On Monday, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media ahead of this week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens. The top piece of business was starting quarterback and Tomlin made it clear they were leaving Mason Rudolph in the starting lineup this week despite the fact that Kenny Pickett is healthy.
Tomlin also offered up some interesting commentary about Pickett without actually endorsing him as the team’s starting quarterback going forward. Tomlin spoke about Pickett’s success against the Ravens and that he wants the football. He also said that Pickett is a team player.
What Tomlin didn’t say was that Pickett understands he’s still our starting quarterback going forward or really anything you might call a vote of confidence for him.
Tomlin also noted that Pickett was medically cleared to play last week but ended up a healthy scratch due to the distribution of reps during the week’s practice. When Tomlin said they have two capable guys, we took that to mean Pickett will be the backup this week and Mitch Trubisky will be inactive.
Honestly, we appreciate Tomlin’s approach to this from the perspective of Rudolph. There’s no reason to do anything to damage his confidence coming up on the most important game of the season. This isn’t about protecting Pickett’s feelings. If he’s needed on Saturday, he needs to be able to go regardless.
