Welcome to Joe Starkey’s mailbag, where the Post-Gazette columnist and 93.7 The Fan radio host answers your questions about sports, life, Lee Flowers and everything in between. If you want to ask Joe a question, tweet him @JoeStarkey1 or email him at jstarkey@post-gazette.com. On to the questions ...
perfectgame06 ,@perfectgame06: Pickett gave them spark but truth be told he hasn’t been as pro ready as all said. Trubisky has better arm, runs better. believe Trubisky is much better when u open game up & let him play. Canada’s offense is 2 rigid 4 his skills.
Starkey: Interesting thoughts, PG, even though they did not arrive in the form of a question (I don’t even know if this was tweeted to me as part of the mailbag, to be honest, but I’m running with it).
Let’s break this down in parts.
• Is Pickett as pro-ready as most thought?
Well, he hasn’t looked overwhelmed. I know that isn’t the highest of praise, but consider the circumstances here. Mike Tomlin’s quarterback “competition” was a total sham, meaning Pickett had hardly worked with frontline teammates before he was thrown into the Jets game. His coach put him in a very difficult situation.
Having said that, he regressed in the Tampa game, to the point where most of his throws after the first drive felt like they were way out of bounds. I’m not sure if that was intentional, but it sure was ugly.
• Does Trubisky actually have a better arm and superior running ability?
Yes, I think both of those are fair observations. I just don’t think Trubisky plays the position very well. I don’t think he has much of a feel for it, whether it’s the timing of delivery, or anticipatory throws or knowing when to run. Or just delivering some juice. Before his excellent performance Sunday, he seemed like a robot out there, very mechanical and afraid to make a mistake. But, man, was he good Sunday.
So now what? Does Trubisky give you a better chance to win than Pickett, whenever Pickett is cleared to play?
I’m not willing to go there yet. If Trubisky plays like he did Sunday, he could be a top-10 quarterback in the league. But one has to consider the dynamics at play: He was thrust into a situation where he didn’t have to think and could just cut it loose. What was the worst that could happen — he’d lose his job? That had already happened.
Now, as we head into Miami, the dynamics have shifted. If Trubisky gets the call, I’m guessing he will feel like he is playing to get his job back — and he might be. It would be hard to put him back on the bench if he plays great and leads the Steelers to a second consecutive upset win.
Knowing what could be at stake, will he still play free and loose?
That’s the big question.
One more thing: It’s still unclear to me whether Canada’s offense restricts the quarterbacks. I think the quarterbacks sometimes restrict themselves within it. Sometimes, a quarterback just has to make a play. Was that rollout to the left, away from pressure, and subsequent laser beam to Chase Claypool by design, or just Trubisky deciding to go for it?
Lee Hughes, @TheRealJStrap: If I was in charge of game day stadium operations: get rid of Renegade, since all it seems to do these days is fire up the opposing offense. Two, take that annoying thirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd down call and fire it into the sun. You?
Starkey: I’m fine with whatever you say, Dr. Hughes. I would prefer Peter, Paul & Mary’s “Where Have all the Flowers Gone” as the fourth-quarter anthem. But that’s just me.
*name listed to the right*, @iamjoshdouglas: I recently found out that the @cavs are restricted from live games in the Pittsburgh market (I know it’s stupid) and it got me wondering...what team should Pittsburgh adopt more for basketball? The Cavaliers or the @sixers?
Starkey: First of all, Dr. nlttr, the fact that Cavs games are blacked out here had me enraged last season, and that won’t change. We’re two hours away! Plus, the Cavs are one of the most exciting teams in the league. Third, if you’re NBA Network, and you’re going to black out the Cavs game in Pittsburgh, put another game on! If I had the energy. I would take up the issue. I don’t.
As for adopting a team, I recommend the Golden State Warriors.
St. John Smythe, @StJohnSmythe6: If the Guardians win do you think it would be bad for baseball. What I mean is it would create a false sense of parity? The powers that be will say see no salary cap is needed.
Starkey: Anybody can win in baseball, Dr. Smythe. Anybody can make the playoffs. The Pirates made the playoffs three years in a row. Tell me the last time the Detroit Lions, New York Jets or Washington Commanders made the playoffs three years in a row. Shoot, the Steelers have only made the playoffs three times in a row once since the late 1990s (they made it four times straight from 2014-17, which I guess technically means they made it three times in a row twice, but I digress).
What I’m saying is, the no-cap excuse is bogus in baseball. The Tampa Bay Rays have made the playoffs four times in a row and made it to Game 6 of the World Series despite one of the lowest payrolls in the game. The Guardians win consistently (six playoff appearances in the past 10 years). The A’s have won (six playoff appearances in the past 11 years). The lower-payroll teams have no excuse.
Christopher Moltisanti, @IStallion412: Will PSU win 10 games this year?
Starkey: Yes they will, Dr. Moltisanti. They will lose to Ohio State (the only ranked team left on the schedule) and win their other five to go 10-2. Or they will lose one additional game and then win a bowl game to finish 10-3. Thank you. Very kindly.
Bob Pavlik, @bobp1964: You and Ron name one stadium/arena pro sports or college on your bucket list to watch a game.
Starkey: I can’t speak for Ron. He’s not here. But my bucket-list destinations are the Rose Bowl and the Big House. I grew up loving Big Ten-Pac 10 football, and the whole idea of the Rose Bowl, and I love the states of California and Michigan, and I wrote a book report on wolverines in sixth grade, and I hate most of the newer playing venues across sports. I like stadiums with history and character.
Runnin’ Ref Rick, @PadreRico: If you were asked to shoot your lowest score with only one club to play your entire round, which club would you select?
Starkey: Certainly the only hybrid in my bag, Dr. Runnin. It already works as a driver and a putter!
brian shindledecker, @geetpicker: Why would anyone in a position in the NFL think that in 2022 a college coach could succeed in pro ball? #mattcanada.
Starkey: Most of them were college coaches at some point, Dr. shindledecker, but I will concede this: The best offensive minds in the NFL — at least the ones I just checked — had way longer NFL apprenticeships than one year as a quarterbacks coach with a quarterback who didn’t need a coach. I can tell you that. From Brian Daboll to Sean McVay to Kyle Shanahan to Kellen Moore to Byron Leftwich to Matt Lafleur, all of them did most of their work at the NFL level before becoming play callers.
Canada’s resume did not scream “NFL coordinator.”
Kevin Peck, @Rugger6Wolfe: Why did we resign LeTang unless we’re going to trade home for picks. Tonight’s loss, same as Rangers Series, is 100% on him.
Starkey: Thank you, Dr. Peck, for your carefully considered and frequently misspelled question (it would be ironic to misspell “misspelled,” would it not?). And here I thought Trouba’s hit to Crosby’s head and goaltending injuries cost them the Rangers series.
Thanks for setting me straight.
And thank you, kiddies. Also, send me questions (tweet @JoeStarkey1 or email at jstarkey@post-gazette.com). And subscribe to our FREE daily all-sports newsletter, PG Sports Feed.
First Published: October 18, 2022, 1:35 p.m.