Bye weeks can be weird for teams. They can be necessary in many ways or a momentum-stopper for a hot streak. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, it seemed as if their Week 9 bye week played more of a “get right” period in preparation for the second half of the season.
Sitting at 2-6 and in the basement of the AFC North division, the Steelers head into their matchup against the New Orleans Saints with a new look. Chase Claypool was dealt to the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick in next year’s draft and in comes William Jackson III from the Washington Commanders to help the secondary. It seems as if there were more changes to the on-field personnel than the coaching staff, to many fans' dismay. Only time will tell in determining the value of these moves in helping the team win.
Steelers' Kenny Pickett (#8) prepares for his Week 10 matchup against the New Orleans Saints in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers
Kenny Pickett Spends Time With The Media After Steelers’ Practice
There has been a lot of back-and-forth between the players in coaches in diagnosing the issues on offense. It is a modern-day ‘chicken-or-the-egg’ conundrum. Is offensive coordinator Matt Canada calling the right plays and the players are simply not executing or vice versa?
We heard Pickett harp on the fact the team needs to spend more time studying but Head Coach Mike Tomlin was quick to denounce that earlier this week. So, what has to happen this week to get the offense clicking, now without one of their key contributors in Claypool? Pickett explained:
"I definitely found things with coach (Mike Sullivan) Sully that I want to improve on, just mastering the offense as a whole, using the entire offense, ways for us to get down the field more and be more explosive, which I can definitely help with. So, it was definitely a productive off week,”Pickette said. "The bottom line is I've gotta protect the football. That's definitely something during this back half of the season that needs to be a focus for me."
Although there are lots of caveats and ways to look at his stat line, interceptions have been Pickett’s Achilles Heel in his young career. Again, with the understanding the majority of his 8 interceptions came as a result of dropped passes and a hail mary, it was an interception in the endzone to end a failed comeback effort against the Miami Dolphins that hit Pickett hard. Understandably so, Pickett has a lot of growing up to do during the back half of the season.
Unfortunately, the task this week against the Saints pits Pickett against another top ten passing defense. The Saints are averaging under 200 yards per game to opposing offenses through the air, but have only posted two interceptions for the season. Those interceptions came off the efforts of all-pro safety Tyrann Mathieu. So, what is Pickett focusing on in his preparation for this week’s matchup? It all comes back to his ability to control possession of the ball.
"I've got to protect the ball more, absolutely,"Pickette said. "I'm not throwing picks where I'm not seeing the coverage. I see what's going on, whether it's a tipped ball or there's a few they got me on. I'm processing it. I'm going to the sideline and knowing why I went there. There's things I can work on, but the bottom line is that I've got to protect the football. That's something that in the back half of this season, that needs to be a focus for me."
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Pickett went on to reveal some of his scouting efforts of the Saints and the matchup problems they pose to offenses.
“They’re a talented group, a veteran group up front obviously with Cam Jordan, he’s a legendary player. So, we’ll have to deal with him. In the secondary, a guy, I used to watch his tape before high school games Tyrann Mathieu, so it’ll be cool going against him. Great instinct player, long corners on the outside. So they got problems on all three levels and then the two linebackers are obviously really good too," Pickett said.
With the Claypool departure now in the rearview mirror, the offense’s eyes are set ahead on incorporating more playmakers into the scheme. Although it is a struggling scheme, there is now a void in the middle of the field that was occupied by Claypool that is to get occupied by special teams standout Steven Sims.
But with Claypool accounting for nearly a quarter of the team’s receptions and roughly a fifth of reception yardage, it isn’t as easy of a ‘plug-and-play’ as some may think. Not to mention, rookie standout receiver George Pickens was a proverbial ghost in the last game against the Philadelphia Eagles, as he was only targeted three times and failed to register a single catch. With a quarter of the offensive production now gone and the offense eager to score points, Pickett knows it’ll take a total team effort.
"We just have to adjust that with how we do different things," Pickett put simply. "I think the ball gets spread around more. There are guys who will step up as a receiver room to fill that void. I'm excited to see guys get opportunities and see what they do."
Steelers' George Pickens (#14) makes a one-handed catch in practice on Wednesday in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers
Pickett and the Steelers are slated to take on the Saints on Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. Follow us throughout the week for more updates from practice.
What are you looking for in practice this week? What do you think the offense needs to do to make up for Claypool’s absence? Let us know in the comments below!
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