For the Pittsburgh Steelers and rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, the 2022 NFL season has been anything but prolific. While fans expected some offensive headaches as the search for the next franchise quarterback wore on, the current lack of accountability and urgency within the locker room is bothersome. Pickett was and continues to be, the favorite hometown kid, but after another mundane offensive performance on Sunday night, there is a lot to sort out in a short amount of time.
the Steelers' Kenny Pickett (#8) gets ready to take the field in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Offensive coordinator, Matt Canada, has been under scrutiny for much of the young season, and rightfully so. That is leaving Pickett to his own devices within the offense. There continues to be mounting frustration and after a mundane ten-point losing effort against the Miami Dolphins, there are infinite questions as to who to blame. As the page turns to a daunting matchup with the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, Pickett understands it is now or never.
On Wednesday After The Steelers’ Practice, Kenny Pickett Spent Some Time With The Media.
After finishing as a 2021 Heisman Finalist last season, Pickett’s transition to the NFL has been a rough one. While this isn’t uncommon amongst past NFL greats (see Peyton Manning, Troy Aikman and others), the Steelers’ offense doesn’t currently feature a supporting cast to help offset the seven thrown interceptions with only four touchdowns in Pickett's three-and-a-half games under center. Diontae Johnson showed a bit of a leadership role within the receiving corps in his statement from before the Wednesday practice session.
“I can’t be frustrated. Kenny’s still learning the stuff and everybody’s still trying to get a feel for each other, still trying to get the rhythm going," Johnson said. "Not using that as an excuse or whatever, but like I said, we’re just trying to do whatever we can to turn this around and whatnot, so I’m not, I can’t be, frustrated. I gotta be the example for the group and continue to lead.”
Steelers' Diontae Johnson (#18) makes a cut-up field against the New York Jets in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Although Johnson is seemingly taking a stronger leadership role week after week, the quarterback is the traditional presumed leader of the offense. The ball touches his hands every down and he’s in control of who gets the ball. Therefore, Pickett also talked about what he needs to do for the offense to put up points on the board. It starts with those avoidable interceptions.
"You look at some of the turnover plays, it's a ball getting tipped, or Chase (Claypool) getting his feet tangled up. Some things just don't go your way," Pickett said. "That's life. That's football. There's times we have to take chances and give our guys a chance down the field. There's a fine line between it. We're trying to balance that out."
As a part of practice this week, that unnecessary aggressiveness is the main focus for Pickett. Now that Pickett has had a chance to sit and review the film from Sunday night, he talked about what he’s honed in on this week leading up to the trip across the commonwealth.
"When you put the film up and you see the opportunities that we miss or don't hit for whatever reason, we know they're there," Pickett explained. "We do it in practice. We're trying to become more consistent at doing it in the game,” he said. "We can't press. We have to let it happen. If they're not there, we have to check it down. You can't press as a player. Bad things happen."
Steelers' Kenny Pickett (#8) runs a Run-Pass-Option (RPO) play against the New York Jets in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
As a part of the game-planning for the Eagles, Pickett made it clear his decision-making needs to make significant strides. The Eagles’ defense features a secondary filled with playmakers and is ranked fifth in the league by yardage allowed. They’re only allowing 188 passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks. Even though the Steelers have a few ‘coming of age’ players of their own on offense, Canada has to do something he has yet to do to scheme those key players open.
As a part of that, Canada and Pickett have to acknowledge the young quarterback’s strength in his mid-range passes. Against the Dolphins, Pickett completed 28 out of 31 passes thrown under 12 yards with a touchdown. On the longer passes (beyond 12 yards) he only completed 4 of 11 passes with his three interceptions as a part of those. Pickett knows he has to rely on those strengths this week against a tough secondary.
"Giving guys balls on the run, where they have an opportunity after the catch, it's not just throwing deep," Pickett said. "In the NFL, we've got to scheme the deep ball. You're not just going to run past these guys. They're playing soft coverage, you can't do it. You get guys the ball on the run and let our athletes be athletes. Get them in space. There are different ways to get splash plays. We're working hard at it."
Steelers' Kenny Pickett (#8) celebrates his touchdown with George Pickens (#14) against the New York Jets in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
In last week’s game, the offense sputtered early and often but still had some bright spots. Fellow rookie George Pickens made his first NFL touchdown grab in a twirling, acrobatic manner. Even after throwing his second interception of the game with just under three minutes remaining in the contest, Pickett and the offense had one more shot at the endzone to score what could have been a game-winning touchdown.
After an impressive fourth down conversion to Pat Freiermuth, Pickett was finding his groove nearing the red zone. Then came another rookie moment. In what was his third interception of the game, Pickett’s naïve aggressiveness got the best of him in one of the most critical plays of the game. Pickett reflected some on his third career start and that final drive.
"There was definitely positives, but the almost doesn't get you anything," Freiermuth explained. "You want to go finish the game. I felt like we were efficient in the two-minute until the turnover play. It's something I'll learn from, we'll learn from as a group."
While focusing on those key plays in the final drive, Pickett also revealed some insight as to the growth he experienced as a part of it.
"If you think about that one, the guy with his back (to the ball) running with Pat and giving him a chance to make a play, putting it out in front and we were able to convert," Pickett said. "It was almost the same thing with Diontae. I wanted to give him a chance to make a play. We weren't on the same page. It's something me and him are working really hard on together to get on the same page. We'll get it right."
Pickett and the Steelers are slated to take on the Eagles on Sunday afternoon in another appropriately-timed spooky game.
What are you watching for in practice this week? How do you think the key players should be schemed open? Let us know in the comments below!
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