Steelers' Kenny Pickett Overwhelmed With Mammoth Task Of Exorcising The Ghost Of Dan Marino

The Pittsburgh Steelers once upon a time had the opportunity to draft a Pitt Panthers quarterback. Their Hall of Fame quarterback’s career was coming to an end after a significant elbow injury, and they had an experienced backup quarterback as a potential replacement. Sound familiar?

Tony Dungy Shares Private Reason That Steelers Passed On Dan Marino

The Steelers had the opportunity to draft Dan Marino in the best quarterback draft in the NFL's history in 1983. Chuck Noll was not sold on the local product. He selected defensive tackle Gabe Rivera instead, and the Steelers wandered in the quarterback desert for a quarter century. Marino went on to the Hall of Fame. Rivera’s career was cut short after a tragic car accident that ended his playing career before it got started.

Fast forward to 2022. A Hall of Fame quarterback was at the end of his career. Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season after returning from a career-threatening elbow injury two years earlier. If you wear a particularly pointy tinfoil hat, you might believe Roethlisberger was shown the door in 2021. In the worst quarterback draft in recent memory, the Steelers had a chance to draft a Pitt Panthers quarterback. Mike Tomlin was sold on Kenny Pickett, so the Steelers selected him with the 20th overall pick in the draft.

Steeler Nation was ecstatic with the selection of Pickett in 2022. Pittsburgh had finally righted the wrong of passing on Marino by selecting the best Panthers quarterback since the aforementioned Hall of Famer. Outside of the bizarre segment of the fan base that insists Mason Rudolph just has not been given enough chances, his first preseason game appearance was met with unbridled fan anticipation. It turned into a spectacular event. Fans clamored for Pickett to get on the field, and four games into his rookie season, he took the field. Pickett has been the starter ever since.

Pickett did not dazzle out of the gate in the regular season, but he showed he was capable of magic down the stretch when the Steelers won six of eight games to make a playoff run. Like his predecessor, he displayed an ability to make THE play to win close games. One perfect preseason passer rating later made fans forget that Matt Canada runs the offense. Five games into 2023, they may need years of therapy to forget that fact. 

The calm and cool Pickett disappeared against the San Francisco 49ers on opening day. A growing social media contingent of fans and an eager national media were all too happy to point out that Pickett’s play was substandard. The band is all warmed up, and the dump Pickett tune was cranked up to 11. After four and three-quarters games, a funny thing happened. 

The Steelers were trailing the Baltimore Ravens 10-8 with first place in the division on the line. Pittsburgh only needed a field goal, and time was winding down. It was just what the doctor ordered for the second-year quarterback in his 17th game as a starter. The calm and cool version of the Steelers signal-caller returned from wherever he had been hiding. Pickett led the team on an 80-yard drive to take the lead 14-10 after a perfect 41-yard strike to George Pickens.

The Ravens and, truth be told, most of Acrisure Stadium didn’t expect Pickett to uncork the bomb to Pickens on the edge of field goal range. He saw one-on-one coverage, checked to a different blocking scheme, and uncorked a perfect throw. The Steelers might have only five offensive touchdowns in five games, but the last one might be the play that gets Pickett back on track.

Older fans who have been more critical of Pickett are prisoners of a moment that has passed. Some are expecting Pickett to right what they perceive as 40-year-old wrong. It isn’t fair to Pickett. He is not and never will be Marino, and holding him to that standard is a recipe for disappointment. 

The Hall of Fame quarterback was perhaps the best thrower of the football in NFL history. The difference between Marino and Aaron Rodgers is razor-thin. Pickett doesn’t have their natural talent. Neither does virtually every quarterback who has ever played the game, including Tom Brady and Joe Montana.

Two of the most naturally gifted quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era have spoiled Pittsburgh. Terry Bradshaw struggled early in his career, but his arm talent was never questioned. Roethlisberger may be the most physically gifted quarterback in the history of the NFL. He had a huge arm and was impossible to tackle for over a decade. Bradshaw and Roethlisberger also had the moxie to snatch improbable victories late in games.

The Steelers and their fans know that championships follow when they have the natural talent at quarterback. The current signal-caller does not have Bradshaw, Marino, or Roethlisberger’s talent. Pickett does have moxie in spades. He has played awful football so far in 2023 and had no business putting together a drive as he did at the end of the Ravens game. The special ones find a way to win.

Pickett might not set any passing records, but you can bet your bottom dollar that he will find a way to win a one-score game. Those expecting him to be the second coming of Marino and holding him to that standard should consider cutting him some slack. Pickett has played one season and posted a 10-7 record as a starter. That would have been good enough to make the playoffs in 2022. 

All he can do as the Steelers quarterback is win football games. He can’t exorcise the demons of the past. Pickett has his hands full with NFL defenses. He doesn’t have the time to chase ghosts and live up to an impossible standard set by a player who never wore black and gold.

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Is Pickett expected to reach an impossible production standard instead of just winning games? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq. 

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