Steelers' Kenny Pickett Does His Best To Stay 'Flatline' On Game Day Despite Incredible Emotions

The Pittsburgh Steelers are at the mercy of the offseason void, just like every other NFL team. During that downtime, it becomes dangerously easy for distractions to creep into an organization, which turns into a downhill slide into uncertainty and reading your own press. Every locker room has leadership that is relied on to ensure that the outside noise is ignored and the team focuses on what matters; fielding a team that can win week in and week out. In 2022, the Steelers saw their newly drafted quarterback, Kenny Pickett, mature down the stretch with several dynamic and impressive wins, each solidifying his foundation as "the guy" in Pittsburgh. 

It takes a voice of experience to break through the white noise of the offseason, and one voice in particular watched Pickett's 2022 journey and believes that he truly is "the guy".

Chris Long Puts Faith In Steelers' Kenny Pickett

Pickett was a guest on two-time Super Bowl champion, Chris Long's Greenlight podcast to talk about what life is like as the 2023 season keeps creeping closer. Long brings 11 years of NFL experience to the table, winning the Lombardi with the New England Patriots (Super Bowl LI) and the Philadelphia Eagles (Super Bowl LII) in back-to-back seasons, so despite playing on the other side of the football than Pickett, there is immense respect.

Long spoke with Pickett about the pressure that naturally comes when you follow a future Hall of Fame quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger and the difference compared to the University of Pittsburgh.

“It’s noticeably different being the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Incredibly grateful to be here, especially after witnessing it for five years.”

Long didn't take an extended period of time to give his opinion on the Steelers, who he calls one of his favorite teams. When you have someone with Long's resume reviewing your body of work, it has to be slightly unnerving, even with the calm confidence that Pickett always seems to exude. 

If the Steelers would have let their first half of 2022 dictate the entire season then the conversation would have certainly been different, but Long watched with the rest of the football world as Pittsburgh put together a 9-8 final result that was a hair from the playoffs. The late-season, late-game performances from Pickett also caught the eye of Long, who was pretty straightforward in how he saw the team as they continued to gear up for 2023.

"Cause I feel like, when I look at your team I’m like, they’re ready to win, and, you know, last year I was like, this is a team that’s gotta learn to win all over again. You know, new guy under center and all that stuff, and you were a big part of winning a lot of those games that I thought kinda make a team grow up. You know, those fourth-quarter comebacks, those big drives, and that game day experience has got to be awesome.”

It's fair to say that Long will be watching the Steelers with both hope and high expectations, just like so many of us will be doing sooner rather than later.

Calm And Steady Pickett Still Gets Emotional During Steelers' Game Day

With all of the in-depth football conversation that went on between these two fierce competitors, Long had to satiate some of his own curiosity when it came to a particular aspect of Pickett's game. It's a well-known part of the young quarterback's "brand" to be even-keel and calm, which is what let him put those late drives together in huge pressure games, but Long knows how emotional the game of football can be even to the most stoic of characters.

One staple that will always bring goosebumps to any Steelers fan's arm is when Renegade thumps through the stadium, and in his short time with the Steelers, Pickett has already experienced that swell of emotions as the entire place knows that things are about to get real. Long had to know about how Pickett balances the massive cauldron of emotions that comes with Pittsburgh football and his steady way of being.

“Are you a big Styx guy? Like when they play Styx in the stadium, do you get a little hyped up?”

As it turns out, while the rest of us are letting the emotions flow freely as Renegade plays, Pickett may feel a little something, but he knows how important it is in those moments especially for him to stay calm and let the emotions run free later. It's a pretty good guarantee that if Pickett had been more like the fans he adores and plays for, letting Styx impact him as it does us, we may have gotten a few endearing snapshots, but would have missed out on more than a few winning moments.

Now, just because Styx doesn't get to him doesn't mean he never feels that depth of emotion. Rather than give in to the emotions late in the game when everyone is relying on Pickett to steer the ship, he feels the most when the names of his teammates are being announced. If that isn't the definition of a selfless leader, who knows what is.

“I try to stay mellow as I can on game day, which is hard, but with my position over the years, I’ve found I play my best when I’m kind of flatline almost out there. Focused on my job and what I have to do, and analyzing what needs to be done to help us win… But I think that the moment that always gets me is the intros, the call-outs, like waiting. When you get that, there’s nothing I can say to—I’m sure you feel the same way. Like that is—that’s a different level, so it’s special.”

It looks like everything is on the right track for Pickett to carry the momentum from 2022 into the coming season. When the many diverse and dynamic pieces of this Steelers' offense come together for many more winning moments, we can look forward to Kenny's calm approach because we know what is waiting on the other side.

How confident are you in Kenny Pickett's growth from year one to year two? 

#SteelerNation