{"id":59326,"date":"2022-08-29T03:09:05","date_gmt":"2022-08-29T03:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/mark-madden-if-there-was-a-steelers-quarterback-competition-mitch-trubisky-won-it\/"},"modified":"2022-08-29T03:09:05","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T03:09:05","slug":"mark-madden-if-there-was-a-steelers-quarterback-competition-mitch-trubisky-won-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/mark-madden-if-there-was-a-steelers-quarterback-competition-mitch-trubisky-won-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Madden: If there was a Steelers quarterback competition, Mitch Trubisky won it"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

There was never a legit competition for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback job. If you consider how the quarterbacks got deployed at training camp and in the exhibition games, that’s obvious. It was all lip service and media stooging.\n<\/p>\n

But if there had been a competition, Mitch Trubisky would have won it.\n<\/p>\n

The job was his all along, but Trubisky was the best quarterback over the course of the Steelers’ preseason. He put an exclamation point on that in Sunday’s exhibition finale etc. visiting Detroit.\n<\/p>\n

Trubisky was 15 for 19 for 160 yards and a touchdown. He threw several nice balls. Trubisky was accurate and mobile. (He had better maintain the latter. That offensive line is excrement.)\n<\/p>\n

The two-minute drill that closed the first half was the cherry on top: Trubisky was 6 for 6 for 83 yards. He capped the drive with a 6-yard scoring pass to Steven Sims.\n<\/p>\n

Trubisky played so well that he clearly won a nonexistent quarterback competition.\n<\/p>\n

Trubisky played well enough to give rise to the notion that he might win games and be more than a mere placeholder for rookie Kenny Pickett, the Steelers’ first-round draft choice this year.\n<\/p>\n

Trubisky deserves more respect than he’s received since arriving. He was second pick overall in 2017. He led a moribund Chicago franchise to the playoffs twice in four seasons. He made the Pro Bowl in 2018.\n<\/p>\n

Trubisky has pedigree. More than Pickett does.\n<\/p>\n

If the Steelers fade from playoff contention, coach Mike Tomlin will look to transition the job to Pickett during the season. That’s fair. Pickett is the future.\n<\/p>\n

But, at campaign’s start, Trubisky gives the Steelers a better chance to win.\n<\/p>\n

Trubisky is only 28. He might be better than Pickett longer than expected. He might be better than Pickett, period.\n<\/p>\n

Trubisky also might get killed playing behind that offensive line. It’s horrific. Some high draft picks should have been spent on that group instead of on shiny new toys.\n<\/p>\n

Left tackle Dan Moore Jr. is a human holding penalty. On one early play, the entire offensive line got pushed back into Trubisky. There’s no standout. No one that’s even average. No glue or even anything that can be held together. The unit appears physically weak and easily bullied.\n<\/p>\n

As bad as those offensive linemen are, inside linebacker Devin Bush might be worse. It’s impossible to imagine that run defense improving with him at its center.\n<\/p>\n

Bush made a stop on a fourth-and-short play. But he also whiffed when Detroit converted third-and-17 on a draw play. Bush doesn’t get stuck into blocks and seems feeble physically. He plays like he’s scared.\n<\/p>\n

But Bush is going to start. Robert Spillane arguably has been worse than Bush, if such a concept is possible. Spillane has heart, unlike Bush. Spillane is just lousy.\n<\/p>\n

The Steelers also would like to justify trading up to draft Bush 10th overall in 2019. But that becomes more untenable every time Bush steps on the field.\n<\/p>\n

The citizens are sweating because TJ Watt and Diontae Johnson left Sunday’s game hurt. Tomlin says neither injury is a long-term concern. Tomlin said.\n<\/p>\n

Either would be a terrible loss for any length of time, let alone long-term. Losing Watt would be cataclysmic.\n<\/p>\n

The Steelers were 9-4 last season (including playoffs) when Watt played the entire game. They were 0-4-1 when Watt missed a game or played limited snaps because of injury.\n<\/p>\n

That’s a tribute to Watt’s value. It’s also a reminder he missed a lot of time.\n<\/p>\n

But Watt only has missed four full games during his five NFL seasons. He perhaps last year he was an outlier, not the start of a trend.\n<\/p>\n

Here’s betting Steelers quarterbacks will get hurt, maybe frequently. The offensive line will facilitate that.\n<\/p>\n

That’s why the Steelers shouldn’t trade Mason Rudolph. They will need three quarterbacks this year more than they’ll need a fifth- or sixth-round draft pick next year.\n<\/p>\n

The fans at Acrisure Stadium chanted Pickett’s name Sunday. He’ll be the starting quarterback soon enough. Let’s hope that it’s not too soon and not because of a fracture or concussion.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There was never a legit competition for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback job. If you consider how the quarterbacks got deployed at training camp and in the exhibition games, that’s obvious. It was all lip service and media stooging. But if there had been a competition, Mitch Trubisky would have won it. The job was …<\/p>\n

Mark Madden: If there was a Steelers quarterback competition, Mitch Trubisky won it<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":28403,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/mitch-trubisky-kenny-pickett-joined-by-wags-at-steelers-camp\/","url_meta":{"origin":59326,"position":0},"title":"Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett joined by WAGs at Steelers camp","date":"July 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The first day of practice at Steelers training camp turned into a family affair for quarterback Mitch Trubisky. As practice got underway Wednesday at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Trubisky was treated to a visit by his two favorite fans: wife Hillary and their newborn son, Hudson David. \u201cYear\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky with wife Hillary and their son Hudson at training camp.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/07\/trubsiky-5.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":67853,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/mitch-trubisky-voted-a-pittsburgh-steelers-captain-listed-as-starting-qb-on-depth-chart\/","url_meta":{"origin":59326,"position":1},"title":"Mitch Trubisky voted a Pittsburgh Steelers captain, listed as starting QB on depth chart","date":"September 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"PITTSBURGH -- What has long been telegraphed is now official: Mitch Trubisky is the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting quarterback for the season opener at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.Trubisky, who was named a team captain on Monday, is listed as the first-string quarterback on the team's first official depth chart, landing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46889,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/marcus-spears-speaks-highly-of-kenny-pickett-hell-be-the-future-of-pittsburgh\/","url_meta":{"origin":59326,"position":2},"title":"Marcus Spears Speaks Highly Of Kenny Pickett: ‘He’ll Be The Future Of Pittsburgh’","date":"August 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"On ESPN's NFL Live today, analyst Marcus Spears spoke highly of rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett and said he believes Pickett will eventually pass Mitch Trubisky as Pittsburgh's starter. \u201cI still think Trubisky has a hold on the job, but obviously, it's a place setter for Kenny Pickett,\u201d Spears said. \u201cMike\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/assets-varnish.triblive.com\/2022\/08\/5378284_web1_ptr-Steelers09-082922.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59326"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59326\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}