One of the most fascinating discussions about NFL organizations revolves around the concept of “culture.” Perhaps it would be more accurate to frame the discussion around leadership, though. Does an NFL team have great leadership in the front office, the coaching staff, and on the field?
Author and speaker Pat Lencioni was a guest on Monday’s episode of the GM Shuffle with Mike Lombardi and Femi Abebefe to talk about the characteristics of dysfunctional teams. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers were brought up as an example of a team that overperforms consistently due to head coach Mike Tomlin’s leadership. What was really interesting about Lencioni’s thoughts on the Steelers came during a discussion on the quarterback position.
“You know what’s an interesting team that’s strong in leadership except at quarterback going into this year?” Lencioni asked. “It’s the Steelers. The question really is will [quarterback Kenny] Pickett be that guy? It’s not about his arm strength, it’s not about anything else. Will he be that gritty guy that can command people in the huddle and match Tomlin in terms of Tomlin’s ability to be a coach and match [T.J.] Watt and [Cam] Heyward and all those other guys on the team? If he can be that guy, everything changes.”
Most people focus on Pickett’s physical attributes when it comes to his play at the quarterback position. Arguably two of the biggest concerns fans and analysts have are his hand size and his arm strength.
Pickett’s hands measured in at 8 1/2 inches at the NFL Combine. When the Sporting News took an in-depth look at the hand sizes of NFL quarterbacks as well as the size of a regulation NFL football, there were two measurements that stand out. First, the average size of a first-round quarterback’s hand from 2008-2020 was 9.7 inches, over a full inch larger than Pickett’s. Second, hand sizes that are smaller than 8.5 inches, Pickett’s Combine measurement, are almost invariably too small to get the proper amount of grip on an NFL football.
That means that Pickett meets the technical threshold for being able to get enough grip on a football to be able to play quarterback. So while his hand size may be less than ideal, it’s not technically too small.
As for arm strength, Pickett has shown an ability to make the throws necessary to execute at an NFL level. While it may never be a plus attribute, like with some of the top quarterbacks in the league, it’s also not so poor that it will doom him.
However, for Lencioni, Pickett’s ultimate success or failure, and thereby Pittsburgh’s success or failure with him at quarterback, has nothing to do with either of those attributes.
“I don’t care how big his hands are,” Lencioni said. “I don’t really care what his 40 time is. If he can be a leader, that team is going to take off.”
For the record, Pickett’s 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine was 4.73 seconds. While he will never be as big of a running threat as Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson or Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, he was able to average 4.3 yards per rushing attempt and score three touchdowns on the ground in 2022.
Yet Lencioni doesn’t care whether Pickett’s hands are 8.5, 9.5, or even 10 inches. He doesn’t care whether Pickett can outrun every defender in the NFL. Heck, he likely doesn’t care if Pickett could throw the football from inside his end zone to over the 50-yard line. It’s about whether Pickett can become a leader of men in the offensive huddle and the team overall.
If that is indeed the case, then things should be looking up for Pickett and the Steelers. Whether it’s wide receiver Allen Robinson II, cornerback Levi Wallace, or tight end Pat Freiermuth, Pickett’s teammates have been raving about his leadership through OTAs and mandatory minicamps.
It should be no small wonder that Pittsburgh has focused on adding leadership along with talent during the 2023 offseason. With veteran additions like guard Isaac Seumalo and CB Patrick Peterson, general manager Omar Khan wanted to bring in leaders.
However, it’s going to be Pickett’s development as a leader that could really push the Steelers back into contention in 2023.
