U mad, bro?: Steelers, Penguins fans take swings at Mitch Trubisky, Mike Tomlin, Mike Sullivan, Prime Video

As the Steelers changed quarterbacks this week, a funny thing happened on my way to the “U mad, bro?” inbox.

Apparently, I’ve gone from a writer who is too negative, sarcastic, antagonistic and pessimistic to a guy who is too soft and forgiving.

According to some of you folks this week, I’m essentially the Ned Flanders of sports reporters, simply because I don’t want to openly taunt Mitch Trubisky as he is going to the bench.

But, hey, this is your weekly post. I just reply to the comments. So, “okily-dokily,” sports fans, let’s get to it.

We start with Tom. I swear that he must have me confused with someone else.

“Sometimes the fans are right. Seeing that you’re the only remaining Mitch Trubisky apologist in town, perhaps you can find some solace in Syracuse being 5-0.”

First of all, as a Syracuse alum, I take no solace in the Orange being 5-0. I’m looking at the schedule. I know what’s coming. I’m mentally preparing for 5-5 soon.

In the meantime, I did enjoy a 59-0 victory last week. In recent years, they would go months at a time without scoring 59 points. Take that, Wagner!

But when have I ever been a Trubisky apologist? I never said he was any good. In fact, I was one of the few media types in Pittsburgh that was outwardly against the signing when it happened, while many other fans and media members rationalized it into making sense.

On more of a human level, I have some sympathy for how this situation blew up in his face. The Steelers essentially drafted the guy’s replacement before he even had an organized practice.

And I spent a lot of time poking the hypocritical fans who spent the first six weeks of Trubisky’s time here telling me how he was going to be a totally different player than the QB who he was in Chicago — only to start chanting Kenny Pickett’s name at the first home game against New England.

That’s hardly being an apologist for Trubisky or his sub-mediocre play. That’s just trying to be fair.

Peter agrees with Tom.

“I haven’t seen a single thing that (Trubisky’s) done to indicate he is an NFL worthy quarterback.

Pickett has looked like he’s got it going on from the first time he stepped on the field in preseason all the way through to now. I’m more than confident that things will look like football again with Pickett under center. The interceptions he ‘threw‘ on Sunday were not his fault in any case. When a ball clangs off the receivers hands and is intercepted, it’s the receiver’s fault.

Trubisky should be out of the league. He is awful. He doesn’t see the field, anticipate where receivers will be open, and is lost in the pocket and runs out when he should stay in. He will never make it as a starter this late. Raw deal? They should never have signed him and should definitely cut him.

Why be so nice Tim? You can’t see that he doesn’t have it?”

Well, I’m nice because I’m an apologist. Didn’t you read what that last guy just wrote?

Again, I think there’s a difference between critiquing a player’s performance and critiquing the situation he’s in. It’s one he should’ve had the foresight to avoid, but it’s not exactly the easiest hand to play either.

A couple other things, though. I think it’s you who is being an apologist for Pickett on the interceptions. He could’ve delivered the ball earlier and/or more on a line to Chase Claypool on his first pass. And, by his own admission, the throw to Pat Freiermuth was an unnecessary risk for what would’ve been a minimal gain. To say nothing of the poor pitch to Jaylen Warren on the previous snap.

As far as cutting Trubisky, why would they do that? They obviously think he’s better than Mason Rudolph or else they wouldn’t have signed him in the first place. Even if they have changed their minds about Trubisky, they kept Rudolph after training camp to be a third QB. So even if they elevated Rudolph, they’d probably keep Trubisky as a third guy, too.

Meanwhile, James isn’t exactly optimistic about the start of the Kenny Pickett era.

He'll be a bust Tim Tomlin really botched the QB position this year as far as starting goes he has no idea how to manage QBs

— James Chamberlain (@JamesCh19218988) October 5, 2022

James, I’m not ready to label Pickett a bust after a few interceptions in his first game.

I’m also not willing to assume that he’s going to be a Hall of Famer like Ben Roethlisberger was. I think he’s going to be at least an above average, winning quarterback.

But, as we’ve already established, I’m way too nice. So you’re probably right. He’ll stink.

Jeffery echoes a point I raised on Twitter about the Thursday night Prime Video broadcast.

Why is the sound so imbalanced? It sounds like there is no crowd noise whatsoever at the games even though the pictures are showing us the crowds look good and seem to be thoroughly energized.

And commercials are annoyingly loud in comparison. Terrible production. Sounds like games in 2020 with no fans.

— Jeff Knupp (@JeffreyMKnupp) September 30, 2022

Yeah. I don’t get it. I’ve asked some television folks who know about this kind of stuff, and they say the same thing. I can’t get a good solution or reason why it’s like that.

I know some people have a bias and an angst toward the Prime games because they have become “stream only” aside from the local markets.

I don’t. That doesn’t bother me. It’s where broadcast media is going. But the crowd-sound thing strikes me as something that should be a relatively easy fix.

Finally, Dusty doesn’t want Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to take all the criticism in Pittsburgh. He thinks Penguins coach Mike Sullivan needs to take some as well.

About the same time for another coach named Mike here in Pittsburgh. I was at that debacle of a preseason game Tuesday night and it was awful watching the PP go 0-9 and giving up a shorty with no changes being made.

— DustyBootsBD (@BD3Hockey) September 29, 2022

The last few years I’ve seen the Penguins and Steelers quickly becoming like one of those old, annoying SAT questions. “ABC is to 123, as XYZ is to ???”

• Sullivan losing in the first round of the playoffs: Tomlin losing in the first round of the playoffs

• Penguins power play: Steelers offense on third downs

• Penguins defense with the lead: Steelers defense with the lead

• Blame the goalie: Blame the quarterback

So if Tristan Jarry has a bad first period versus the Arizona Coyotes in the home opener, just start chanting “Kenny! Kenny! Kenny!”

Maybe Sullivan will put in the goalie from Pitt’s club team, and everyone will be happy.