TAMPA, Fla. -- The only thing that's certain about the Steelers' offense entering their preseason opener here tonight against the Buccaneers is that it'll be Kenny Pickett's offense.
Yes, in that way, too.
Look, I've hardly been some staunch supporter of Matt Canada's work over his two years here. I've openly called for his firing more than once, and that's never done lightly. But everything I've heard through the summer and seen in the ongoing training camp strongly suggests that there'll be almost -- that's almost -- nowhere to run or hide for any of the players, chiefly Pickett himself, if things were to go awry:
• Pickett's acknowledged that he's been in the room with Canada, Glenn Thomas and Mike Sullivan as plays were being either designed or adjusted to his preferences. That's not Insider-level material, I should add. Pickett spoke this in a group setting. But it still bears repeating, as this is precisely the type of setting Ben Roethlisberger enjoyed, and it wasn't an option at any point for the rookie Pickett.
• One wide receiver took this further with me in elaborating that everything's being tailored to Pickett's specific skill set. Which explains, for example, all the rollouts to the left in this camp, a continuation from his Pitt days. And, the receiver added, the really deep balls, also a college strength. This, like the above bullet, shouldn't be misconstrued as Pickett drawing up Xs and Os. He isn't qualified. Nor does he have some sort of veto power. (Only Mike Tomlin has that in any football scenario.) But he's making clear what works best for him and what doesn't. And no, to repeat, none of that was in play in any organized form in 2022, if only because Mitch Trubisky was the starter at season's outset.
• More RPO. That stands for run-pass-option, and it means a play looks like it's a run, it's blocked like it's a run, but the quarterback has the option -- meaning it's 100% his call -- which it'll actually be. This wasn't there for Pickett, either. Now, as shown in camp, it very much is. The success will depend, largely, on the line and Najee Harris, or it won't be taken seriously. But Pickett's decisions, fed by reading the defense right, will factor, as well.
• I'm not about to fault anyone but Diontae Johnson for his deeply disappointing 2022. He was the one running backward. He was the one dropping passes that popped him between the 1 and the 8. But I'm here to attest, even if I'm all alone in this, that Johnson's had a hell of a camp. And within that, the chemistry between him and Pickett's been through the roof. On one completion this week, Pickett put a ball low, below a defender, as Johnson pretty much hit the deck to stay in its path. No way that's an accident. These two worked together all summer.
• I could say the same for everyone in the corps. Here, too, I've been a critic of the entire room other than George Pickens. But I'm seeing quarterback-receiver connections that, in all candor, can't be concocted out of any coordinator's vision. It's either there, or it isn't. That's applied to Johnson and Pickens but also to newcomers Allen Robinson, Calvin Austin III and Hakeem Butler. Each in his own way.
So, the reason I qualified that there'd be almost nowhere for Pickett or the players to run or hide: They aren't coordinators. Again, they aren't qualified. It's not on their job descriptions to study NFL trends, ways to beat a defense, ways to attack a specific opponent. And as such, it'll still be incumbent on Canada, more than anyone, to capitalize on both the skill he now has at hand, as well as, at long last, a steady line to allow plays to develop over more than 1.7 seconds.
MORE STEELERS
• I might be all alone in this, too, but no individual story this summer's moved me more than that of Anthony McFarland. I'd left his career for dead to the point that I was publicly wondering as recently as July why Benny Snell wasn't brought back as RB3. (Snell signed with the Lions last night, by the way.) Well, it turns out the internal call to give McFarland a serious shot as RB3 -- or WR5, depending on the viewpoint -- came several months ago, before the first of the summer workouts. McFarland was told to prepare for way more than special teams play back in the springtime and, to his credit, he reported prepared to do so. He's been really good. Including blocking, and this isn't the biggest of dudes.
• Broderick Jones is on a trajectory to start against the 49ers, but that doesn't mean he will. If that game were being played tonight -- it isn't -- it'd be Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle. But management's liking the pace at which Jones is looking more settled and less ... eager. Not sure if that's the best term, but he's at his peak when he's at his calmest, and he wasn't that at the start of camp, understandably. He's getting there.
• Current management's already made one major move that previous management absolutely, unequivocally wouldn't have made. If I blurt out more, I'm in trouble. Deal.
• I haven't liked Austin's hands in camp. People infinitely more important than me haven't been happy with them at times, either.
• Pickett gave a public pat on the rump this past week to Gunner Olszewski. Tomlin really likes this guy, too. He hasn't been much of a return force, to put it kindly, but there's something to be spoken for having one of those squirtbug types who makes himself open and available in a pinch. They're generally valued at a 10x scale compared to fans' feelings on them.
