Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin gave a somewhat telling response to a question about quarterback Mitch Trubisky on Sunday.

Trubisky started in place of Kenny Pickett on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Pickett was inactive for the game due to still being in the concussion protocol.

Pittsburgh left Charlotte with a 24-16 win with Trubisky starting on Sunday.

Trubisky didn't necessarily "win the game" for the Steelers, but he didn't lose it, either.

After the game, Tomlin was asked about the former North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback and he didn't give Trubisky too much credit.

In fact, it appears that Tomlin essentially called Trubisky a game manager, which is a moniker that quarterbacks seem to despise.

"I just thought he managed it well," said Tomlin after the win on Sunday. "I thought he kept the ball off the ground and played clean with a high completion percentage. It’s easier to do those things when you’re playing behind an effective run game. I can’t say enough about our big dudes up front and how they controlled it."

That certainly sounds like Tomlin is giving the Steelers' running game the credit for Pittsburgh's offensive success against the Panthers.

And I think most would agree with that sentiment.

Trubisky was smarter with the ball against the Panthers than he was the previous week against the Baltimore Ravens when he threw three interceptions.

Still, it's not like Trubisky went out there and won the game for Pittsburgh. 179 passing yards and zero passing touchdowns is essentially a game-manager-type stat line, which explains Tomlin's unimpressed response.

At this point, it's pretty clear that Trubisky is a backup quarterback in the NFL who can fill in as a spot starter and deliver a win here and there. He's not a longterm starter and he shouldn't be.

Now, that's a valuable player for the Steelers to have — but only if Trubisky embraces that role.

I'm sure he still dreams of being a starter, but he needs to accept that he's not that guy. He can have a long NFL career as a spot starter/backup. And there's nothing wrong with that. But if he doesn't accept that role, he's going to have a tough time finding success in the coming years.

Featured image via Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports