Early on in his career in the NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett wasn’t able to do much at the line of scrimmage as far as checking into certain routes, protections, or even changing the play entirely.
Five games into his second season, he’s becoming more and more comfortable with it, gaining confidence overall and showing his coaches that they should trust him more and more to do those types of things at the line of scrimmage that more veteran quarterbacks do on a consistent basis.
It’s not as if Pickett couldn’t do them mentally or physically, it’s just that the Steelers kept things simple and relatively limited.
After Pickett changed the protection and George Pickens’ route on Sunday on the game-winning 41-yard touchdown pass to beat the Baltimore Ravens, more could be in store for Pickett in that regard. Steelers quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan stated Wednesday while talking to reporters at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex that he has great comfort in Pickett having the ability to make those checks and having that freedom at the line of scrimmage.
“Absolutely. Absolutely. I do. And he’s shown the ability to do that. There’s gonna be some challenges up ahead,” Sullivan said to reporters, according to video on Twitter via 93.7 The Fan’s Chris Mack. “Defenses are smart and they work hard, and they might be able to have a look that looks like it’s gonna be zero, and then they hop out of that, and that’s part of the grind, being able to tell and determine what’s real and what’s fake.
“And again, working with a guy like Kenny that spends so much time in the film room and asks so many good questions and is so determined to get better, that gives us a fighting chance for sure.”
Pickett showed the ability to do that against the Ravens, especially with the game on the line.
Late in the game against the Ravens, he was able to change the protection and then gave a finger signal to Pickens, leading to the splash play for the go-ahead touchdown.
It was a good adjustment made in the heat of the moment against a look from the Ravens in Cover Zero that the Steelers executed at a high level. That’s all that matters.
As Sullivan pointed out, things will get more difficult for Pickett moving forward now that he’s shown the ability to make those checks at the line of scrimmage based on pre-snap looks. Defenses will get better at disguising things and try to get Pickett to make pre-snap mistakes. But with his work in the film room and his endless commitment to preparation and improvement, the Steelers should be in good shape there moving forward.
