Steelers fans and media jumped the gun in another chance to dunk on Kenny Pickett

Kenny Pickett's breakup with the Pittsburgh Steelers did not go well. The Pitt product was selected in the first round of Kevin Colbert's final draft as the heir-apparent to Ben Roethlisberger. Of course, it didn't work out that way in reality.

Pickett did win some games for the Steelers thanks to a few clutch fourth quarter drives. That is something Pittsburgh fans cannot take away from him. However, the only reason the Steelers were in such close contests to begin with was thanks to their defense, and frankly a subpar offensive system. Matt Canada was fired for a reason, and Pickett has since been relegated to backup duty in Philadelphia.

However, Steelers fans are especially polarized on Pickett because of his exit. The team signed Russell Wilson this offseason, and promised to provide him with first-string reps in training camp. Pickett, as the incumbent starter, didn't like this. He requested a trade shortly thereafter, and the Steelers shipped him to Philly.

Steelers fans were ready to be proven right on Kenny Pickett, but they'll have to wait

Earlier this week, Jalen Hurts missed a few days of practice and showed up on the injury report. That led some in the Pittsburgh media to conclude Pickett would get the start on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys and Cooper Rush.

Except, Pickett was never in line to make that start. Hurts practiced near the end of the week and is expected to play against the Cowboys.

I don't quite understand the obsession Steelers fans have with Pickett. He is not the first player to want out of Pittsburgh, and such disagreements happen all the time in the modern NFL. Why they've chosen a vendetta against Pickett, of all people, doesn't make much sense unless you understand the makeup of the fanbase.

Steelers fans don't just hail from Pittsburgh, but rather the vast majority of central Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Those same fans typically root for Penn State and West Virginia, two of Pitt's biggest rivals. So, those same fanbases hated Pickett from the minute before he was drafted, and failed to flip on a dime when he wore black and gold. Instead, Pickett performed like his pre-draft grade – a third-round pick on most years – and many in the Steelers collective got to say 'I told you so'.

Unfortunately for those same fans, they'll have to wait until a later date for Pickett of fail again.