Different NFL teams and coaches have different philosophies and approaches for how to go about the preseason. For Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers, their game plan was to give most of their starters run in every preseason game, and it worked out with the first team offense scoring five touchdowns in five drives and the first team defense not surrendering a single point. On Good Morning Football today, Peter Schrager praised Tomlin for sticking to his guns and playing his starters.
“A young quarterback like Pickett, I kind of commend Mike Tomlin for saying I know there could be an injury, and I know not everyone does this, but look around the league. [Patrick] Mahomes plays a half the other night, Russell Wilson’s playing out there, in this case Kenny Pickett’s out there,” Schrager said on the NFL Network show. “I think there is going to be some positive to come from it as there is a confidence building in Pittsburgh.”
It’s a move that should pay some dividends with the Steelers’ confidence and momentum growing. If the players are happy with their performance, and they should be, the momentum and good feelings from the preseason can carry over into the regular season.
Pittsburgh also has a young offense, so getting guys like Kenny Pickett, George Pickens and Jaylen Warren more reps is going to help them when the season kicks off. It’s never a bad thing going up against live competition, particularly an opponent that isn’t one’s own team, and the Steelers were able to impose their will on whomever they were facing.
And like Schrager said, around the league guys like Mahomes, the best quarterback in the NFL, are getting preseason reps. It says something about Pickett’s potential development and giving him more and more reps. It’s never a bad thing to get as many reps as possible, work on mistakes and continue to grow and improve. Pickett had a flawless preseason and having that confidence and knowing what he’s capable of should hopefully carry over into the regular season.
It’s going to be fun to watch the Steelers this season, and I think some of that preseason momentum is going to help the team early in the season. Then, they can build off the early season momentum and make a push late in the season and potentially a playoff run. If they look as good as they did in the preseason, a playoff run should honestly be expected.
Week One can’t get here soon enough.
