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First Call: Bill Cowher questions Steelers' use of Kenny Pickett; Najee Harris says, 'I can’t make a hole. I can't do everything' | TribLIVE.com
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First Call: Bill Cowher questions Steelers' use of Kenny Pickett; Najee Harris says, 'I can’t make a hole. I can't do everything'

Tim Benz
Tim Benz

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Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris tries to leap over Philladelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the third quarter Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, at Lincoln Financial Field.

Monday’s “First Call” takes a look at how Bill Cowher is evaluating the Pittsburgh Steelers’ usage of Kenny Pickett.

Steelers running back Najee Harris is getting edgy.

We also recap Malik Willis’ first start with the Titans, Ja’Marr Chase’s injury and that bizarre finish between the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons.

Cowher on Kenny

Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher was on the set of the CBS studio during the NFL games on Sunday. After the Steelers loss, he sounded off on how his former franchise is using rookie Kenny Pickett.

“You are 2-6. It is a period of transition. What is in the best interest of developing this quarterback — your quarterback of the future — without destroying his confidence?” Cowher asked. “You’re transitioning into a new quarterback. Right now, I get worried about his confidence because I’ve seen this happen to other quarterbacks.”

Cowher suggested that by showing a lot of confidence in Pickett in terms of how often he is allowed to throw, that may may actually hurt his confidence in the long run because so many of his drives are coming up empty.

“Take the ball out of his hands,” Cowher said. “Don’t ask him to do as much as you’re asking him to do,” Cowher continued. “It’s about a philosophy on offense that says, ‘Listen, what’s the best part of your team?’ It’s going to be your defensive side. That’s worn down after a period of time. There’s no margin for error there. You have to somehow shorten a game with that quarterback, and it goes back to running the ball. I’d put him back there under center. Don’t put him back there to get sacked six times today.”

In the three games that Pickett has started and finished so far this year, he has thrown 44.6 passes per game.

So, I get where Cowher is coming from. Yet, at the same time, Cowher can’t be so simplistic as to reduce his analysis to, “Do it like how I did it in 2004 when we had to start Ben Roethlisberger as a rookie.”

Because that’s what it sounded like to me.

But that ‘04 offensive line was better. Those running backs were better. That defense was better.

And, let’s be honest, Big Ben was better. So the minimal number of throws he had to make, he did. As a result, volume wasn’t necessary. In fact, Roethlisberger only averaged 21 attempts per game in his rookie season, less than half of Pickett’s output.

But Pickett has had to do that because the other components of the Steelers roster are much weaker than that 2004 team, and he has had to play from behind far more often than Roethlisberger did.

More from Tim Benz:

• Airing of Grievances: Steelers standards sink so far that blowout in Philadelphia seems expected
• Madden Monday: Steelers 'don't do anything well'; Kenny Pickett needs to 'shut up' when it comes to team criticism

Najee not happy

Steelers running back Najee Harris only had 32 yards rushing on eight carries Sunday in Philadelphia. And 18 came on one run.

So it was another frustrating day for the Steelers’ 2021 first-round pick. And Harris is letting that frustration show.

Via TribLIVE’s Joe Rutter, Harris isn’t happy with a lot of the habits the team is bringing to the field.

In terms of once the ball is snapped, Harris isn’t happy there either.

“I can’t make a hole. I can’t do everything. I try to control what I can control. I don’t know what more I can do other than just vocalize it. At the end of the day, everybody has to do their job,” Harris said.

And what Harris can control is what happens once the ball is in his hands. Like hitting the right hole on the occasions when it is there. Not attempting to hurdle every defender and maybe just running through the tackle. Or making defenders miss in open space.

That’d be nice.

‘Chasing’ a return

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is suffering from a hip injury. There had been some thought that he could miss four to six weeks, including a stint on injured reserve.

However, over the weekend, head coach Zac Taylor said that Chase will not be placed on IR list. That would have guaranteed that Chase would be sidelined for the game against the Steelers on Nov. 20.

Instead, though, the 2021 NFL Rookie of the Year will remain on the active roster as he rehabs the injury.

Cincinnati visits Cleveland Monday night. Then they host the 2-6 Carolina Panthers on Nov. 6, prior to getting their bye. Then they have that trip to Acrisure Stadium for a Sunday night game on the 20th.

Get what you deserve

Speaking of the Panthers, how about the way that team lost on Sunday?

Down 34-28 with 23 seconds left, P.J. Walker hit D.J. Moore with a game-tying TD bomb.

One problem: Moore took off his helmet while celebrating. That meant that the extra point was moved back 15 yards. As a result, Eddy Piñeiro missed the 48-yard kick. So the game went to overtime tied at 34-34.

In the extra session, Piñeiro missed another kick — a 32-yard field goal attempt. From there Atlanta’s Younghoe Koo hit a 41-yard field goal and the Falcons won it 37-34.

The Falcons are now 4-4. That’s good enough to lead the lousy NFC South.

Malik’s moment

For a long time during the NFL draft process, many folks in Pittsburgh thought that the Steelers were just as likely to draft the alleged “long-term project pick” at quarterback in Liberty’s Malik Willis, as they were to select the “NFL ready” Kenny Pickett out of Pitt.

Well, they took Pickett. And while the results haven’t been good so far, Pickett at least doesn’t seem overwhelmed by the moment.

Meanwhile, it was the Tennessee Titans (5-2) that took Willis in the third round. And now, he is getting his shot.

Willis started for the Titans Sunday against the Houston Texans (1-5-1), and he got a 17-10 win. But he didn’t have to do much heavy lifting. Willis only threw the ball 10 times, completing six passes for 55 yards.

It was Derrick Henry who got the job done, rushing for 219 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries.

As ESPN Stats and Info points out, it’s certainly not the first time Henry has roasted the Texans like that.

That’s Henry’s fourth straight game over 100 yards.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

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