Mike Tomlin on Kenny Pickett’s future: ‘We’re not urinating on the fire
The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to the Queen City to face our Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon as both teams attempt to stay “in the hunt” regarding a Wild Card spot.
They’re both coming off division losses, and they both have struggling offenses, the Bengals losing Joe Burrow to a season-ending injury and the Steelers with Kenny Pickett being who we thought Kenny Pickett was coming out of Pitt.
When asked about what the next several games of the season mean for Pickett’s future in Pittsburgh, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said, “We’re not urinating on the fire.”
#Steelers HC Mike Tomlin says “We’re not urinating on the fire” when asked about what the next seven games mean for Kenny Pickett’s future.
“We’re worried about the Bengals, and the Bengals only.”
— Rob G (@NFL_Rob) November 21, 2023
The second part of the answer is pure coach speech: “We’re not going to divulge what goes on behind the curtain, but I will tell you we’re focused on the next game.”
Pickett, in year two, has 1,722 passing yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions. PFF has him graded as the 31st-ranked quarterback in the NFL when it comes to his overall passing grade. His struggles are highlighted by the Steelers’ last-ranked passing offense in the league and are tied with the second-fewest offensive touchdowns so far this season with 15. The fact they’re 6-4 is pretty remarkable and speaks volumes to the defense.
As for Tomlin’s comment about “urinating on the fire,” who knows what he means? Typically, one could say, “I wouldn’t urinate on him/her if they were on fire,” meaning basically, you’d rather see them burn than save them.
I don’t think that’s what he meant here, but who knows? This isn’t the first Tomlin head-scratcher, and it won’t be the last either.
