The Pittsburgh Steelers are revered and respected for a culture that keeps churning out winning seasons. Year after year, head coach Mike Tomlin headlines a physical team that finds ways to win along the margins and remain relevant. Virtually no player has spoken poorly of the legendary coach.
As such, it's surprising when a former Steelers' comments ask fans to reassess their preconceived notions about Pittsburgh.
Recently, that came in the form of 2022 first-round quarterback Kenny Pickett and his comments about his new team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Pickett has played in relief of Eagles star Jalen Hurts, to moderate success. After losing to the Washington Commanders, Pickett helped dismantle the Dallas Cowboys in a 41-7 win, although he would exit early with a rib injury.
After the game, he spoke about enjoying life in Philadelphia.
"It's very much a college team feel here," Pickett said. "Everyone cares about each other and you know when the ball gets spotted, we are going to leave it all out there. You know we put it all on the line for each other. That is incredibly special. It's not like that everywhere. I am extremely grateful to be here."
Pickett didn't necessarily put his former team on blast. But to know that the Eagles' environment is special means that other teams aren't, and the quarterback only has one other frame of reference at the NFL level.
It would be ambitious to assign malice to Pickett. He could simply prefer playing for the Eagles. Freed from the shackles of first-round expectations and the weight of an entire franchise, Pickett is winning more and asked to do less.
Surrounded by better offensive talent, he averaged more yards per attempt than either of his seasons in Pittsburgh while boasting a higher quarterback rating and passer rating, too, albeit in a criminally small sample.
His Eagles are faring better than the Steelers as well, having locked up a division title and the NFC's second seed.
Pittsburgh isn't in free fall, but Pickett's comments coincide with the Steelers' recent three-game skid – a streak that's seen defensive players call each other out and confidence shrink ahead of the playoffs. An ex-player's words don't have to define the team, but it might be worth reevaluating one's priors about an otherwise proud organization.
