Steelers: Kenny Pickett is already back in the lab

Kenny Pickett does not believe in days off as the face of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise.

Kenny Pickett was so busy putting in the work as the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise quarterback that the Fake Slide King rarely saw the sun last year.

The same thing can be said for a lot of miners and steel workers scattered throughout the Appalachians, but only one person can be the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh. The former Pitt quarterback has to replace Ben Roethlisberger, hoping to be closer to Big Ben and Terry Bradshaw, as opposed to Neil O’Donnell and Bubby Brister. But in order to do that, he has to put in the work.

Teresa Varley told the tale of Pickett in No Days Off on Steelers.com. Check it out. Here we go…

"“I would be here mighty early. And I left mighty late,” said Pickett. “Showing up here when it was dark out and leaving when it’s dark is a little bit depressing. I was taking some Vitamin D for sure. I don’t track the hours. I just kind of go through how I need to prepare and then whatever it ends up being, it ends up being. It would be about leaving the building when I felt good about the day’s work, and I felt really confident going into the game.”"

This is the blue-collar ethos that will make Yinzers fall in love with Pickett like he is Sidney Crosby.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is putting in the work to be better

He may have these tiny Burger King hands, but Pickett showed he could really stick it in his first year out of Pitt. Although Pickett was the best quarterback in one of the worst draft classes for the position in recent memory, he helped Mike Tomlin keep his winning record streak alive for another year. While Pickett is certainly trending up, the AFC North division is an unforgiving beast.

Admittedly, I think Pickett went to the right place. Being a former Panthers star may place an absurd amount of pressure on him, but who doesn’t love a good story? To have one of their own lead them is one of the coolest parts of professional sports, across any league for that matter. However, no league devours its young quite like the NFL. Pickett must show he has staying power.

What this feature shows is Pickett has great self-awareness. He understands that nothing will come easy to him at football’s highest level. There are other signal-callers out there more talented than him, but hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. More importantly, he does seem to have a level of maturity that many quarterbacks coming into the league never figure out.

I think in all this, it makes Pickett incredibly easy to root for. While the Steelers have as strong of a football culture as any team in the NFL, they do need to realize that what worked in 2000 may not work some 23 years later. They can still be led by defense, but it is paramount to provide the best supporting cast possible around Pickett or the dude will go up in flames. He is not Big Ben’s brawn.

Overall, you want to believe Pickett is doing everything he possibly can to get the most out of his talent. Should it help the Steelers get over the top, then it will be worth it. Should he come up short, well, it will be a brilliant effort out of The Fake Slide King nonetheless. Again, you and I and everyone are all rooting for him, but nice guys finish last. You have to find a way to win at all costs.

If no sunlight combined with Vitamin D supplements get Pickett to the pinnacle, then god bless!