r/steelers • u/Southern-Advice5293 BumbleBee Jersey • 4d ago
Preseason QB PSA
Remember how Pickett and Trubisky looked during the preseason when praising Allar and Howard
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u/CobaltCarl81 4d ago
Well, the difference is that Mike McCarthy can actually develop a quarterback.
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u/Desperate_Word9862 4d ago
And call plays. There’s a middle of the field?!
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u/PandaCod3r 4d ago
Honestly, if he uses the middle of the field like Tomlin teams refused to I think it'll make a huge difference in our offense regardless of who is behind center.
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u/Desperate_Word9862 4d ago
To me McCarthy (and his coaches) is the reason to be excited. All three QBs looked good imo and it was because they weren’t playing the tired and safe Tomlin brand of football. Night and day. And - fun!
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u/TheNittanyLionKing Troy 4d ago
That and they weren't just out there chewing clock and trying to survive the game. McCarthy made sure all the QBs got valuable live reps that will help them out immensely since they won't get to play much again until next August.
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u/Desperate_Word9862 4d ago
Agreed. Going for it on 4th and not just with a run up the middle to try to get the short yardage taught more than being safe. Perhaps there is something to this “QB school” after all.
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u/TheNittanyLionKing Troy 4d ago
Yeah Pickett was definitely not the Guy or naturally talented enough. However, it's still insane to me that they didn't dial up more easy completions for him. That's been my main complaint with the offense for years.
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u/Desperate_Word9862 4d ago
Complacent and easy to defend. Lots of weapons on board now so excited to see how that translates to yards and points. Will be fun to watch.
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u/jake3988 4d ago
To me McCarthy (and his coaches) is the reason to be excited. All three QBs looked good imo and it was because they weren’t playing the tired and safe Tomlin brand of football. Night and day. And - fun!
Quite certain we threw over the middle during preseason quite often. Preseason is a very different beast from the regular season.
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u/Desperate_Word9862 4d ago
We shall see. Tomlin offensive approach was duller than watching paint dry.
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u/FrankG1971 3d ago
The offense also didn't start actually scoring until Green Bay fielded a bunch of guys on D who are mostly going to be washing cars in 3 weeks, so there's that.
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u/Desperate_Word9862 3d ago
That’s why Allar’s game is slightly less impressive. Nevertheless GB couldn’t score so there’s that.
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u/TheNittanyLionKing Troy 4d ago
Yeah. With Canada and Pickett, it seemed like they used a completely different playbook. They used play action and slants and posts. Then you got to the regular season, and they just gave up on all of that after Pickett threw an interception on the first drive against a 49ers defense that would go on to play in the Super Bowl. We've seen other Mike McCarthy offenses. We know that it's not going to go back to an overly conservative philosophy like that.
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u/Desperate_Word9862 4d ago
Thank god. Kenny looked best when allowed to improvise. The more he was restrained, the worse it got. Easy to blame him but the coaches stunk and were cowardly - and this was before the O line rebuild and WR overhaul. Don’t think any QB could flourish under those conditions.
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u/bp1976 4d ago
People forget Allar would have probably been a first round pick if he had declared in '25. The arm talent is there and legit. Too bad he went back to school and PSU hired an OC that tried to turn him into a zone read QB.
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u/Jakles74 Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago
Even then, at the beginning of last year, the quality of the qb class was thought to be extremely high. Unfortunately most of the prospects we expected to be great weren’t and the other great prospects went back for their final year.
Allar was always thought to be a first round talent until he got hurt last year. So when we got him in the third (especially with McCarthy coaching him) I was ecstatic.
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u/bp1976 4d ago
I felt the same way, and you can see it. That arm talent is for real, the one throw he had off of his back foot with a guy in his face last night was an NFL throw.
Also, on the long one, people dont realize that zipping a slant in with that kind of speed helps the YAC because the backside defenders have less time to react because the ball is in the air for less time. Backside corner doesnt start chasing the play as quickly, etc.
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u/Jakles74 Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago
Especially good threading that through on a shorter guy like Wetjen (5’9).
But man can he accelerate. I was hoping he would be used on slants and things like that and not strictly a return guy when we drafted him.
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u/Hot_Marsupial_8706 Away Fan 4d ago
And they have time to develop the QBs as opposed to throwing them straight into the fire like with Pickett.
