The importance of the quarterback position can’t be overstated. It’s exactly why the primary focus for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason has been on their second-year slinger, Kenny Pickett. His growth and development will determine how far this team can go, not just now but for the foreseeable future.
If they hit on Pickett, then they can look forward to a decade or more of steady success with the status of perennial contender. He’s still got so much to prove, but virtually everything this offseason has pointed in a positive direction.
“You’ve seen his growth every day, the ownership he’s taking, the command he has”, assistant general manager Andy Weidl said of his young quarterback yesterday, via the team’s website, highlighting one physical quality in particular.
“He worked extremely hard this offseason. He’s gotten stronger. You see that in the velocity of the throws and how he’s hitting all different parts of the field”, he said. “And then just command, his ability to connect with his teammates, the reach he has. He’s tough, he loves the game, he works hard, and I think guys respect that”.
This is not the first time this offseason we have heard about Pickett improving his strength and the velocity of his passes. The first time, however, was from the most biased source possible, his personal quarterback coach, Tony Racioppi.
With a number of training camp practices under our belts now, we can safely say that the deep pass has been a prevalent part of his game, and he’s done a pretty good job of it based on the results. I can’t speak to the velocity part of the equation, though for full disclosure, our Alex Kozora did not personally observe a substantial difference from last season.
The best test will be inside of stadiums, of course, and in truth velocity was never really an obstacle for Pickett and the offense last season. His arm strength was already sufficient, even if not world-class, but any improvement in any area that could make the offense better is welcome news.
Head coach Mike Tomlin essentially confirmed that Pickett will play in the preseason opener tomorrow night, declaring that the plan is for all healthy players to play. It’s to be taken as a given that he will be out there with the first-team offense, but for how long, I’m sure not even Tomlin knows right now.
In terms of velocity, that’s really most important not necessarily with deep passes but with tight-window throws, and that’s an area in which Pickett did himself proud overall last season. He had a number of key plays, particularly in the second halves of games, in which he registered a crucial conversion by throwing a guy open with a defender right by, if not draped over him.
Though by no means an official statistic, Pickett had the second-highest Big-Time Throw rate among starting quarterbacks after week eight at 6.3 percent, behind only Josh Allen, tied with Joe Burrow, although his 15 total Big-Time Throws were tied for the 10th-most.
