Kenny Pickett got his SUV and playbook stolen. The SUV (a perk from a sponsor) got swiped. The playbook was in it.
Each could be easily replaced. Free cars are plentiful for star athletes, and Matt Canada authored the playbook. Light reading by an unheralded author.
The crime was easily solved. The thief left his car at the scene of the crime, an auto dealership. His license plate got traced. Maybe the perp figured it was a do-it-yourself trade-in. (Is he the same guy who pilfered JuJu Smith-Schuster’s bike?)
The thief may be stupid. But here’s betting he easily deciphered Canada’s X’s and O’s. Cut Mason Rudolph and make him the third-string quarterback.
The key question: In the hours between theft and recovery, who saw the playbook?
Maybe the perp isn’t as dumb as we think. Perhaps he Xeroxed Canada’s nuclear secrets and sold them to the Steelers’ opponents.
Maybe those teams declined purchase, since the playbook contains nothing they don’t already know. We’ve seen those plays. Not real complicated. Just slap a Steelers logo on “Coaching Football for Dummies.”
What if a high school coach got a copy, and adapts the playbook for his team? But bad jet sweeps and throwing short of the sticks won’t work in the WPIAL, either.
Absolute secrecy is paramount. As evidenced by media at OTAs not being permitted to report what they see.
They can, however, ask players what happened and report that. They can post photos on social media, too. It’s ineffective, bumbling censorship.
Just to be safe, Canada should change all the plays. Couldn’t hurt. Might help.
The theft was committed while Pickett was doing a radio show. My program has never had anything stolen. Besides ideas.
