Former Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Kordell Stewart made his regular appearance on 93.7 Fan on Thursday and said that the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking “promising and hopeful.”
Stewart on Snell
The show hosts, Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller, asked Stewart about the performance of Benny Snell Jr. who filled in for the injured Jaylen Warren and later the injured Najee Harris. They specifically asked if Snell was a better fit for the Steelers’ offense than the struggling Harris. Stewart said at this time Snell is doing a better job than Harris more naturally running north-south. He feels that is the reason he is being more productive than Harris right now.
Stewart liked them to the great running back duo of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard from the Dallas Cowboys. He said that it is hard to compare them accurately as they bring different skill sets to the table. Pollard, for example, was able to run a wheel route that Zeke wasn’t able to because Pollard had more explosive speed. He pointed out that he wasn’t saying Harris and Elliot have the same strengths and weaknesses, but that the situation is the same.
Stewart said that it is critical to pick up the yards you can pick up. Frequently Harris has failed to pick up what he can get and it costs the Steelers being able to convert on downs. Stweart said sometimes those two or three yards are what makes the difference between being two and seven or two and ten and that you can’t leave your QB in third and long all the time.
Stewart on Steelers’ QB Kenny Pickett
When asked about rookie Quarterback Kenny Pickett‘s progression since the bye, Stewart indicated that Pickett looked much improved. He said he was making “decisive decisions” and had a solid performance stat-wise, he was 20 of 28 for 174 yards and had no interceptions. While he did not have any passing touchdowns, he led the team and found a way to get the points required to win. He said he sees the growth that Pickett is making and finds it promising.
Stewart on Pickens and Johnson
Stewart is best known for being a quarterback but he was a “hybrid” type of player and had played wide receiver as well. They asked him WR to WR what he thinks about George Pickens and his development. He commented that Pickens and Pickett are creating great chemistry. As an example, he discussed the games against Cincinnati and Indianapolis. During the game against Cincy, the Steelers lost their lead and were never able to regain it. They seemed to flounder in the second half and couldn’t recover. The following week, against Indy, they once again lost the lead but instead of allowing themselves to get further into a hole Pickett helped lead the Steelers to victory.
When asked how much that confidence in one other, meaning Pickett and Pickens, matters and how much it carries over, he said it matters a lot and it is easy to see the benefits being reaped. He used as an example the third down conversion that Pickens made in the fourth quarter that led to the win. Stewart said despite the two earlier drops Pickens made, he still trusted him and went to him again. That is the chemistry you need with your teammates.
In regards to Diontae Johnson and how much of the burden to get him involved falls to Pickett, Stewart said it has to be organic. He said that he hears the fans all saying, “What do we do with Diontae Johnson? We paid him all this money and he can’t catch the ball.” Stewart said it can’t be forced, that it takes time to get comfortable and they just aren’t there yet.
He feels that in time it will come, they will continue to work at it and they both need to be patient and this young offense will gel. Stewart likened it to his relationship with Plaxico Burris. He said initially they just weren’t “clicking” and it took until 2001 at the Baltimore game. That “click” finally happened and it lead to the Steelers winning the division.
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