Stephen A. Smith reading aloud Kenny Pickett’s final season schedule at Pitt for the first time ever live on the air is the stuff the internet was built and designed for.
As Pittsburgh Steelers fans could not have been more hyped after their beloved team drafted former Pitt football Kenny Pickett, you better believe Stephen A. Smith had a rant for the ages about it over on First Take Friday morning.
Looking at Pitt’s 2021 season schedule for the first time ever live on the air Friday, Smith did more damage to the sanctity that is ACC football over the course of 30 seconds than many ever thought possible. He went through the Panthers’ opponents game-by-game to try to prove a point that he was a turnover machine vs. lousy competition. Well, guess what? Pitt won the freaking ACC, baby!
Blessed with these tiny hands and a pair of matching gloves, Pickett will be tasked with replacing Ben Roethlisberger long after the clock struck midnight on Big Ben’s illustrious career.
Did the Steelers make the right move with Pickett here or did they want to avoid the embarrassing prospect of getting Dan Marino-ed again?
Stephen A. Smith crushes Kenny Pickett, Steelers, ACC football simultaneously
Time will tell if Pickett is the next Big Ben or Terry Bradshaw for Steelers football or not. What serves the Steelers is they are getting essentially a more athletic version of Matt Ryan, a college quarterback who thrived at a non-traditional power up north by elevating his teammates around him. Pickett may have a relatively low ceiling, but he has next to no bust potential for Pittsburgh.
One would expect he will eventually take the starting job away from Mitch Trubisky this upcoming season. Frankly, the longer it takes, the more concerned everybody and their brother should be. Trubisky showed in his Chicago Bears tenure he can win games, but Pickett was drafted to be a more accurate passer and the next franchise cornerstone for an incredibly well-run organization.
As far at Pitt’s weak schedule is concerned, the Panthers cannot control if they play in the lesser of two bad divisions in the ACC. They should not be ripped for scheduling SEC foe Tennessee in the non-conference. On the contrary, they should be commended for it. Smith also had no earthly idea that Pickett did not play in the Peach Bowl vs. Michigan State, as he opted out for the NFL Draft.
Just because you can read out a schedule does not mean you know what you are talking about.