“Hey!" Pat Narduzzi shouted to no one in particular, as he's wont to do. "That looked like Kenny Pickett, right?”
This was late Saturday night, somewhat symbolically, in the hallway between the separate locker rooms for Pitt and the Steelers at Hein ... oh, OK, Acrisure Stadium, where the NFL tenant had just put down the Seahawks, 32-25, in both teams' preseason opener, thanks to Pickett and Tyler Vaughns connecting for a 24-yard touchdown with three ticks left.
And yeah, Coach, I can't conceive of arguing that it looked like Kenny:
It looked a lot like Kenny.
As did the smoothest of stat lines anyone could covet from a professional debut: 13 of 15 for 95 yards, a 132.6 passer rating, zero mistakes and this earlier touchdown to Jaylen Warren:
He was everything everyone's fairly expected from the moment his name was called a couple months ago at the NFL Draft: He was precise, putting the ball exactly where it needed to be for his receivers. He was poised, right through the final possession that started at the Seattle 43 with 1:10 left and the score at 25-25. He was physically capable, scrambling twice on that five-play drive for 4 and 8 yards, then absorbing a flagged blow to the head on the winning throw.
Yeah, and he won, too.
That's as Kenny as Kenny gets.
It sounded a lot like Kenny afterward, as well:
On the dagger: "I liked the matchup, I liked the look we had, just free access. I was just thinking, get TV the ball and we’ll get out of bounds and let Nick Sciba put it up for the win. But Tyler's a great player, I gave him a chance, and he made a move and scored."
On running three times for 16 yards: "I think we’re all really good athletes in the quarterback room. I think not using your legs is holding you back, not taking advantage of one of the tools you have. In those kinds of situations, when I felt like things were breaking down, or if I could just knife it for 4 yards and get a first down, I was gonna do that. It really helped us out, moving the chains, and it’s something I’m definitely gonna do as my career progresses."
On hearing the crowd of 48,197 roar upon his first trot to the huddle, then hearing repeated chants of 'KEN-NY! KEN-NY!' throughout: "It was very special. The whole night was special. I’ve been here for so long, but I’ve never been able to go to a Steelers game, and the first one I have is as an NFL player, to finish that way in that stadium with my old coach, a lot of family and friends there ... it was awesome."
In the correct context, it really was.
But -- and if everything I've written to this stage of the column felt like there was a but coming, here we go -- let's try to keep all this in that correct context.
No, not just because it was a wholly meaningless exhibition outcome. Not just because it came in the second half against Seattle's soon-to-be grocery-baggers and gas-pumpers. No, not just because the Seahawks might wind up among the NFL's bottom-feeders ... if they overachieve.
Heck, if one wants to be fair in portraying all of the above, then it's vital to include that Pickett's offensive support didn't include a solitary projected starter, either. No Najee Harris. No Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool or George Pickens. No Pat Freiermuth. Not one lineman. Nobody at all.
Emphasizing this point: There are no negatives in this scenario. None. Pickett went above and beyond anything that could've been asked.
And speaking only for myself, I'd love to see him keep doing that over the course of an excellent career. Without forcing him into any such scenario in 2022 amid what still seem to be unsettled circumstances.
I'd love to see him put into a position to succeed, as much as such a thing's possible.
Kind of like Ben Roethlisberger was back in 2004. There was a richly promising defense on that team, too, of course, in addition to talented pieces on offense. But it was Tommy Maddox who started out taking the snaps and, by the time Maddox was hurt, Ben had gained extra wisdom that, in a weaker moment, even now he'd acknowledge helped him push through that rookie year and -- let's not forget -- essentially survive that wonky Super Bowl the following year.
These Steelers open up at Cincinnati against the defending AFC champs, where they'll almost certainly have to put up 30-plus to win, then come home to take on the Patriots and maybe the preeminent defensive mind in football history, then roll up to Cleveland on a short week for a Thursday-nighter against one of the league's more dynamic pass rushes. I'm not predicting 0-3, but I'm not predicting a picnic, either. These will be a gauntlet, even it ends up 3-0.
Pickett's not ready for that. No one who's observed camp on any regular basis could make a case that he is. He's still learning, both the playbook and the overwhelming-to-some intricacies of NFL defenses, which can't compare to college at all. He admits that. He speaks on his own about being a work in progress. He did it again after this game.
What's more, Pickett's legitimately not the right choice. Not in this moment. Mitch Trubisky is.
I'm not picking a favorite. I don't have a preference. Spare me, please, any nonsense to the contrary. I'm sharing a view of nothing more than what I see as best for the Steelers.
Their short-term objective should be to have a competitive, possibly even a contending 2022 season. The long-term objective remains to put together a championship-caliber roster, and it's imperative in the modern form of the sport that such a roster's led by a championship-caliber quarterback.
Can we agree on that much?
Cool, because Trubisky, who had a pretty nice night of his own in two series with the first-team offense at 4 of 7 for 63 yards and a 25-yard touchdown to Gunner Olszewski, has the pedigree, the character and -- this is the big one -- the experience to be by-a-mile the best qualified to start the season. If he fares well, that's awesome. If he blossoms into whatever the Bears saw in him to make him a No. 2 overall pick, even more awesome. And if he doesn't, oh, well, there's a hell of a Plan B getting better in the background.
