are unsettled at the quarterback position and they
were one of the teams that at one point, a few weeks ago.
I thought, hey, Colts the Saints, and the Steelers. There's gonna
be a bidding war for Jimmy Garoppolo
until each team found its own solution.
And
John Lynch said himself, the shoulder surgery. Scared these
teams off. It looked like they were going to get something for
Garoppolo, but the Steelers still looking for answers at
quarterback. Here's Mike. Tomlin on entering
the offseason program.
Not really knowing
who their Will become weak one.
I'm really excited by it. I'm energized by it. I love
the anxiety associated with uncertainty. I think it brings
the best out in me and I think it's going to bring the best
out in us. I'm
at least I'm hopeful
that it will.
I'm comfortable with the talent that we have at the position
now, and that's not saying that I'm not open to adding to it as
we move forward.
They've made no, secret of their interest. In these rookie
quarterbacks right, show up for the pro day workouts, and
they're sitting there at number 20 and see. That's why I think
that if there's a guy they really like, they're not going
to
sit there. They're going to move up Kevin. Kolbert, the GM
of the team downplayed that possibility. That's fine.
That's that's what you need to do. So you don't so you don't
have people
begging higher than 20
if they want to get the guy that they think the Steelers want,
but the Steelers have shown in the past, Troy Polamalu,
Santonio Holmes. Even push, they'll move up. Yeah to get
the guy they want. Yeah, no question. They did. If they
decide that there's a guy there that's going to be
their next franchise quarterback.
They will move up to get him
because like Ron Rivera said as it relates to Matthew Stafford
last year. Nobody's going to remember what the Rams gave up
to get him. So, if there's a God, the Steelers love.
They'll go get him in. If they don't make that move. I think
we can conclude there isn't a guy that they really love among
the incoming class of rookies, right? We write or or you know,
again, I can see one of them them reading the room
a little bit and going wait.
This team doesn't need of quarterback. This team. Maybe
it. Maybe they can sit back. You know, it's a year where
I don't think it's a guarantee. We're going to have like three
guys go in the top 20, I would say that for my money, picket
Corral Willis, or top 20 picks.
I think they're more talented than other guys. In other
years, who have gone in the top 20. That's what I would say,
but that's the that's the good thing about what the Pittsburgh
Steelers did with your whiskey. Gives them a little flexibility
to
kind of do whatever they want here,
you know. Oh, wait the quarterback. We likes on the board at 15.
All right. Go get em. Oh, yeah. Hey, it's you know, it's Malik
Willis. We might want to put him on the bench for the year.
He's a little raw,
right? But we got he's got big and you know big-time Talent.
Okay. We got your Biscay to kind of be that guy to hold it
over. All right. I mean if they don't get the quarterback like
you said and there's nobody there that they do like, all
right, they
got to Biscay He's Got Talent and potential
you see where it goes and you reassess
you know, as the season goes along and you go you just kind
of play it by ear that way. So they've given themselves
options and where they're sitting at a twenty
there. They're in a decent spot. Like a, you, like you
said to, where they might be able to make a move up to get
into the early teens or something like that. If one of
these quarterbacks they like is sitting there and I'll, you
said it, he's been at the Corral, he was at the Malik
Willis work out
Mike Tomlin and years past when he's been at quarterback
workouts. There's usually legitimate interests. Like my
dad. He brought it up to mediate last week. He's like,
you know, Mike Tom, when I remember him standing right
behind Mason Rudolph
and they got Mason Rudolph. I remember he was with Josh
Josh Dobbs out of Tennessee, they went and got Josh Dobbs.
So we'll see, they certainly aren't hiding their intentions
like you talked about. Yeah. The only problem is they don't
Scout quarterbacks nearly as well as they Scout receivers.
That's
I mean, other than raw think about the guys. They've drafted
since Ben Roethlisberger and they will draft
mid-round, quarterbacks from time to time wasn't Mason
Rudolph. A second-round pick in the second round, I believe.
Yeah. Yes. Yeah. They haven't exactly done for all the things
they do, right. When it's time to pick a
ever and Kevin. Kolbert and Company have been masterful
at that all the way back to Antonio Brown with
a sixth-round pick in 2010. They've had other guys over
the Year. Mike Wallace. Who was a mid-round pick? I think a third
round, or maybe
that they found some great receivers
in the draft, but they have not
been able to find
competent, even backup quarterbacks. I mean, you know,
Landry Jones was there for a little while. But yeah. No, you
know, they had Charlie Batch, who was a You know,
but nothing right guys.
