Steelers Fans Already Chanting For Kenny Pickett Halfway Through Week 2
By Liam McKeone
Kenny Pickett was damn near immaculate during preseason games but Mike Tomlin still decided to go with Mitchell Trubisky as the Pittsburgh Steelers starter. It made sense from a from a few perspectives and there was legitimate reason to hope Trubisky could quarterback a competent offense.
The Steelers' first game of the year against the Cincinnati Bengals put a dent in that optimism. Trubisky and the rest of the Pittsburgh offense managed only 267 yards of total offense despite playing nearly all of an overtime period. But one game is one game. Hopes were raised again this week, when the Steelers got to host the dysfunctional New England Patriots for their home opener.
And that is where the optimism and hope died for many a Steelers fan. After Trubisky managed to lead the offense to six points in two and a half quarters, the chants for Pickett began.
This is a classic NFL trope that everyone saw coming, probably including the Steelers themselves. The grass is always greener in the eyes of the fans so they demand the alternative that hasn't disappointed them yet. Whereas NFL teams tend to prefer the devil they do know as opposed to the devil they don't, and that's especially the case when it comes to protecting rookie quarterbacks from unnecessary punishment.
Trubisky has not been good in a Steelers uniform, don't get it twisted. But Tomlin is going to give him a lot more time to prove himself. Props to the fans for resisting the Pickett chant for this long, though.