Who is the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh? Nobody is saying. Because nobody needs to say it. And that’s why nobody who matters is asking, either. Certainly not quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who, while he hasn’t outright said “I am the starting quarterback”, has signaled it in every other fashion, including confirming that he took the first-team reps in practice last week. And he’s had no conversations about the job with head coach Mike Tomlin, either.
“Never asked him once”, he told reporters, via the team’s website, and people know not to ask him, either. “Nobody asked me. Zero… They know if Coach T doesn’t say it, there’s no point in asking me, because when Coach T says it, that’s when it’ll need to be said”.
The reasons for Tomlin’s delay in confirming who the Steelers’ starting quarterback will be are not entirely clear—perhaps just to add the slightest hint of uncertainty as the Cincinnati Bengals begin their game preparations for the season opener—but it’s not like there’s a lot of Kenny Pickett tape to study, anyway.
The question is, of course, between Trubisky and Pickett, or it would be if there were a question at all. The first-round rookie draft pick performed quite admirably throughout the preseason, and just about everybody has weighed in and shared their own thoughts on his future and how soon he should play.
But Tomlin has, apparently, not told his quarterbacks anything concretely, either. Not that they mind, at least publicly. “It’s not a distraction to us. This week is just about going out there”, Trubisky said about going through the past week.
“Whoever goes out there, just put in the work, continue to get better, and when it needs to be discussed, it’ll be discussed, but Coach T handles his business when he needs to, and we just go about ours as well”.
When exactly will it be discussed? Well, I suppose the official announcement will come on ‘Tomlin Tuesday’ during his first pregame press conference of the regular season, although even that isn’t guaranteed. After all, there are no regulations requiring him to officially name a starter as though it would make him beholden to play one over the other.