I don't believe there's a quarterback battle taking place. I don't believe there ever was one. Don't listen to Mike Tomlin's words, and instead watch his actions. Trubisky's been the first-teamer in every rep from the opening session of OTAs. Tomlin downplays and even outright denies that's relevant, but there's no plausible way that it could not be. Reps matter for veterans, but they matter many times over for rookies being set up to start.
And yet again, that's fine. Plan B will be far better suited to be Plan A before long, and we all just saw why.
JUSTIN BERL / GETTY
George Pickens catches a 26-yard pass from Mason Rudolph over the Seahawks' Coby Bryant.
• So, how did I get through that whole lede entry without so much as mentioning Mason Rudolph?
He wasn't bad at 9 of 15 for 93 yards and this falling-meteor strike from 26 yards to Pickens:
And that was on third-and-13, no less.
But sorry, I also saw too much that was too familiar, in particular the lack of touch on the short passes that clearly will be critical to the Matt Canada offense.
If Pickett continues to show well through the rest of camp and the preseason, I'm perfectly fine with trading Rudolph. And in keeping with what's expressed above, it'd be that much more beneficial for Pickett to get a hat every Sunday and be on the sideline than to stay inactive in civvies. He's too important to feel cast aside, even for a few weeks.
• Tomlin's evaluation of Pickett: "He moved his group. He played situational football. He displayed a competitive spirit. A lot of good things to build on from a first performance standpoint."
And of the other two: "I could say the same thing about all three, to be honest with you. They moved their units. They did the informal things associated with the position from a leadership and communication standpoint. They were engaged. It was a good first time out for all three. Obviously, we'll comb through it."
He already knows.
• Seeing Pickens sprint, contort, utilize his hands to pull in the ball, protect it rabidly once he does, blocking in the run game ... I'm struggling for a comparison point without having to go all Frankenstein with multiple examples from the past.
Know what I mean?
I'm also struggling to grasp how the Steelers' scouts see these wide receivers that everyone else bypasses.
• This receiver group, in general, has the potential to be the deepest I've covered. Not the best, mind you. The best would be off to a much better start with an Antonio Brown. But when it comes to depth, seeing this one perform as it did -- and without any of the starters or two injured players, Calvin Austin and Anthony Miller -- yeah, wow. There are weapons galore. Maybe too many, once cutting time comes around.
• The O-line appeared to be much improved, though I'll take an extra day for a more careful study and another column early in the coming week.
Worth singling out right away was this utter annihilation by Chuks Okorafor on Seattle linebacker Darrell Taylor, part of Trubisky's touchdown to Olszewski:
Chuks' reaction when I brought this up at his stall was so much better, though, and I'll thus label this as required viewing:
This is, indeed, my dude. Physical freak. Just needs to apply it all the time.
• Jaylen Warren's my RB2.
It was fun to see Anthony McFarland running in a straight line for the first time as a pro, but I'll gleefully credit that to some big holes the rebuilt O-line was carving out, rather than accepting it as some new reality. Warren, by contrast, looks like he'd rather have his kneecaps hammered than to get tackled. He's relentless, and he knows how to utilize that 5-8 frame for low leverage to amass more once he's going down.
That said, Warren fumbled and, even though the Steelers recovered, he received a rightful rebuke from Tomlin.
"I liked the efforts of those guys," he'd say of Warren and McFarland. "I didn't like Jaylen putting the ball on the ground. I appreciate his tackle breaking and contact balance, but that standard of expectation is non-negotiable. He's got to get better there. These are good days provided we take care of the ball, and we didn't do that. Thankfully, we got it back. We’ve got to get better."
• Why should anyone trust Devin Bush?
As far as I'll take that concept after a single preseason game. But hey, zero tackles and even less visible drive is all he's got to do his talking for him so far.
• Thanks for reading this, and thanks, above all, for the kind messages before, during and after my trip to Europe with Marko. It's wonderful to be back.
DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS
Fans stream down the stairs from the elevated Allegheny subway station Saturday evening.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Scoreboard
• Schedule
• Standings
• Statistics
THE INJURIES
There aren't formal injury reports this time of year, but Najee Harris (foot), Diontae Johnson (hip), Kevin Dotson (ankle), Alex Highsmith (ribs), Tyson Alualu (knee), Calvin Austin (foot), Genard Avery (groin), Montravius Adams (ankle), Marcus Allen (hamstring), Chase Claypool (shoulder), Anthony Miller (shoulder) and Zach Gentry (undisclosed) all were held out of the game.
In addition, all three injuries within the game were to the secondary: Karl Joseph (right ankle) was on crutches and in a walking boot after the game, and Damontae Kazee (head) and Ahkello Witherspoon (shoulder) also were forced out in the first half.
THE AFC NORTH
• Baltimore
• Cincinnati
• Cleveland
THE SCHEDULE
Next: It's another Saturday-nighter and a flight to Jacksonville, Fla. Kickoff's at 7:02 p.m. at TIAA Bank Field. Dale Lolley's covering that one solo.
THE CONTENT
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