Fittipaldo: Steelers Simple Offensive Game Plan Is Due To A Lack Of Trust In Kenny Pickett

The Pittsburgh Steelers can't possibly be fully sold on second-year quarterback, Kenny Pickett after his first 21 career starts. He has proven to have what it takes in the fourth quarter, but the first 45 minutes of games haven't exactly made fans excited about what the future could potentially look like. There is still plenty of time to evaluate him and for the young signal-caller to grow, but the 2023 season is quickly approaching, and while looking ahead isn't necessary just yet, the organization will have a very important decision regarding his fifth-year option after the 2024 campaign.

Pittsburgh has remarkably stayed afloat in 2023, despite an inconsistent offense. The unit has performed better since the Week 6 bye, but is still only averaging 17.3 points per game on the season. Many have taken out frustrations on Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada for simplistic and predictable play-calling, but a Steelers insider has another idea.

Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hosted his weekly chat on Tuesday and was asked about the team's approach when it comes to the offensive play calls each week and being afraid to throw the ball over the middle of the field. He implied that maybe it's not just Canada, but the fact that the coaching staff has a lack of trust in Pickett, which leads to conservative plays that are rather routine.

"It's a dangerous place for a young QB. Tipped passes can lead to INTs. Overthrows can lead to INTs. It's much safer to target the outside portions of the field if you don't have a QB you can trust."

This is the last thing that Steelers fans want to hear. Not only has the offensive coordinator not had much success since being promoted prior to the 2021 season, but a first-round quarterback that was supposed to be the answer after Ben Roethlisberger's retirement isn't even trusted after more than 20 starts. Overall, it's a big issue to have at this point in Pickett's career.

There has been plenty of talk about Pickett's passing charts week by week. He is almost always targeting receivers outside the hash marks, but the offense consistently puts up better numbers when the middle of the field is targeted more. It's possible that the Steelers draw more plays up to target the middle once Pat Freiermuth returns from a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve.

While the mystery surrounding Pickett is mainly focused on how well he plays in the final 15 minutes versus the initial three quarters, passing the ball quickly and to the outside is another serious concern for fans. The main problem is that the offense looked quite similar with Roethlisberger under center during Canada's first season as the play-caller.

The Steelers have a completely different world of problems if the front office and Head Coach Mike Tomlin don't believe in Canada or Pickett. That would set up for a disastrous scenario of giving Pickett a chance with another coordinator in 2024, while setting the franchise back for years. To the game plans credit, Pickett has rarely turned the ball over, but that's not the only factor necessary if Pittsburgh wants to hoist a Lombardi Trophy, or more, with Pickett leading the way.

Steelers And Pickett Will Be Seriously Tested In Week 11

Pittsburgh will travel to play the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. After beating the division rival in Week 2, it's going to take a near-perfect game to compete on the road against one of the AFC's best teams, and NFL's best defenses. The Browns have a stout run defense and Pickett is going to have to make some big throws, hopefully over the middle of the field, if the Steelers want to prevail.

Do you think the Steelers don't have enough faith in Pickett? Let us know in the comments below!

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