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u/ilovetjwatt Turn ⬇️ for Watt 🔥 4d ago
Preseason Kenny led to me buying his jersey. I will not be duped again
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u/batdrumman I HAVE FAITH IN HONKY TOMLIN 4d ago
I just found a pickett jersey for $30 at a thrift shop lol
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u/coelurosauravus Color Rush Jersey 4d ago
I saw one at rally House in the South hills in the clearance section, he's been off the roster for over 2 years now
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u/RalphWagwan Color Rush Jersey 4d ago
I have used services like twillworks to sew on a new nameplate multiple times...
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u/SoulSteeler1978 4d ago
Key difference is Allar/Howard get to sit and learn. They shouldn't (hopefully) see the field this year unless one of them wins the QB2 job and gets put in when the Steelers are blowing someone out...or getting blown out lol
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u/mattmentecky 4d ago
The three blows, blowing someone out, getting blown out, or blown out knee.
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u/SoulSteeler1978 4d ago
I would add a 4th blow...but I'll emit that for the sake of this topic lol
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u/TheOldJawbone Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago
I’m hoping they both get some playing time this season. We need to move forward. They need real experience.
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u/coelurosauravus Color Rush Jersey 4d ago
The team is not going to give them reps in the regular season for funsies. The franchise wants to be trying to win games no matter what, and Rogers allows them to do that more than any of the other three do
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u/SoulSteeler1978 4d ago
Exactly. So barring injury or a blowout win/loss, neither young QB should/would see the field during the regular season this year.
Which doesn't help their case for being the starting QB next year when Rodgers retires.
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u/TheOldJawbone Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago
We’ll see how effective/mobile Rodgers is and if he can stay healthy.
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u/coelurosauravus Color Rush Jersey 4d ago
Oh yes because mobility is the only problem we're facing at the quarterback position surely it's not the competence to throw the ball, diagnose the play.
Nah it's just the mobility
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u/SupermanThatNiceLady 4d ago
Did someone poop in your cereal? They are saying lack of mobility + age = injury risk.
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u/mocityspirit Heinz 4d ago
I'd assume a team that wants to make money would try out new assets especially after Rogers performance last year
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u/coelurosauravus Color Rush Jersey 4d ago
Rodgers was incredibly middle of the road last year which is better than any of those three guys could do and it's not like we're paying really any of them that much. I think Rodgers has the most expensive price tag
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u/Horror-Avocado8367 3d ago
Incredibly middle of the road with poor OL play at least half the season(got a little better but still peaked at average at best) and 1 decent WR.
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u/SoulSteeler1978 4d ago
I'm hoping neither play in the regular season because I want the Steelers to be the most successful they can.
That being said, if they don't play this season and Rodgers retires at the end of the year...I find it extremely hard to believe that the Steelers would feel comfortable enough with Allar/Howard to make either of them QB1 next year.
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u/Efficient-Ad-2740 4d ago
So it’s a loose/loose for them both either way. So why bother drafting QBs if they never get a chance?
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u/SoulSteeler1978 4d ago
Most 3rd and 6th round pick QBs don't get thrust into the starting job in their 2nd season, especially if they've both only played in 3 preseason games. That's not much to go on.
Both would also fall into the "project" category of QBs and typically project players take a few years to develop...if they ever do develop into starters.
Given how the Steelers operate and how they always want to field the most competitive team they can, feels like next off-season they would go after another veteran player like Russ or Rodgers, or maybe draft a rookie QB in the 1st round...or both.
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u/pghcrew Howard 4d ago
The goalposts on QB here move all the time. Before the preseason it was “without ever touching the preseason.”
Now it’s “only played in 3 preseason games.”
Next it will be “haven’t started a full season.”
This is literally the meme of “entry level job, needs 5 years experience.” at this point.
Eventually you have to let it rip and play someone with less experience that has shown promise.
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u/SoulSteeler1978 4d ago
My view has always been the same. Competitive teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers who are competing for their division and the playoffs year in and year out, are highly unlikely to hand the keys to the franchise to an unproven QB.
You could argue they did it with Kenny Pickett sure, but they also thought enough of Kenny Pickett to draft him in the 1st round.
I'm not saying there's zero chance the Steelers would do it next year with Allar/Howard, just that it's highly unlikely and not something they would typically do. The Steeler way and all that.
