Varying reports indicated that some players on the Pittsburgh Steelers prefer one quarterback over the other between Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph. Some fear that re-signing Rudolph possesses the potential to create a divided locker room as a consequence. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette does not share those concerns for one simple reason.
“I think if Kenny Pickett shrinks or wilts under competition like that or in the face of adversity, then they know right then that he’s not the guy for the future”, he told Joe Starkey on 93.7 The Fan. “I don’t think the Steelers should be afraid of any kind of competition for him, whether it’s within the locker room or on the practice field or anything like that”.
I see the sense in his words regarding the presence of Rudolph. Pickett either rises to the challenge and wins over the locker room, if necessary, or he folds. In either event, you got your answer. It’s not necessarily about the likelihood of divided opinions but the environment that conduces.
We are at the annoying part of the offseason in which everybody just says what they think without knowing. You can divide the beat writers into camps on different topics. Many think Rudolph signs elsewhere, while many others think he re-signs.
Still more believe the Steelers don’t intend for a legitimate competition. Fittipaldo is not one of them. He does believe Rudolph can win the job if he re-signs and outperforms Pickett. “They’ll do what’s best for this football team”, he said. “They did what’s best for this football team with a week to go in the regular season”.
He refers to the Steelers’ final two games as Pickett returned from an ankle injury. Rudolph started the two games prior and turned the season around. Head coach Mike Tomlin elected to start Rudolph for the finale in a must-win game, Pickett dressing as his backup. He then went so far as to start Rudolph over his nominal starter, Pickett, in a postseason game.
I find it hard to reconcile those decisions as merely products of the moment. Pickett faced no threats for his job before his injury, yet Tomlin opted to sit him in favor of Rudolph. He has already proven that he is willing to make that tough decision.
Of course he hopes his first-round pick pans out, just as every other team in the world hopes of theirs.
They have to start earning it at some point in their careers, however. Tomlin put Pickett on notice by sitting him when healthy. Fittipaldo suggested he thinks Pickett expected to start when he returned from injury. Tomlin proved him wrong.
This offseason for him is about how he responds to adversity, both of the past and the future. He knows he can’t expect to waltz unimpeded back into the starting lineup after finishing the season as a spectator. Whether it’s Rudolph or somebody else, he is going to have to be better than another quarterback. If he is, the locker room will rally behind him. If he’s not, they rally behind the other guy. These things work themselves out.
