| Chris Hu said: The Steelers don't have the draft picks the Lions have but they also finished the season very strong for a team that missed the playoffs plus Kenny Pickett should be better next season. |
Totally agree. Considering they started the season 1-3 under Mitch Trubisky, I think they would have actually secured that final playoff spot (instead of needing the Jets to beat the Dolphins which didn't happen) if they had started Kenny Pickett from the beginning. He likely would have beaten the Jets if he had been in the game before halftime. The 1st meeting against the Browns was definitely winnable as well (it was a 6 point loss with a hideously sad attempt at a hook and ladder final play being fumbled and returned for TD). The offense was woefully anemic all season though. I'm not a fan of Matt Canada's play calling, but it looks as though they are going to keep him on for another year. For all the flack Ben Roethlisberger got last year for being past his prime, compared to Trubisky and Pickett combined, Big Ben threw for more yards, twice as many TD's, turned over the ball less, and got the team into the post-season. But, Pickett did get around 11 games of much needed experience which is a good thing for his development. He only threw 1 interception in his last 7 starts while showing flashes of good things to come if he can stay healthy. Diontae Johnson is better than his 0 TD's this year would indicate, Pat Freiermuth is dependable, and Najee Harris and Geore Pickens are something special. So, they have the talent to be better than what we've seen.
And, the trade they made with the Chicago Bears for Chase Claypool for the Bears 2nd round pick turned out to be the 32nd pick overall in the draft due to Miami losing their 1st rounder for tampering. With 3 picks in the first 49, hopefully they use some of them to rebuild the offensive line. Trubisky and Pickett were sacked a combined total of 38 times this year. The exact same amount Big Ben was in his final season, for all the comparisons to him being a statue in the pocket.