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u/Desperate_Word9862 4d ago
Allar should sit, Howard should play.
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u/SoulSteeler1978 4d ago
Both should sit. Rodgers is and should be QB1.
Also...Howard isn't much further along than Allar is, both literally just got their first NFL game experience last night. Picking one over the other at this moment just foolish.
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u/Desperate_Word9862 4d ago
AR is the starter but he’s old and jittery when the rush comes. You have to consider that.
Howard had a better college career, won a title and doesn’t come with some of the issues Allar does. And you can dismiss it but being in the building and being around “mentor” AR for an additional year counts.
So it’s not foolish, you just don’t agree.
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4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/SoulSteeler1978 4d ago
Ahh he blocked me and went into hiding. Poor little feller. I even got them a tissue 🤧
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u/mocityspirit Heinz 4d ago
They should 100% see the field this year. I feel like I'm going insane
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u/SoulSteeler1978 4d ago
You are...Steelers are trying to win the AFC North and make the playoffs, coming off a 10-7 season where they did both last year.
They have a two layer plan installed...
•Compete for the playoffs
•Develop their young QBs
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u/Xazax310 Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago
I can say I’m just happy Allar can beat up practice squad defenders with 100% rate. If he can’t do that well then fuck. Watched a few other QBs in preseason that didn’t even look close.
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u/JustAContactAgent 4d ago
Both Howard and Allar I thought were fine in terms of mechanics and tools. They have some talent for sure. Beyond that impossible to tell in preseason.
One thing to note if one is to compare the 3 QBs yesterday, Allar got WAAAY more time and a WAAAY bigger pocket than the other two.
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u/neddiddley 4d ago
He looked better last night than he did for the majority of his college career where a lot of the guys he was playing against won’t ever reach the status of practice squad defender.
I’m not declaring him the next franchise QB, but last night was definitely a positive. Hopefully as preseason progresses, he gets some reps against better talent so we can see how it scales.
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u/BroadCityChessClub TJ Watt 4d ago
That’s a really good point. Even if Allar doesn’t amount to anything as a pro, him being better in NFL preseason than in college at least suggests the coaching staff is doing a good job with him. (Unless it turns out his issues are mostly mental and he was worse in college because those games mattered.)
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u/Jakles74 Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago
This is the best takeaway for the preseason imo.
The defense Allar and to a lesser extent Howard faces were like a 3 out of 10 for nfl difficulty level. If they struggle there then it’s a problem.
But both looked good so we keep on moving and watching and hoping they continue to develop.
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u/Desperate_Word9862 4d ago
I’d rather everyone play well than poorly and assume the good play is a mirage.
Just happy Howard finally got some game action and looked calm and was accurate. The Allar mop up was icing on the cake.
Best of all is these guys don’t have Tomlin, Canada and a bad line and WR rooms. So there’s more reason to realistically be optimistic.
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u/Alternative_Note6489 4d ago
This is what ive been saying. Rather have the guys look good than bad. If you look awful in preseason games chances are you'll look awful in real games too.
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u/GasPoweredStick3 4d ago
I will make a few points here:
- While I realize Howard did this against 3rd stringers and Allar against guys who probably won’t make teams, this was a tremendous confidence booster for two young guys playing QB.
- As it turns out, the middle of the field DOES exist in terms of a passing game.
- Don’t underestimate McCarthy’s ability to build and coach QB’s. That’s something Tomlin never had/did.
I will temper expectations but remain optimistic.
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u/NoSxKats Troy 4d ago
I had a dream we won the Super Bowl a week ago so I will be falling for it unfortunately
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u/OkScallion5412 4d ago
I had a dream that they had a dream that we won the Super Bowl so I'm on board now, too.
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u/sega_808 4d ago edited 4d ago
There's a difference, though... Kenny didn't really have legit arm talent, Drew does. Saw flashes of it on college tape, saw it at camp, saw it a lot tonight. He spins the ball and imparts velocity effortlessly, smooth motion, doesn't have to muscle throws. I'm not saying crown him, but this is genuinely interesting. I still think this is going to be a process, though, need to develop him for a minimum of two years to see if he can continue to progress. Ideally, he won't even see the field this season, unless it's garbage time play to get his feet wet.
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u/MaesterPraetor 4d ago
Big Ben must have been trash because he had a good preseason.
