PITTSBURGH — Mike Tomlin set a record for clichés Tuesday during a 45-second sound bite, leaving no doubt he has no plans to bench Mitch Trubisky for Kenny Pickett or take the play-calling from Matt Canada.
"We're not going to blow in the wind. The last couple of games haven't unfolded the way that we would like, but we're in a no-blink business, particularly if we believe in what it is that we do and the people that we're doing it with. Sometimes, you've just got to show steely resolve and smile in the face of adversity. We roll up our sleeves and get back to work and wait for our next opportunity."
Tomlin added he is tuning out the outside "noise," which will become deafening at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday if Trubisky gets off to a slow start with Canada's offense against the woebegone New York Jets.
The noise is pretty loud as it is.
You aren't the only one who would love to see Pickett take over at quarterback. Hall of Famers Rod Woodson and Michael Irvin went on 93.7 The Fan in the past few days and made strong arguments for Pickett.
This was Woodson:
"I would love to see Pickett play with these young players on offense. You have young receivers. You have a young running back. We've still got some issues on the offensive line, but I think to let those guys grow together and to mature together and to have a chemistry together on the field is really going to help this football team later in the year. I would love to see them give Pickett an opportunity."
This was Irvin:
"So, do we continue the course or do we say let's try to give this thing an injection, some little hope here? Because I always say hope dictates effort. Maybe we do try to give them a change, give them a different look. Put the kid in and see what everything else happens. I believe it will be a little jolt of energy and maybe, maybe, you start seeing something."
One other significant voice was heard on the topic. It belongs to former Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden, who is a rising media star.
"No. 8 will save our season," McFadden said when asked why he thinks the Steelers still will make the playoffs despite its 1-2 start. "Kenny Pickett will save our season. I think Kenny Pickett, if he gets an opportunity to jump in, man, we're going to see a different type ball club."
Didn't I tell you?
The noise really is getting louder out there.
Tomlin, ignoring all of it, said he has seen steady improvement from his offense in general and Trubisky in particular even though the offense scored a total of four touchdowns in the first three games and only three points in the second half of the loss in Cleveland on Thursday night. "We've been better with every outing. It's reasonable to expect those improvements to continue. ...
"We're all pretty hacked off that we haven't won the last two games. But it's our job to tune out the noise and remain committed to the path that we're on and work to get better. I expect our guys not to blink. I have to display that as a leader. I intend to."
Admirable, right?
But is Tomlin smart for being so steadfast in his support of Trubisky?
This would be the week to make a quarterback change if Tomlin was so inclined. The Jets are a weak opponent. The home crowd would be incredibly supportive of Pickett. The most recent time it gathered at Acrisure Stadium, it chanted "Ken-ny! Ken-ny" in the third quarter of the 17-14 loss to New England, leaving a somewhat downcast Trubisky to remark, "It is what it is."
Starting Pickett against the Jets would make more sense than starting him the next week at Buffalo or in the following games against Tampa Bay, Miami and Philadelphia before the bye week.
But Tomlin clearly doesn't believe Pickett is ready to play, even against a bad team in front of an adoring crowd. It's almost as if he believes failure will somehow damage Pickett in a really hurtful way.
Irvin wonders why.
Irvin lived through the tough early times for Troy Aikman with the Dallas Cowboys. He was entering his second NFL season when Aikman was picked No. 1 overall in the 1989 draft. He saw Aikman go 0-11 as a starter in his rookie season when Aikman threw for nine touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He saw Aikman go 7-8 and 7-5 in the next two seasons with 22 touchdown passes and 28 more interceptions.
Was Aikman damaged in a hurtful way?
Hardly.
Aikman led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl wins in four seasons from 1992-95.
"It's not just the physical skill set," Irvin said. "You can have a quarterback that's physically ready to go play, but he's going to endure setbacks. He's going to endure struggles. I've got to know what his mentality is like. Do setbacks make him stand up straight and go fight harder? Or do setbacks put him in a tank? You look at a Troy Aikman, setbacks weren't something he was going to receive and accept. It was going to make him get up and go fight harder. That's what brought greatness out of him.
"I believe [Pickett] is a strong kid. He's an older kid, and he's a strong kid. I don't believe it will break him. I believe it will bend him, but it won't break him. So, ultimately, like it did Troy Aikman, it will make him. I'm looking forward to it."
All of Pittsburgh is.
All but Tomlin, that is.
