Monday morning report proves Mike Tomlin continues to mismanage Steelers
Let's start off by saying this: Mike Tomlin has been a very good head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Truth be told? He still is. We won't get into the records and impressive run he's had because chances are you've heard all of it by now. But it does appear like he hasn't managed the […]
Let's start off by saying this: Mike Tomlin has been a very good head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Truth be told? He still is. We won't get into the records and impressive run he's had because chances are you've heard all of it by now.
But it does appear like he hasn't managed the quarterback situation properly. Thinking back, that offseason narrative about the Steelers having a "plan" at quarterback seems shaky right now. Even four weeks into the season, even after benching Mitch Trubisky and letting Kenny Pickett take over, there doesn't seem to be one.
And no, it's not that the Steelers' coaching staff has been keeping its cards close to its chest, either. Actions speak louder than words and this isn't only about what fans and media were told in several press conferences. Let's take a quick look back at some key decisions made this year:
- Mitch Trubisky receives the vast majority of first-team reps in the offseason and preseason.
- Kenny Pickett, meanwhile, is mostly stuck as the third-team QB behind Mason Rudolph.
- Trubisky is named team captain and starter.
- Tomlin goes on record to say the Steelers won't change Trubisky as QB1 for the entirety of the season.
That last part? I think no one ever believed that. NFL fans are used to coaches making strong statements like that only to walk it back further down the road. At some point, Steelers Nation assumed, Pickett would be named the starter if Trubisky struggled. Perhaps in a long week or the team's bye. You know, to get the rookie some first-team reps and ready to go.
Surely, the team would never let Pickett in without some practice. Yet that's exactly what the Steelers did. Monday's report was the latest reminder of this as Colin Dunlap from 93.7 The Fantweeted that Kenny Pickett said he got no first-team reps in practice heading into the game:
As a result, your first-round quarterback wasn't put in the best position to succeed, even if Pickett provided optimism for the Steelers moving forward. At the same time, you blindsided your starting quarterback AND team captain. All of it in a long week you could've used to get the rookie even more prepared than you would in a regular 7-day week.
Some have suggested that maybe Tomlin was genuinely hoping the offense would bounce back with Trubisky under center. While that's totally believable and a rightful reason to bet on the veteran, the offense had the same scheme question marks on Sunday as in the previous three weeks.
Where was the bounce back supposed to come from? Just players playing better all of the sudden?
It's certainly not the end of the world or a fireable offense for Tomlin, I'll grant you that. But to say this has been a clear process or "part of the plan" is just flat-out ignoring the facts and the timeline of how things have gone down in Pittsburgh.
Moving forward, Pickett can provide Steelers fans with a lot of reasons to keep watching. Diontae Johnson even called this a rebuilding year after the game, which is not what you want to hear from a player but it's true nevertheless.
But this coaching staff needs to start putting the rookie – and the offense – in a better position to succeed.
Featured image via Michael Longo/For USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK
