The Pittsburgh Steelers hoped that they wouldn't run into their own quarterback controversy during the 2023 season, but with Kenny Pickett missing time with yet another injury, it looks like that situation has become unavoidable. There wouldn't be an issue at all were it not for the surprising performance from Mason Rudolph during Pittsburgh's 34-11 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16. Thanks to Rudolph's unexpected success in the must-have win, Pickett will once again not be the starting quarterback. While Rudolph is basking in the moment, one former NFL coach believes that Pickett has every right in the world to take his anger to another level.
Steelers' Pickett Should Have Attacked Reporter, Says Former Coach
It is fair to say that Pickett's career hasn't exactly panned out the way he probably envisioned when he was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. While his rookie season ended on a 7-2 high note, Pittsburgh still missed the postseason. It wasn't as though Pickett was lighting up the scoreboard either, tallying seven touchdowns and nine interceptions to go along with under 2,500 yards passing.
Despite his lack of touchdowns, Pickett came into his second season as the crowned starting quarterback and even the franchise guy to some. All that was derailed by a mixture of injuries and Matt Canada, putting Rudolph under the spotlight for their Week 16 matchup with the Bengals. Pickett will not be starting against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17, and on Wednesday, he gave some cold, direct answers to the media. Former NFL head coach Chuck Pagano was on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, and he had some surprising advice for Pickett.
"I mean, let him go out there and start in that da** chaotic atmosphere in Seattle...Their biggest problem is gonna be this, is like, Kenny's pi**ed, right? 'Don't ask me that frickin' question ever again.' Like you -- like, we'd all be, like, if you're a competitor, you wanna go right over the podium and knock that dude out - or whoever, woman, or whoever."
The McAfee crew immediately jumped in to try and clarify Pagano's statement that Pickett should have hit a female reporter if she was indeed who asked the question. Their attempts to correct the extremely unnecessary comment from Pagano fell unheard, though, as the former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts continued on with his analysis of Pittsburgh's quarterback conundrum.
"If [Pickett's] healthy, you can't lose your job because of injury."
Whatever professional experience and insight Pagano brought to the moment, giving a young quarterback permission to not only react violently to a media question, but to do so regardless if that reporter was a woman is well beyond the line. There had to be countless ways for Pagano to get his point across without condoning aggression to the point of jumping over a podium to attack a member of the press.
Pickett, thankfully, didn't do anything of the sort, no matter what questions he was asked. While his NFL future may be at an unexpected crossroads, it seems like Pittsburgh's former first-round pick has more self-control than Pagano does.
Steelers' Quarterback Questions Could Be Answered Soon
When a team invests a high draft pick in a player, there tends to be a longer leash than those who don't carry the same draft pedigree. Pickett, after putting together a mediocre 13 total career passing touchdowns in 25 games, is well below the expectations for a first-round quarterback. Things get even bleaker for Pickett when you take into account Rudolph's immediate success in their Week 16 victory. Whether he intended to or not, Rudolph turned the narrative on its head, and suddenly, he could finally be battling for a legitimate starting spot.
Rudolph, in just one 2023 start (two touchdowns), has tallied one-third of Pickett's total touchdowns during the season (six). It wasn't as though Pickett had been operating with less talent around him than Rudolph had during the victory over Cincinnati; it was simply how the longtime backup quarterback chose to utilize it. After seeing more than 30 points scored and a victory that didn't come down to the final two minutes, it would be difficult to defend the Steelers turning back to Pickett, regardless of where he was drafted.
The 2023 season isn't a lost one for the Steelers, at least not yet. They might not be where they hoped to be when they were 7-4 entering Week 13, but with an 8-7 record and a few slips by other teams, the Steelers can still see a road to the postseason. Granted, two consecutive away games is a daunting task, especially when the final game has the Steelers traveling to take on the Baltimore Ravens, but there is a chance. Thankfully, despite a myriad of struggles and bad decisions during the 2023 season, the Steelers knew that Rudolph gave them their best opportunity to prove their mettle.
What will the final score of the Seahawks Week 17 game be? Will the 2023 Steelers be make the playoffs?
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