Former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger recapped Pittsburgh’s 17-10 Week Five win over the Baltimore Ravens and touched on adjustments the team can make during the bye week on episode 38 of his Footbahlin’ podcast. Something in particular he noted was the pocket presence of Kenny Pickett, as Roethlisberger thinks Pickett needs to improve his vision when it comes to moving in the pocket.
While he did think Pickett moved well against Baltimore, as a whole, Roethlisberger thinks escapability is something that could stand to improve for Pickett.
“He’s got to work on his pocket escapability a little bit like you always talk about escaping to the back door, he escapes to trouble sometimes, runs to darkness, he just gotta see a little bit,” Roethlisberger said.
It’s been a recurring issue for Pickett this season, as he struggles to stay in clean pockets and sometimes bails too early, which leads to him running into pressure. He also has a tendency to spin out of the pocket, which limits his vision and gives more time for the defense to crash down and get to the passer.
Having happy feet is a common issue for young quarterbacks, but now in his second season, it’s one that you’d like to see fixed. Roethlisberger did think Pickett moved well against the Ravens, especially coming off a knee injury that was supposed to limit his mobility. But taking the whole season into account, it has been a concern for Pickett, and one that you’d like to see get cleaned up sooner rather than later.
Former Steelers defensive lineman and current analyst Chris Hoke touched on the issue today, too, and it’s one of Pickett’s biggest weaknesses right now. He’s struggled a little bit this season, and his lack of pocket awareness has been one key reason why. Pittsburgh’s offensive line hasn’t been great, but he’s putting himself under more pressure by fading into pressure by leaving the pocket when he doesn’t have to. It’s especially a problem when he spins out of the pocket.
The offense has had its fair share of issues, and Pickett might think that leaving the pocket creates more opportunities when it comes to the scramble drill. But it’s just causing him to be under more duress and making the offense worse. I don’t think it’s necessarily something he’s even consciously doing, but he needs to adjust his internal clock so he’s not leaving clean pockets and getting himself into trouble, as Roethlisberger said.
It’s a big part of Pickett’s game that he needs to clean up, but if he manages to do so, he could take his game to another level.
Watch the full episode of Footbahlin’ below:
