Unfortunately: the Pittsburgh Steelers have potential out due to…..
Appearances can deceive. The Pittsburgh Steelers appeared to have a strong quarterback room heading into the 2023 season. Their three quarterbacks were not going to win MVP or even make the Pro Bowl, but they were good. The coaching staff had complete faith in Kenny Pickett, and if something happened to him, it could be worse than Mitch Trubisky in a pinch. Mason Rudolph, too, had experience and could handle the situation if disaster struck.
Fast forward 15 games, and none of the above could be more false. Pickett can’t stay healthy for an entire season, and when he plays, the offense struggles to score touchdowns. Trubisky has demonstrated that he is no better. Rudolph was not treated fairly
The frustration among the Jets offense was evident long before the cameras showed wide receiver Garrett WilsonGarrett Wilson wearing his emotions on his sleeve during New York’s 30-0 defeat at the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
“I got to be out there 60 minutes, trying to figure out the way to make those 60 minutes as productive on the offensive side as possible,” Wilson said. “That time’s still ticking away, and… you feel it ticking away. Just trying to figure out how to get something going.
“A lot of times it comes off like I’m saying something, but reality of it is, I just talk with a lot of emotion sometimes, especially when I’m playing the game I love and not getting the results that we want
Robert Saleh called Wilson an “emotional young man.”
“I’ve always said it, his competitive spirit is always going to be on tilt, always. But there isn’t as good a teammate in football as him,” the head coach said.
Wilson finished with 29 yards on three catches after he wasn’t targeted until the third quarter – “I’m aware,” he said when a reporter mentioned that fact after the game.
“It seems like we’re being unintentional, to be honest,” Wilson said. “…And I feel like that doesn’t have to be the case, it was. And I guess I gotta fix it, I gotta figure out how I can get involved in the first quarter, starting practice fast, I don’t know, I gotta show something, I gotta do something, I don’t know.”
The head coaches said they’re “always trying to find ways to give [Wilson] the football.”
“Again, starts and ends up front to be able to get the quarterback a chance to go throw it, then obviously the quarterback with timing, and then again from a coaching standpoint to make sure are putting these guys in position to get the ball in and out of their hands as quickly as possible,” he said. “[Miami] did a really nice job doing their best to take him away and they beat us up up front.”
Saleh said he was not worried that Wilson’s usage and the team’s poor performance during his two seasons could impact the young wide receiver’s mental state.
“It’s a week-to-week league. He’s fine. He knows everyone is working. He knows everyone is trying to put their best foot forward. Obviously, it didn’t work out today,” the head coach said.
For last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, the contrast between the Dolphins and Jets was on his mind and appeared to contribute to his frustration.
“I think they have a lot of pieces in their favor that make it easier to scheme,” Wilson said of Miami. “[Tyreek Hill] goes down, they put [Jaylen] Waddle in there and he goes for 150. And that’s, that’s the ball I grew up loving. But that’s not how it’s going right now.
“I gotta figure it out. Be better, run better routes, be better in the meeting rooms, figure out how I can be involved early and often. And help us win games.”
In the end, the Jets got just 26 in the air from Zach Wilson before he was knocked out of the game with a concussion and 110 from Trevor Siemian in relief. But with 56 yards lost on six sacks, the offense produced just 103 net yards, the fourth fewest in franchise history.
Overall it was a deflating game and a day that saw the Jets’ slim playoff hopes officially dashed.
“It’s very disappointing. Yeah, it’s very disappointing,” Wilson said. “You practice all week, practice your whole life and you go out there and play like this. So, disappointing. We got to get to the drawing board, figure it out.”
He added later: “The toughest thing is knowing the preparation you put in and all of it going to the – I don’t know, maybe it’s not going by the wayside. But just not being able to put it on display on a Sunday, on a given Sunday, that’s the frustrating part about it. I got a lot more to give.”
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