• It's been legit hilarious to see Tomlin openly wondering why Darnell Washington doesn't pipe up or bark or celebrate his big plays. All Washington's done is do his job and move on to the next station. Eventually, Tomlin will let that go, but it's amusing in the interim.
PIRATES
• Jack Suwinski won't be the latest in the conga line of hitters who can't hit under Andy Haines, only to be sent back to Class AAA Indianapolis. Or so I've been told. And this even though he's slashing a team-worst .132/.234/.279 since the All-Star break with nine hits over 75 plate appearances. The reason for that is twofold: For one, he tends to bounce back -- and to his credit, he doubled and walked in the rousing 7-5 victory yesterday over the Braves -- but also, the internal view is that there really isn't much for him to gain in Indy. He'll lose aggressiveness for spells, he'll rediscover it, and he'll be ... like Babe Ruth after that.
• Had a good talk with Oneil Cruz up in Milwaukee. His head's in a good place. He's sure he'll be back. He's not fretting over anything in the interim. Really uplifting.
• Not sure which personality this clubhouse needed more, that of Endy Rodriguez or Liover Peguero, but both arriving almost concurrently has been a blessing into itself. Place was a morgue without them. Whereas nothing quells these two.
• I'm not huge on regret over retroactive player moves, but man, I didn't know until this week that Elias Diaz, now an All-Star catcher -- the MVP this summer, no less! -- with the Rockies, was signed by the Pirates' Rene Gayo for $20,000 way back in 2008 out of Venezuela, where the team's entire scouting operation consisted of a part-time banker. I love stuff like this. Diaz was, of course, non-tendered by the Pirates in December 2019, one of Ben Cherington's first moves as GM, after which the Rockies upgraded every facet of his game almost immediately.
• Ke'Bryan Hayes has three RBIs in each of the past three games, first time anyone with the Pirates has done that since a baby-faced Jason Bay back in 2006. But don't expect to see him run up any sort of streak. Derek Shelton and staff have been informed by the medical people that he's to remain on a strict rest/recovery plan for the remainder of this season in hopes of maintaining his long-wonky back. And that's not going to change in 2023 no matter how much he hits.
• Bryan Reynolds' back hasn't been as problematic, but he's on a similar watch.
PENGUINS
• I've covered a lot of hockey for a long time, and there aren't many players who've drawn the praise in the Penguins' locker room the way Erik Karlsson has ... and I'm going back to his earliest days in Ottawa. So don't be surprised in the slightest when Sidney Crosby gets around to calling Karlsson not only a great defenseman but also a complete class act. Same with Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. They'll rave about the player and the person. There was a sentiment in 2017, in particular, that Karlsson almost singlehandedly carried the Senators into that Eastern Conference final and that, if they'd only neutralize him, they'd be fine. Well, they never did. And Karlsson didn't stop eating them until Chris Kunitz's flutter-bomb flew by Craig Anderson in double-overtime of Game 7 ... with Karlsson on the bench, let history show.
• No coach should draw up forward lines or defense pairings based on nationality anymore. The days of keeping the Russians with the Russians, to put it another way, should be long gone. But I'm here to share, anyway, that Marcus Pettersson will dig to the depths of his soul for a chance to partner with Karlsson. All I'll say for now.
• Before any fairy tales get started on this front, the people associated with the Penguins who were in most frequent communication with Karlsson leading up to this were Kyle Dubas and, more than anyone, his former Ottawa teammate Jason Spezza. There were dialogues with Sid and Letang for obvious reasons -- one's the living-legend captain, and the other's the resident No. 1 defenseman -- but that was it.
• No one will know until camp how the power play sets up, though that'll be maybe the most fun storyline of the early going. But I can share that, between Mike Sullivan and Todd Reirden, their belief in their PP1 guys transcends even the greatest extent of any imagination. And that's not about to change. So, if I had to wager, I'd see Letang left point (where he's always been comfortable), Karlsson right point, Geno left side, Sid right side, Jake Guentzel at net-front. And while Jake's out, Rickard Rakell in his stead. Clip and save.
• Never at any point in the summer has Jeff Carter's name come up with anyone at the Penguins with whom I communicate. Not in any context. That's wild to me, but that's also the reality.
• Karlsson's really, really here. Blows my mind, even this many days later. It's a little like Phil Kessel, but ... nah, for those who go way back, it's a lot more akin to Paul Coffey's arrival. No disrespect to Phil, but Karlsson's a first-ballot Hall of Famer, fresh off a Norris Trophy. Not sure anything in franchise history compares, to be honest.
• Thanks for reading Insider! Happy (almost) football season!
