With just nine days between now and the start of the 2023 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the visiting San Francisco 49ers at Acrisure Stadium, the overall anticipation and excitement continues to build surrounding the 2023 season and what could be in store for the Black and Gold.
Much of that anticipation and excitement surrounds second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett. The hype continues to build and is largely reaching a crescendo, thanks to Pickett’s impressive performance in the preseason, completing 13-of-15 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns.
Cleveland Sports Radio host Ken Carman of 92.3 FM is sick of hearing the hype.
Friday morning, Carman attempted to shoot down the Pickett and Steelers hype overall, comparing Pickett to Ryan Tannehill, and said that he has a burning passion to see the Steelers lose in 2023.
“…I think he can be, at best, Ryan Tannehill. Ryan Tannehill can get you to the playoffs and win football games,” Carman said on 92.3 FM, according to video via the station’s radio show. “He’s done it before, I don’t know if he can do it again, but I said at best he can be Ryan Tannehill.”
Carman’s co-host Anthony Lima pushed back on that saying it might be good enough considering the Steelers defense and head coach Mike Tomlin being able to keep the Steelers over .500 and potentially push into double-digit wins.
That’s where Carman started to lose it a bit.
“Okay, but you got that nut job in Ryan Clark saying, ‘Oh, he’s [Pickett] going to get MVP votes.’ MVP votes? MVP? And it’s because of this onslaught of love [for the Steelers] … I cannot tell you, it’s becoming an insatiable fire of what I want them to do, which is lose. I just want them to lose so badly that it is bordering obsession right now. Every day I look at my phone and I see something new about that guy, and boy I’m just getting to that level.”
The Ryan Tannehill comparison from Carman isn’t as big of a putdown on Pickett as he might think it is.
Tannehill has started 143 career games and counting in the NFL, averages roughly 3,400 passing yards as season along with 21/10 TD/INT split each year, and has been to the playoffs three times with all three coming in three of the last four years in Tennessee. Tannehill is never going to be considered an elite-level quarterback, but he’s a winner and leads his teams to the playoffs.
Sometimes, that’s good enough.
Problem is, in Cleveland, they just don’t understand that. They’ve been to the playoffs twice since 1999 when the franchise returned to Cleveland. Granted, the Browns beat the Steelers in the 2020 playoffs at then-Heinz Field, but two playoff appearances since 1999? Carman should have an insatiable fire to find a quarterback capable of doing that.
Maybe some of Carman’s comments Friday morning came from the frustration that the Browns’ big gamble at quarterback on Deshaun Watson hasn’t paid off. He’s looked rather rough throughout training camp and the preseason and is only getting more expensive. There has to be frustrations there, considering the Browns have a great roster but still don’t have an answer at the most important position in football.
It’s easy to understand the annoyance with the daily Steelers hype lately; heck, it’s getting annoying for even some Steelers fans and media members. But that insatiable fire to and borderline obsession from Carman to see the Steelers lose and lose badly isn’t likely to be put out anytime soon.
They just don’t lose like the Browns, period. Pickett seemingly looks like a solid starting quarterback, too. Tough years ahead for Carman.
And by the way, that “nut job Ryan Clark” never once said Kenny Pickett is going to receive MVP votes. That would be 93.7 The Fan PM Show co-host Andrew Fillipponi, who tweeted it out the other day. Carman getting Clark and Fillipponi mixed up is concerning.
