He refrained from using his signature “Tomlinisms” or the excessive wordiness he occasionally uses. Instead, when questioned about the man who still aspires to be the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin’s choice of an exceptionally long vowel conveyed the majority of his message.
Regarding Kenny Pickett, Tomlin remarked, “It’s a huuuuuuuuge year for him.”
Still, Pickett will start the season as the Steelers’ “QB1” at least during the offseason.
Even though former No. 3 Mason Rudolph has produced some of the best performances by a quarterback for the Steelers in recent memory over the last four weeks, Tomlin stated that Pickett will once again be at the top of the team’s depth chart.
During his yearly press conference on Thursday, Tomlin stated, “But obviously there will be competition.” This thing is always competitive. Nobody is anointed by us.
“I am pleased to work with Pickett going forward and grateful for his efforts and current situation, but going forward, he will undoubtedly face competition. We all bring out our finest selves when we compete.
Tomlin also expressed his expectation that Rudolph will provide some competition, if not all of it. Including Monday’s postseason loss to the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round, the six-year veteran’s four starts have produced a higher cumulative passer rating than Pickett has ever recorded in a single game in his career.
Tomlin remarked, “But (Rudolph) is a free agent, and it is free agency.” We’ll follow that and see where it takes us.
In his 33-minute news conference, Tomlin praised all of his quarterbacks, with the exception of Mitch Trubisky, with whom he claimed he hadn’t spoken since the season ended.
The 2022 first-round selection, Pickett, started the first 12 games of the previous campaign before sustaining an ankle injury. The next two were started by Trubisky, who was signed by the Steelers twice in the previous two years to lucrative backup contracts. However, Rudolph led the Steelers to a final-season winning streak of three games after signing in May for the veteran minimum and starting as the third quarterback for the seven months prior. For the postseason, Tomlin remained by his side, even after Pickett’s recovery.
Regarding Rudolph, Tomlin remarked, “I don’t think that any of us can deny what we’ve seen over the last month or so.” It is impossible to overstate how amazing it was that he was prepared to deliver. And it was evident that they were ready. We are undoubtedly less skeptical of his abilities now that we have greater proof of them, especially under trying conditions.
Tomlin was alluding, somewhat, to the bad weather that Baltimore and Buffalo had experienced over the previous two weeks, as well as the pressure of a postseason race. However, Tomlin also appreciated Pickett’s reaction to difficult situations of a very different kind: as the projected starting quarterback for the team, Pickett was forced to accept a benching, however brief.
Tomlin expressed her admiration for the way he handled the situation. He was really professional and gave Mason his full support. His teamwork was excellent. That was challenging, without a doubt. He is also a rival. Instead of running away, he runs toward it. It is undeniable that he desired the experience of the pivotal divisional games and such events. He’s hardwired that way.
With just thirteen touchdown passes in his professional career after twenty-four starts, Pickett’s 1.9% touchdown pass percentage is the lowest in NFL history (minimum 500 attempts). With an 81.4 passer rating, 26th in yards per attempt (6.4), 28th in completion percentage (62.0%), 28th in QBR (38.5), and 37th overall in touchdown passes (six), Pickett finished 2023 ranked 27th out of 32 qualified NFL quarterbacks.
Nevertheless, Tomlin is obviously a fan of Pickett.
“I have complete faith in him,” Tomlin remarked. “Now that I have proof of some of the intangibles, I feel more strongly about them than I did when we first started doing business with him.” He is a professional and fierce competitor. He runs toward challenges rather than away from them. That seems to come through in his play, especially in close football games, in my opinion. It’s a solid foundation for a young man to work with. He is older than he looks. About him, I’m thrilled.
