and flows of the running game and helped open it up by hitting big throws down the field. He went through his progressions and showed tons of pocket patience (almost too much at times) allowing routes to develop. Did we see Kenny doing any of that in the nearly two full seasons he started? I think the proof is in how the offense (and even the defense) reacted to Mason. They were ecstatic to be getting competent QB play. And now the HC and Owner have both come out and said they want Mason back. To continue to argue that Pickett could have done just as well is insane.

 

Pickett had been sitting out for over a month by the time he was ready to play and just because he had been cleared didn't mean he was 100 percent. I'm sorry those factors in the decision escaped your understanding.

 

Hanging in the pocket even when it is too long is not good pocket presence. Good pocket presence is having a feel for the rush and knowing when to move. Rudolph is six years into his career and his pocket presence is still an issue.

We saw a different approach on offense entirely those last few games. The Steelers couldn't rely on the defense any more because it was broken, so they opened things up on offense. It is what they should have done all season because it was the only way they were going to contend with better teams.

 

I am hoping like you that Pickett develops. The offense the Steelers had at the end of 2023 matched what Rudolph does well. I am willing to give Pickett and Smith the benefit of the doubt, but I am not exactly sure what Pickett does well to get the defense out of an 8 man box.

 

I don’t disagree that Rudolph’s navigation of the pocket is suspect at times, but overall I like that he hangs in there and doesn’t bail early. As for a different approach to the offense, I think it looked different because it was different, mostly because of the quarterback play. You had a quarterback who knew how to utilize the weapons at his disposal and didn’t believe the field ended at the 20 yard line. Rudolph had nearly as many TD passes in 4 games than Kenny had all season.

 

True but the steelers offense were terrible against every defense in over 40 games with Canada especially for the passing game

 

we agree

which means you might want to edit your post

 

They reigned Pickett in after a few games in 2022 and stuck with that this season, then opened things up when injuries and one suspension gutted the interior of the defense late in the season. Sure, the conservative approach worked to get them to 7-4, but it was the worst thing they could have done for Pickett this season. Playing it conservative his rookie year made sense, but failing to cut him loose seemed to take away his aggressiveness and swagger.

 

They did have him playing conservatively, but was that because they didn’t trust him enough to open the offense up? Were they concerned about his ability to grasp some of the more difficult concepts of the playbook? Did they trust Rudolph more? Those are all fair questions and I guess we’ll have to wait a few months to have them answered for certain. Until then, it’s all speculation.

 

How many times did they have to trust him with the game on the line and he came through? It's as if some of y'all forgot every positive thing Pickett did in two seasons.

 

Haven’t forgotten that at all. That two game stretch against the Raiders and Ravens last season when Kenny came alive in the 4th quarter after sleepwalking through the first 3 1/2 quarters was awesome.

Look, if Kenny’s the guy I’ll be rooting for him as hard as anyone. He’s shown flashes but hasn’t been anywhere near consistent enough at this point in his career. He definitely should have to fight for the QB1 role next season and should not be anointed the starter. If he fights for it and wins, the team’s better off. If he’s pre-ordained the starter and we’ve got Jacoby or Gardner backing him up, we’re in for more disappointment I’m afraid.

 

it was a few times.

and most was in 2022 - the Raiders game and Rats game end of season was EPIC. The Pickens RATS throw this year was EPIC - but he was invisible for 55 mins prior.

Now - many would argue that that is because he sucks SO BAD for 3.5 quarters - WHERE ARE YOU KENNY, for 53 minutes? NO ONE KNOWS! And we do know this - Where'e Waldo Kenny is NEVER AROUND in the first half.

so enough of the Kenny Defense Fund.

he is on a SHORT LEASH.

he has shown very little that makes most of us think he will make it.

I HOPE he proves me wrong. Is ASmith the answer? I am not sure - we will know by the end of September. I am getting tired of waiting, as most here are too. When we were 7-4, many here knew it was Fools Gold, it was stated so.

 

Those moments are why I think the larger issue was a coaching staff forcing him to play too conservatively rather than just adapting to his limitations. That said, I agree that he should have to compete for the job. I think he can be fixed, but the team needs to realize they scored him up and fix him.

 

That's my point. They put him on a short leash, which made sense his rookie season, but they needed to cut him loose in 2023 and that didn't happen. The result was a quarterback who was too conservative, too concerned about avoiding turnovers to attack opposing defenses.

 

I am a Steelers fan and want EVERYONE to succeed. Just not sure on Kenny, not sure.

a huge goal of 2023 was to know heading fwd if we had the guy.....and we just don't know.

Kenny was hesitant, missed throws and reads BADLY, just a book worth of problems. and now - I begin to wonder if injury prone, several hard hits have sidelined him already in his short career. He seems small to me.

I guess we will see.

hard to transition from a HOF'r, as we know. we knew we would miss the Ben of his prime.

 

.........and Ben's prime ended after 2018.

 

I'm not sure about Pickett, either. I'm not sure how anybody could be after 2023. I just think poor coaching was a big part of the problem. I think that contributed to his hesitancy, which in turn led to everything else.

 

Pickett was 100 % & wanted in the game... The reason he became the back up is that Rudolph is clearly the better option... It was clear to the coaches, clear to the players on the team, & clear to most fans... A lot of Picketts failures as a starter were blamed on Canada who was fired mid season to appease fans... Listening to the offensive players, who know more than all of us, Picketts play was a major issue.. He makes too many mental mistakes, can't make the right adjustments, & is in the wrong place too often... His wonderlic score of 17 could definitely be a factor... With a Qb who can make those adjustments & plays, like Rudolph (whose wonderlic was 28 btw) the offense, which didn't change much mid season post Canada functioned at a way higher efficiency... I mean they actually scored... I'm sorry those factors in the decision escaped your understanding...

 

that is right. this FO / Ownership / GM delayed the inevitable FAR too long, did not succeed plan well AT ALL.

 

yes --
THEY SCORED TDs!

#TD's-MATTER!