Yes, I know… “Sports???”
We don’t delve into Sports here very often (if really at all) as Hatton isn’t much of a sports person (no judgement, just stating facts), but I myself have been a Steelers fan since Bradshaw.. through the good and the bad.. and when it comes to the current season… I have thoughts….
Currently the Steelers are 1-3… 0-2 at home (terrible), 1-2 on the road, and 0-1 in their Division. The Patriots and Raiders are just as bad with only the Texans worse currently.
Recently, the Steelers named Kenny Pickett as the starter after a very dubious start to the season by Mitch Trubisky. Is Pickett the answer? In the short term, he kind of has to be as Trubisky isn’t and never was going to be the answer. The unfortunate thing is the team just came out of 18 years of Big Ben (which, not-so-coincidentally is 18 years of non-losing seasons), and that is a tough act to follow. An act that almost never happens without some bumps in the road.
The Steelers have always been a “Draft and Develop” sort of team, especially over the past 18 years.. bringing in talent, letting them get reps and practice in, and not just throwing them to the wolves. I’m sure they would have loved for Trubisky to hold his own better and let Pickett grow into the role, but desperate times call for desperate measures… so the Kenny Pickett era has officially begun. Will he be the long term answer? Possibly, but having lived through the Bubby Brister/Kordell Stewart/Neil O’Donnell/Tommy Maddox eras… it’s difficult to get your hopes up off of his performance so far. The team’s defense isn’t what it used to be (I mean.. when you lose Polamalu.. what defense will be?), even factoring a healthy T.J. Watt, and the offensive line has been suspect for a few years now which means Pickett is going to have to keep his head on a swivel more than normal.
My prediction? As much as I’d love to say Pickett grows into the role super fast and the team manages to finish above .500, I fear their “Winning Season” Streak comes to an end this year as they finish 7-9 (at best) and miss the playoffs.
