Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback, Mitch Trubisky, spoke with the media Friday following practice. He made it clear that head coach, Mike Tomlin, is not sharing with his quarterbacks who will be starting on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
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When asked by reporters what way he thought it would go, Trubisky responded:
"We’ll see how secretive he wants to keep it. We are ready. I am ready. I’m looking forward to the opportunity. I will be ready to go. I feel like I’ve had a good week of practice. I’m ready to bounce back."
Will the Steelers Start Mitch Trubisky or Mason Rudolph?
Probably the biggest headline heading into this weekend's match-up is the question of who will be the starting quarterback. Steelers QB1, Kenny Pickett, suffered a concussion last week against the Baltimore Ravens. While he has suited up and practiced some, he has not been fully cleared and today, Tomlin listed him as "doubtful." That makes it highly unlikely that he will start Sunday.
That narrows it down to Trubisky or the QB3, Mason Rudolph. All three QB's competed in training camp for the starting job with Trubisky winning the role. Trubisky was benched early in the season when he was unable to produce wins and the rookie Pickett was brought in. Since starting, Pickett has suffered two concussions.
Trubisky came in for the injured Pickett last Sunday and moved the ball well, but had several turnovers at key moments, including in the red zone that ultimately cost Pittsburgh the game.
On the heels of a less-than-stellar performance last weekend by Trubisky, Tomlin has been clear that he is allowing both QB's to take reps this week in order to have them both prepared. Trubisky confirmed that both he and Rudolph have been sharing the prep work just in case.
Trubisky said during his interview Friday that this is a "unique" situation and that both he and Rudolph put in a lot of work to prepare. He said they split first-team reps and did some scout team work. Trubisky said he is unsure of what Tomlin will decide, but that whatever the decision is, he is ready for it.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation.com (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
He noted multiple times that both QB's are locked into the same plan and that they are a close-knit group that supports one another. He said it is a different atmosphere than training camp competition because they all work so closely now.
"It was a great week of practice."
Trubisky also added that he recognizes he made some mistakes last week and said that he needs to continue to move the ball down the field like he did, but also protect the ball better, especially in the red zone.
As always, Coach Tomlin is playing it close to the vest. It seems likely that he will take this as near to game time as he can before announcing who will start.
Who do you think Coach Tomlin should start? Do you think Trubisky can protect the ball? Do you think Tomlin will have him on a short leash? Click to comment below!
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