The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the New York Jets on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. This is a must-win game and it looks like right now the Steelers offense is going to be counted on heavily to carry the day. Michael Smith, who saw the Steelers first hand last Thursday as part of the Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football coverage team, joined The PM Team w Poni & Mueller to discuss the black and gold.
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Smith was called upon to discuss the seeming lack of urgency by Coach Mike Tomlin in changing the offense. Andrew Fillipponi is perhaps the most vocal Kenny Pickett supporter in the media, and his exasperation has become, at best, thinly veiled. Smith tried to explain to the 93.7 The Fan radio host why he should not count on a move any time soon.
“I think one of the things that can’t be overstated,” Smith begins. “The amount of job security we are talking about here for Mike Tomlin, deservedly so. Then the amount of job security that comes with being the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. When you have a supreme court justice like appointment to this position, you move differently. Kenny Pickett? I wouldn’t expect to see him anytime soon. That is less of a reflection of his readiness and more of a reflection on the way this organization does things.”
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The Steelers have had three coaches since 1969 so Smith’s point is valid. The reason that Pittsburgh is stable and has had only nine losing seasons in the Super Bowl era is that they think long-term. The black and gold are not desperate coming off of two playoff appearances and the end of the Ben Roethlisberger era. Tomlin has a championship and fans may not like it, but they are building for another one and that just isn’t going to happen this year.
“Have you ever seen the Pittsburgh Steelers doing anything that’s not methodical or deliberate,” Smith asked. “Typically, when someone takes a quarterback in the first round there is a rush to play that quarterback. In recent years there is a rush to get that guy on the field, cause it’s a new regime trying to kick start a rebuild, or it’s somebody on the hot seat trying to generate some hope for a frustrated fan base. This front office and coaching staff they are in no rush. So as much as we think we have seen enough of Mitch Trubisky, that’s just not how the Steelers roll.”
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If Pickett is truly the franchise quarterback in Pittsburgh, this team is not the 2004 team with an all-decade defense and Hall of Fame running back. The receivers are more talented but the offensive line featured a future Hall of Famer in Alan Faneca and multiple Pro Bowlers. Even the most myopic Steelers fan would have to admit that they are not Super Bowl contenders this season.
“I’m not saying I wouldn’t make the move,” Smith concluded. “How much worse could the kid be? I don’t think you make the decision only to reverse course three weeks in. This organization epitomizes stay the course. Is that stubborn? Absolutely. In many ways this is their first rodeo. Omar Khan 20 years in the organization, first time as a a gm. Mike Tomlin 15 years in the organization, first time breaking in a rookie quarterback. It’s more about playing the long game versus a quick fix for this year.”
Fans are frustrated in Pittsburgh, especially younger fans who started rooting for the black and gold as children and have only known Hall of Fame quarterback play. Older fans who lived through the two decades between Terry Bradshaw and Roethlisberger understand that this wasn’t going to be pretty. Despite the national media raving about how Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett were an upgrade, with respect, they weren't. The tired old quarterback could gut out victories and the defense knew it. He was that guy for two decades.
Pickett might be the next guy, but he is a rookie. The romanticism of Roethlisberger’s rookie year and his run of victories also came with a steady dose of Jerome Bettis, Duce Staley and 20 passes per game. The popular stat during his first few years in the league was that if he threw more than 25 times the Steelers would lose. It is a different NFL today and the black and gold are trying to play against the grain.
After six decades of watching the Steelers organization, this might be one of those maddening years that Steelers fans have to endure around once a decade. Trust the plan, it has worked for a long time even though you might not like it in the short term. A spoonful of Kenny Pickett might make the medicine go down a little easier for Steeler Nation but until then it is a bitter pill to take.
What do you think Steeler Nation? Is Michael Smith on point with his observation of how Pittsburgh does business? Comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
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