Since the last time Ben Roethlisberger did his podcast Footbahlin, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett led two game-winning runs to keep the Steelers’ playoff hopes alive. After playing 12 games this season (11 if you don’t want to count the Baltimore Ravens’ opener), Pickett has put a lot of tape on people to start jumping to conclusions about his game.
One of those who have come to a conclusion is Roethlisberger. on his podcast today, Roethlisberger explained how Pickett played very welleven better than he initially thought.
“In my opinion, I seriously underestimated Kenny,” Roethlisberger said. “I think he throws the ball better than I thought, he runs way better than I expected and thought, his decision-making is really, really good, his leadership, his tenacity, [he has] just enough of an advantage for him it seems. So I apologize, not that I made this voice to someone else, but in my own head. Kenny, keep doing what you’re doing because you’re leading this team and becoming the guy everyone hoped you would be. I think the sky is the limit for him, really.
I can imagine a lot of people were thrilled to hear Roethlisberger’s thoughts on the man who was drafted to fill his big shoes, and we finally got them. Roethlisberger, like many, did not think Pickett would set the world on fire. A lot of people thought Pickett didn’t have the best physical tools to be a really good quarterback, especially in today’s NFL with superhuman quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.
However, as he always has, Pickett showed up and people got it wrong. During the season, Pickett had six touchdown passes, nine interceptions, and threw for 2,209 yards. While those numbers of interceptions are high, eight of them came before the bye week. Since Pickett came back from the bye week and got more comfortable, his game has improved and he’s reduced turnovers. Since the bye week, Pickett has driven four winning races, showing he has the clutch gene in him like his predecessor. He is the first rookie to lead back-to-back winning streaks, two must-play games for the Steelers.
Roethlisberger said there’s even more to unlock with Pickett, and what’s more important than this year is how he looks in his second or third year.
Now let’s see what years two and three look like. That will be the key, in my opinion, as I said, to really take the next step. But he is all of that and more than I thought he was going to be.
While a bad rookie year or even a good rookie year is important, Roethlisberger is right that the second and third years are even more important. Once a quarterback hits second or third year, you normally have an idea of what he’s going to be like. A recent quarterback who has jumped wild in the second and third years is Josh Allen. Allen’s freshman year was tough, throwing 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In his second season in the NFL, he threw for 20 touchdowns and just nine interceptions leading the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs. His third year was crazy. Allen threw for 37 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance. If you had just judged Allen on what he did his rookie year, you would have thought he was just another first-round quarterback bust.
Now, I don’t want to compare the two or try to say Pickett will be Allen. However, it confirms Roethlisberger’s argument that a quarterback’s second and third years are more important than the rookie year. Now Pickett is on an upward trajectory, and hopefully he can take that upward trajectory and become even better next year, cementing himself as a Pittsburgh franchise guy.
He is playing with confidence right now. It shows and it transpires from him and his team.
Roethlisberger, being an elite quarterback for most of his career, knows what a good quarterback looks like. The fact that he’s singing Pickett’s praises means a lot, and if he’s right and the Steelers have found their franchise, then the team is in a good place. The NFL is a quarterback-focused league, and it’s possible the Steelers just found theirs.
Check out the full episode below.
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