Replacing a legend like Ben Roethlisberger was always going to be an uphill task for Kenny Pickett, and it was quite evident in his rookie year. Even in his first season, Pickett struggled to make an impact, which Roethlisberger attributes to a lack of preseason practice.
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In his appearance on Footbahlin, the legendary Steelers quarterback initially criticized the emphasis placed on preseason practice, which fans and media often value for the wrong reasons. However, he later acknowledged that this period is crucial for rookies and relatively new players to learn—something that Pickett clearly missed.
While it’s common practice for NFL teams to avoid playing their top stars in the preseason to protect them from injuries, Ben argued that Pickett shouldn’t have been treated the same way as veterans like T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, especially after just one season with the team.
He said:
“I felt like they should have maybe played the starters more in the offseason… Most teams don’t play their stars because you can’t afford them to get hurt… but we had a younger quarterback and a younger offense, like I would have liked him [Pickett] to play a little more.”
Notably, Kenny did have a sensational debut preseason for the Steelers with back-to-back touchdown drives in the first moments of the game itself. So it’s somewhat understandable why Coach Tomlin didn’t take the risk with his QB.
While the Steelers legend agreed with and respects this decision, Ben, in hindsight, strongly argued that the management should have acted differently — not in terms of reps, but in getting to know the rookie holistically.
Ben Roethlisberger shares how Steelers could have escaped the Pickett debacle
Caleb Williams is one of the most hyped QB prospects in recent memory. Despite the obvious quality in him, even Williams participated in 42 preseason snaps this year. The reason for this is simple — the NFL is a different ball game. Regardless of a player’s quality, the NFL consistently represents a step up from college football.
While preseason isn’t a definitive indicator of team quality, it serves as a prelude to the league. Similarly, preseason also is the time for players to iron out the chinks in their armor and make mistakes freely. For a rookie, this is an important part of growth and learning.
Unfortunately, Pickett missed this crucial part of growth, and the results speak for themselves: 7 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in his rookie year, followed by 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in his second year. Ben attributed this issue to Pickett being fast-tracked as a starter, which he believes contributed to his struggles in the regular season.
That said, this is the second veteran QB after Tom Brady in recent weeks who is championing a gradual step up for rookies. Unfortunately, this advice is a year late for Pickett, as he has since been traded to the Eagles.
