One of the most memorable plays from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Monday Night Football victory against the Indianapolis Colts was the two-point conversion after the team’s last touchdown drive. Quarterback Kenny Pickett stayed with the play despite his first read not being there and the pocket breaking down, throwing a laser pass to fellow rookie George Pickens in tight coverage. Not to mention, Pickens copied legendary soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic Siu celebration afterwards. When asked about the scramble drill that took place during the play, Pickens went into detail about his route.
“It was just kind of a scramble drill because I didn’t have a specific route,” Pickens said when asked about the highlight two-point conversion according to Steeler Live on Twitter. “I didn’t have an in-cut or a slant. I just had a fade. After a fade breaks down, you’re just trying to get open. So yeah, it was a scramble drill.”
The scramble drill is something that Steelers Nation saw plenty of with long-time quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at the helm. The likely future Hall Of Famer’s top highlights throughout his career were in the scramble drill, as his receivers always knew to not give up on the play after their initial routes. If one thing is for sure, it’s that the scramble drill is something that takes talent to execute and requires chemistry with receivers.
The scramble drill is not easy to run, especially for young players. Staying on the same page after the play call breaks down is hard, and takes lots of practice to get down. The fact that Pickett and Pickens were able to execute that play on a huge two-point conversion was impressive, and speaks to their chemistry. Pickens, who is arguably Pickett’s favorite target, is putting together quite the highlight reel in his rookie season.
For Pickett, throwing into a tight window on the run is something that not many quarterbacks are capable of. In his highest graded game according to PFF, the rookie quarterback showcased his arm talent. If Pickett is able to expand on this chemistry with his fellow rookie, the team’s first two draft picks in 2022 will likely be playing together in black and gold for years to come. As ESPN’s color commentator Troy Aikman said after the play, “we might be seeing those two together for a while.”