That was a guy they signed before Roethlisberger. Was
there forever, right forever. He went from starter with
the lions
in 98 99. 2000, 2001 ish. And then landed with the Steelers
in 2002. That was one of our first, big Scoops. Back in
the early days of PFT where we reported the Steelers were
bringing Charlie Batch in, for a visit people. Like what
the hell? He's
a starting quarterback. Why is he coming in? Why they want him
or whatever year it was. He went from being started. At
a willing backup of the Steelers and
was there for a long time. But
oh my gosh here. The guys, they've drafted since Roethlisberger
Mason Rudolph, Joshua Dobbs, Landry Jones, Dennis Dixon who
I thought had a lot of potential. Yeah. Yeah, that
torn ACL a dragon that derailed his career Omar Jacobs. Before
that was Brian St-Pierre team. Martin, one of the Brady, 6,
Spence Fisher and then all the way back to Kordell Stewart in
1995, but
it's it's
It's a challenge most important position on the field. And they
went 20 years between
Terry, Bradshaw of the original tea, B12, and Ben
Roethlisberger, and they somehow went to the playoffs
a lot. They did went to a Super Bowl. Once. Yeah, with
a revolving door of relative. No names at
quarterback and maybe, maybe they're just content to try
that again, but you know, what? Here's what I keep coming back
to 10% drop in viewership last year in Pittsburgh
no-shows at Heinz Field.
You need people to show up.
And pay for overpriced parking and food and beer and stuff.
They need to do something. They need to do something to address
this quarterback position and it may be as simple as Baker
Mayfield, you know, Step 1 draft and if it doesn't work
out at the draft, that may feel possibility is still going to
linger.
Yeah, maybe it will, maybe it will, you know, again, I think
they liked your Biscay
as far as the skillset, you know, everything we heard last
year. Matt Canada wants that quarterback, that can run like
we've discussed that. Want to do a little more movement with
the quarterback.
No, but you look here. Mike at the draft and I just look in
here, you know pick by pick first round. We know
the Panthers, the Falcons in the Seahawks that they need.
Quarterbacks.
They're picking their at six eight
and nine. But once you kind of get out of that area right
there, you know, and and and I don't know. I mean, I don't
think that's a slam dunk that those teams take quarterbacks
right there.
Those pics. I don't I could see maybe,
you know, somebody Trading Down and trying to go a little lower
but units, once you get into the teens you little bit. There
you go. Well, nobody needs a quarterback.
That's where, you know, Pittsburgh might get lucky to
where somebody could drop down or they might be able to make
the move there. I mean, the Texans are the only team you
look at from 10,
you know, to other than the Saints. 10 to 20, the Saints in
the text is the only two teams you look at there that could
go. Maybe they could make a quarterback move
that they can maybe, but we gotta worry about what you got
to worry about is after. Yeah. Not so who's gonna come up
behind? I hear you because the Steelers. Yeah planning that
flag of we're looking quarterback at 20. So if
there's a guy you like
that, you think we met like you better jump us? That's what
makes me think that they may need to jump someone. I might,
you know, you got the team like Detroit who's got pic32 and
pick 34, right? They'll be able to make a move
and and trade some pics up if they got to get into the teens.
So they're they're going to have to
two picks to play with. That would be something that worried me,
you know, then I guess, you know, Do you like you talked
about, I mean whether that's the Panthers or the Seahawks
putting the package together to jump up, you know,
in front of them at 20, or maybe they trade back, like we
talked about, you know, from nine or six and try to sit
there and see better value at taking the quarterback there.
So we'll see. I don't think anybody's got a great feel for
the overall draft yet and have some of these guys are going to
be valued and what positions are going to go off the board,
you know early, it'll be interesting, but I think
the Steelers, I just feel like Malik Willis is on their radar.
Makes sense. He does. I think he's got a style of play that's
very intriguing and has a wow factor to it to your point to
sell the
tickets and all that.
And if they want to run the quarterback and do,
you know, a little bit of the
pulling guard, Josh Allen stuff. Malik Willis is very
natural and strong enough. And you saw those legs to where he
can do it and be pretty damn good at it
and even if they stick with true bisque, yeah,
is that an upgrade over shell of himself, Ben? Yes, I'm going
to say yes, and I don't say that lightly because I think
a hell of a b.....
I think a lot of big men but yes,
true. Risky's arm is going to be stronger than Big Ben
and then of course his ability
to move and do things in the pocket is greater than Big Ben.
And then Mike, like we talked about to so many times,
you know, Big Ben got at that
stage of his career where,
you know, we talked about with Brady a little bit where it
just, he wasn't willing to stand in there and take
the shot for the guy to come open down the field. That's why
we, every pass was three. Birds, three yards, three
yards, three yards, three yards, three yards. Yes,
the offense was like that. Yes, he was getting them to plays
like that. And yes, I think there was a little bit of
an unwillingness to sit there and take the punishment for the big
play down the field.