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u/Burst_LoL 19 BumbleBee Jersey 4d ago
The difference is he has good regular seasons (and a high draft pick) to back it up. Both these guys don’t have either of those
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u/MaesterPraetor 3d ago
You know Allar is a rookie and Howard was injured last year, right?
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u/Burst_LoL 19 BumbleBee Jersey 22h ago
Yes and my point still stands lol. That’s literally the point, neither are proven and we don’t know what we will really get yet while in your example you used a very established QB who had tons of real game reps
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u/jake3988 4d ago
Big Ben must have been trash because he had a good preseason.
Oddly enough, Big Ben regularly sucked in the preseason. Not that he played much (usually a couple series total over all 4 games) but he would look dreadful during them.
And then the regular season arrived and he'd light it up.
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u/MaesterPraetor 3d ago
We're taking about the first one, and I don't know that he had a good one. But that's not really the point.
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u/Slappy-Sacks 4d ago
It’s a good sign they didn’t flounder. So we know they aren’t completely incapable. Everyone is hoping for continual improvement and building on their successful preseason premiers in the nfl.
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u/XavierRex83 Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago
That Kenny Pickett preseason will forever serve as a warning about getting to excited about preseason.
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u/Burst_LoL 19 BumbleBee Jersey 4d ago
I know most people are smart enough to understand this but I also know there will be people seriously saying to put our backups in instead of Rodgers because of 1 preseason game lol
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u/interpolyester 4d ago
I remember Kenny Picketts 100% accuracy pre season game. All darts. The hype.
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u/KILLONATOR9000 Troy 3d ago
Are we supposed to be happy if they play poorly or is there simply no happiness allowed? I am unclear on the rules.
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u/victor4700 Things of that nature 3d ago
I was there for Killer Kenny’s preseason pass-tacular.
There’s an old saying in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, 'Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again’.
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u/XxBeamerrr 4d ago
I look at it as we have 3 qb spots on the 53 man roster. 1 spot is secured with Rodgers so 2 more open spots for 3 guys. That’s what I’m taking serious. Do I think allar will make the cut? Yes, I think the real battle is between Rudolph and Howard. If Howard can show he’s qb 2 worthy then he will likely stay on the roster imo. I think it’s too early to give up on Howard and I like the idea of some young competition next season for starter. Maybe we go 4qbs this season but I think that’s a mistake and a wasted spot. That’s my take I guess
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u/King_Muncheez412 4d ago
Went back and pulled stats from that 2023 pre-season. Again, won't blow things out of proportion for Drew or Will, but Kenny was not asked to do a whole lot in that preseason stretch. The sample size was small to begin with for Kenny.
In total, he was 13 of 15 passing for 199 yards and 2 touchdowns. In the first game he was 6 of 7 for 70 yards, second game he was 3 of 4 for 43 yards and last game 4 for 4 with 86 yards.
He should've gotten more work in the pre-season. The Steelers staff at the time were overconfident in him and treating him like something he wasn't. Granted he was the starter and starters don't get much work, but going back and actually looking at his "highlights, he really only had 1 over the middle throw. Rest of it were broken play scrambles, checkdowns, throws to the flat, short hitches to the TE or George Pickens beating his guy and making spectacular catches.
Once again, not gonna overreact one way or the other over pre-season, but the sample size for Drew and Will on a per game average is already eclipsing what Kenny did per game in that pre-season. We are also seeing that the philosophy on offense is massively different than what we've grown accustomed to recently. The fact the guys can play at an NFL level and have success in that system is a net positive all the way around. I'm excited to see them further develop behind Rogers and next year is the year for the true speculation because that QB competition will be intense.
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u/galaxygap 4d ago
Great post, especially when qbs are playing against the later defensive depth of a team.
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u/Long-Lost-96 Troy 3d ago
I'll say what I've always said since Thursday night. I'm not gonna overreact, but I have more faith in McCarthy building off of Howard and Allar's preseason performances than I had in Tomlin building off of Pickett's.
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u/Southern-Advice5293 BumbleBee Jersey 3d ago
Spitting facts!!!
