Steelers-Titans: Cam Heyward's Impact and Pickett's Challenges
Transcript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - This is an interesting game because we lose
00:06 Minka Fitzpatrick but we gain back Cam Hayward
00:09 and what is that going to mean,
00:10 a game against the Tennessee Titans?
00:12 Tennessee wants to run the ball,
00:14 they want to establish the ground game
00:16 but how many snaps are we gonna get out of Cam Hayward?
00:19 How stronger is this run defense going to become
00:23 from the Steelers now that he's gonna be inserted
00:25 back into the defensive rotation?
00:28 But then you've got Will Loves who certainly
00:31 from an efficiency perspective was not good,
00:34 was not consistent in his last game out,
00:36 his first as a Tennessee Titan.
00:38 Now he has to go on the road on a short week
00:41 but I mean boy, were they chucking the ball down the field
00:43 and you just gotta hit a couple of those
00:46 to make a big difference, especially against a team
00:48 as offensively challenged as the Pittsburgh Steelers.
00:50 So I do have a couple of props that I like in this one
00:53 and we'll get to those later, Scott,
00:55 but I think this game is going to be obviously
00:58 a game where the Steelers,
00:59 playing a little bit above their heads so far this season,
01:02 it's gonna be a tough task for them
01:03 because Mike Rabel knows how to get his teams ready
01:06 on short weeks and to go into hostile environments
01:10 and play that underdog role.
01:12 - We welcome our radio affiliates,
01:13 Sirius XM Channel 159 and Sports Byline,
01:15 all of their affiliates out of San Francisco.
01:17 Good to have you with us on C2C on a Thursday
01:19 with my main man, Warren Sharp
01:21 at the MGM National Harbor per usual on a Thursday.
01:24 Hope you're enjoying the show.
01:26 It's good to have you with us.
01:27 Warren, what's your assessment of,
01:30 frankly, Kenny Pickett's problems?
01:33 Earlier, Morenci was giving me stats that blew my mind.
01:37 He's like, got the worst stats in the NFL,
01:40 like in everything, in every department.
01:42 Do you think he's that bad?
01:45 - Well, look, what is going on around him?
01:49 Number one, his O-line is not good.
01:52 That's a problem.
01:53 Number two, they can't establish a decent run game
01:56 to support him.
01:57 That's a problem.
01:58 Number three, his offensive coordinator stinks.
02:00 That's a problem.
02:01 Number four, his number one wide receiver,
02:03 Deontay Johnson, has been out.
02:05 That's a problem.
02:06 And number five, he's injured right now.
02:08 So is he gonna look good playing injured tonight
02:11 on a short week?
02:12 Plus, he tried to do the same type of thing,
02:14 coming back from an injury.
02:15 A lot of people thought he was gonna miss another game.
02:17 He tried to play through that injury.
02:18 So playing through injuries, playing behind this line,
02:21 playing without a run game,
02:22 playing with this offensive coordinator,
02:23 playing without your number one wide receiver,
02:26 all these things are gonna be factors
02:27 that are gonna be to the detriment of Kenny Pickett here.
02:31 And I said in the off season,
02:33 I don't know if we're ever gonna see
02:35 what Kenny Pickett's ceiling is
02:37 so long as Matt Canada is the offensive coordinator,
02:40 because he's going to consistently put Kenny Pickett
02:43 behind the sticks, in and in opportune situations,
02:46 and playing uphill.
02:48 And he doesn't have the benefit of playing downhill
02:51 in an offense that's gonna make him look good
02:52 and play to his strengths
02:54 and attack the weaknesses of a defense,
02:56 because I just don't see Matt Canada being able to pull out
02:59 that type of coaching advantage
03:02 that some of the coaches around the league
03:03 are able to give their young quarterbacks.
03:05 (upbeat music)
03:08 (bells chiming)