The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a controversy at the quarterback position ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season. The question comes up every week. Will Mike Tomlin decide to bench Mitch Trubisky and start Kenny Pickett after an underwhelming performance from Trubisky three weeks in a row? The Steelers head coach was very quick to say after Thursday's disappointing 29-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns that there won't be any changes.
Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky warms up for a preseason matchup in 2022 | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Tomlin was asked about the team's performance and if he would potentially be considering a change at the quarterback position after the team's upcoming 10-day hiatus and he didn't shy away from being up front.
"The answer to that question is definitely no," Tomlin said.
The veteran leader of the organization has no interest in entertaining a switch.
"I'm not in that mindset right now," Tomlin said. "I'm interested in reviewing this tape and looking at the totality of it and figuring out how we collectively can get better."
Trubisky has not played extraordinarily well through three games. The first-year Steelers signal-caller has just 569 yards passing and the team as a whole has only averaged 14.7 points per game to begin the year. It may not be time for Pickett in Tomlin's mind, but it sure is to many fans and media out there.
"I thought he made some plays, but we all collectively came up short and that's how we measure performance. Winning is our business and we did not handle business. So we don't break that apart and look for feel good."
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) participates during warm ups at Acrisure Stadium ahead of a preseason bout vs. the Detroit Lions on August 28, 2022. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
The time will come for the rookie quarterback, but it still looks like Tomlin will remain loyal to the free agent signing, Trubisky. It might not even matter who is at quarterback given the overall state of the offense. The line played better on Thursday, but the group as a whole looks out of sync. It may be the play calling and leadership of Matt Canada or the unit could simply be flat out unprepared each week.
Overall, the Steelers offense is having the worst start to a season since 2000.
the Steelers are gaining an average of just 23.7 yards per drive
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 23, 2022
the Steelers are also going 3-and-punt on 32% of their drives
both are the worst marks for Pittsburgh since at least 2000
There is not a doubt that there needs to be improvement all over the field for Tomlin's team. The quarterback position is under scrutiny, as it should be, but Tomlin sticking with the veteran Trubisky shouldn't come as a surprise no matter how much Steelers fans want to see the rookie. There is no need to throw him into the fire if the offensive game plan would remain the same.
Do you think Tomlin should swallow his loyalty pride and bench Trubisky? Let us know in the comments below!
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