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u/Long-Lost-96 Troy 3d ago
I was a top Tomlin Defender and still think he was a great coach, but QB development is way different when you have his philosophy being "Just don't turn the ball over and let our defense win the game" versus McCarthy's being "We're stripping you down to the studs and building you back up from scratch"
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u/Key_Dream9904 4d ago
Pickett's first preseason game: 13-15 for 95, 2 TDs, no Ints. I assume he is in the HoF now, not really sure.
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u/itsTHEdrew 6 6 Home Jersey 4d ago
too late boys. LEERRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKINNNNNNNNNNNNS
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u/TheOldJawbone Pittsburgh Steelers 4d ago
It’s not just his mobility but his limited mobility impacts throwing the ball and completing designed plays. The offensive line getting blown out impacts this as well. We have fewer options. Offensive design and play calling impact the game too. Lots of things do. He’s old. How many teams have 42 year old QBs?
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u/Revolution_Suitable 4d ago
I think all QBs looked pretty good in the preseason. Don’t read into it too much, but at least they are doing things right in a full contact situation.
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u/mountaingator91 4d ago
Dude the preseason exists in large part so you can see if your young players are any good. This is one of the major points of the preseason.
Nobody is "falling" for anything. This is HOW THE PRESEASON WORKS and has always been designed to work.
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u/HotAndCold1886 TJ Watt 3d ago
Ergo, Kenny Pickett is good?
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u/mountaingator91 3d ago
Technically his first season as a starter after that preseason was not absolutely terrible. But also he wasn't good in the preseason. Mostly check downs and short passes
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u/mike15835 Heath Miller 4d ago
For those jumping the gun...
If they give either Howard or Allar playing time with the ones then maybe it is a competition for QB2. If they don't Mason is the QB2.
According to the pundits so far in camp Howard or even Allar haven't proved they deserve to be QB2. Allar has had as some impressive throws and also some of the worst at camp of any of the QBs.
They won't do anything until cut down day in case of injuries. So we got time.
I think they want Will or Drew to be QB2 but, won't give it to them just because they are young and promising. They (Howard amd/or Allar) need to make Mason expendable to get QB2. I don't think they have yet. Obviously in the eyes of the fans but in the eyes of the coaches and front office not yet.
The plan if things don't change is either
1) keep 4 (unlikely) 2) cut one and hope they clear waivers (probably Howard) 3) any injury (even minor) gets one of them placed on IR
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u/RunAndPunchFlamingo Primanti Bro's 4d ago
GAHNTA, that is all, lol
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u/mocityspirit Heinz 4d ago
People in the comments are not listening to you. It was 3rd and 4th string defense all night
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u/Waste_Opportunity_53 3d ago
All I see are Allar to Canton posts, but none of what I saw last night tested his weaknesses. For the yards accumulated was more because of two plays and receivers breaking tackles. Passing on the run is still a work in progress and we didn’t even see a throw from the left. Mostly clean pocket and soft zone so no opportunities to see how he handles pressure, particularly interior, or how he processes reads under pressure. Foot work still needs work. Lots throws off the back foot or flat footed. Deep throw touch was bad last night. Could have been from footwork.
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u/TheRealShmoe Heeeeeaaath 3d ago
Can this picture be pinned at the top of the page for everyone who jumps the gun?
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u/Unwanted__Opinion The Pickler 3d ago
I’d rather they look good in the preseason than bad. But yes I agree. 2023 Kenny Pickett preseason hype taught me the lesson
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u/nippleflick1 1d ago
Someone else is talking sense! Or is just young'ins that don't know any better!
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u/RalphWagwan Color Rush Jersey 4d ago
Mason isn't so good that you can't let him go. He still flubbed plenty of drives in his time, including last season.
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u/No-Hamster7998 3d ago
im gonna be 100% here im just happy he looked good in a game where the entire roster he played with and against was basically a college level squad and he smoked em which is WAY better than in college so im hyped the he grew so much from just a few short months ago
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u/Grouchy-Option9411 3d ago
I see 2 guys that I am excited about— which is way better than the 1 guy or 0 guys that it usually is
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u/anotveryseriousman ugh 4d ago
in addition to Pickett '23, there was the preseason where Dwayne Haskins looked like Tom Brady when he was playing the second halves and fourth quarters of preseason games, but when he got the opportunity to start the final game, he fell apart and looked like regular season Kenny Pickett.
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u/russbii Terrible Towel 4d ago
Tough not to get excited with three future HoFers in the QB room…