Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett is expected to carry over the success he had in the second half of the 2022 season and take a leap forward as he enters year two. Improvements to the offensive line and the addition of veteran wide receiver Allen Robinson should help the Pitt Panthers' product be more comfortable in the new league year. Personnel moves, though, are only a small part of how the organization is trying to give their young signal-caller all the tools he needs to be successful.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (@JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) makes a throw during 2022 training camp.
Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins has been getting some attention for his use of a camera on his helmet during the offseason program. He had some fun with everyone's fascination during practice and stuck a Polaroid on top of his helmet for a few throws to get some laughs. While he may have been joking around that day, he and Head Coach Mike McDaniel are both excited about the insights wearing the device can give them.
Pittsburgh's quarterback coach Mike Sullivan and Pickett have been experimenting with the use of a helmet camera as well this spring and told ESPN what they've gleaned from its use so far. It's certainly not flawless, but Pickett says there's certainly some value in using it.
"It's just hard to see, honestly, through the camera with bodies in your face and stuff," Pickett said. "But there's (sic) some things you can take from it, kind of like where I'm starting with my eyes and stuff."
Sullivan said he looks at it as another tool in the arsenal of taking Pickett to the next level. He explained in a little more detail what a coach is looking at when reviewing the footage from the camera.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) and quarterbacks coach, Mike Sullivan (right) on the field during a practice at 2022 training camp at St. Vincent College. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
"It's not perfect. I mean it's not like having an iPhone back there, but it does give a perspective, so from a pre-snap standpoint, gives us a chance to see, 'OK, hey, you were looking here, what did you see?'"
"What were the tells by the alignment of the linebackers or where this player was, what have you. And then we've been able to intercut it or overlay it with that, his vision."
The idea of using helmet cameras is not new. The Arena Football League had them in 2014 and colleges have been experimenting with them for a while too. This offseason has just been the first one where some high-profile players in the NFL, like Pickett and Tagovailoa, have been public about their use.
The other aspect that McDaniel and his quarterback have found useful is the bits of audio the camera collects from the huddle. He said they've been able to capture full-play calls and build a library to help not only the quarterbacks, but also other players to better understand the directions.
Pickett joked that he'd like to put a camera on star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to get an idea of what he sees when he's flying around the field making plays. Even if he said it as a joke, giving offensive players an idea of what the defense is seeing and vice versa could be another tool for players to get a better understanding of the full picture. Pickett could be offering coaches a great piece of free advice, even if he thought of it in jest.
Steelers Players Also Taking Advantage Of Advancements In Helmet Safety
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers' Pat Freiermuth celebrates with Kenny Pickett after he scored a touchdown against the New York Jets in 2022.
Pickett and tight end Pat Freiermuth have both struggled with concussion issues in their young careers. Both have also shown a willingness to make a change in helmets to try and help reduce the risks. During his rookie year, Freiermuth made the change to the Riddell Tru-Fit Axiom helmet and Pickett made the same swap.
It will be interesting to see if Pickett stays with the same Riddell helmet for 2023 as the league has approved a new helmet model that was designed specifically to prevent quarterbacks from getting concussions. The Zero2 Matrix QB helmet is designed to better deal with head-to-ground contact which is the believed leading cause for the head injury at the position.
It's good to see Pittsburgh and its players are using technological advancements to their advantage be it for safety reasons or competitive ones.
What do you think of the use of cameras on players in practice? Would you want to see this incorporated into an NFL broadcast? Comment below!
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