Floyd Lark A.K.A. The Steel Pulse
FINALLY!! As many fans have loooooong awaited the insertion of the franchise quarterback, Kenny Pickett, we transition the team in a way that hasn’t occurred since 1969.* Wait!!! 1969? But, we had Big Ben inserted in 2004.How big was THAT? It was huge……as an event in itself. However, that move was not seen initially as a “game changer” quite the way Pickett’s arrival is perceived. He is seen as an immediate cure to the quarterback woes. Ben was filling in for Tommy Maddox and the expectations for Ben are (were) dwarfed in comparison to those of the hometown hero of our day. He is expected to produce and NOW.
I just hope the predominant portion of Yinzers and SteelerNation worldwide keep in mind that he is indeed a rookie. He has potential, but there are some things to overcome. First, is the obvious: the NFL is still new to him. He’s played close to two quarters of regular season play and he did play in the pre-season. That is it as far as his experience. Second, is the offense itself. We haven’t exactly seen clear and distinct signs of what the heck the offense actually IS. What….does…..it…..do? Facial ID failed. Please use keypad. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the Steelers offense as indistinct as they are now. That is bound to impact Pickett’s on-field play. And finally, that offensive line. They can’t pass block well at all. When Trubisky dropped back, his stationary time was virtually nil, as he would have to move immediately after his drop backs. Consistently. Pickett will have to employ a method of escaping the collapsed pockets, and then throwing on the run or rush altogether. He was drafted wit this notion in mind, even before we found out the line was lacking. Beyond those challenges, there is a boatload of upside to Pickett. There is an upside to putting him in when the coaches did, too. He has now concluded his pre-season. And what an effort to come back and give his team a shot at winning a game where nothing was happening until he stepped onto the turf. He can now make his bones against some pretty tough (Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Miami, Philly, New Orleans, Cincinnati). If he can he can engineer enough offense to aid in beating ANY of these teams’ defenses, it will be a huge statement regarding his readiness to play in the league. He will garner major cred across Steeler Nation for doing so also.
We are waiting for this promotion to kick in. Steeler Nation has little patience for “rebuilding.” There is THE STANDARD. Next man up is the mentality around the ‘Burgh. Even for the newly inserted franchise quarterback. ESPECIALLY for the newly inserted franchise quarterback. We’re riding with you Kenny.
* And by the way……in 1969, the Steelers drafted whom they hoped would eventually be THE franchise signal caller. I think they did OK.