Finally, we get Kenny Pickett. FINALLY.

Honestly, Mitch Trubisky is about as useful as a DVD rewinder.

The Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback was ineffective, he couldn’t throw a long pass accurately, and his offense was totally stagnant. This was not Steelers football. And during yesterday’s game against the New York Jets … it was more of the same.

The fans had seen enough. The pundits had seen enough. And trust me, after 3 1/2 games … Mike Tomlin had seen enough.

And in the second half of the game … Trubisky was handed the clipboard and 1st round draft pick Kenny Pickett FINALLY got some time on the field.

I would have preferred that he didn’t throw this pass on his first series …

But he’s a rookie. He will learn.

What he did do, however, was revitalize the Steelers offense. Six receptions and 102 yards thrown to fellow rookie George Pickens. A perfect 7-for-7 to his Steelers wide receivers.

And his first professional NFL rushing touchdown.

Then Kenny Pickett completes a long bomb to Pat Freiermuth while getting clobbered by the Jets’ pass-rushers – and then shrugs it off like the Jets were nothing but lawn leaves.

Oh yeah … did that previous Twitter clip say “rushing for TDs”? Yeah, he punched in a second one.

Let’s put it this way. Kenny Pickett is now the first NFL quarterback IN HISTORY to rush for two TD’s in his first professional game. He produced more offense in that one half than Mitch Trubisky gave the Steelers in three and a half games.

And yeah, Pickett threw three interceptions. One of them was on a Hail Mary at the end of the game, and one of them bounced out of his receiver’s hands and into a waiting Jet’s fingers…

But this is why the Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett with their first-round snag. This is why they didn’t throw big bucks at Jimmy Garrapolo or Russell Wilson. This is why they went with an expendable “You’re here until you fail” option in Mitch Trubisky.

The thing is … right now, Kenny Pickett has shown that the Steelers can produce an offense of some sort. And when TJ Watt comes back from his pec injury, and if Minkah Fitzpatrick and Cam Hayward and the rest of the banged-up Steelers can heal … there’s still an outside chance of making something happen here. The Steelers are only 1-3 in the AFC North, but the other three teams in the division are 2-2. So the season isn’t lost yet.

But now comes the big question. Can Kenny Pickett continue this gunslinging rookie punch and help the Steelers improve? Their next two games are at Buffalo and hosting Tampa. Not easy routes under any circumstance.

Welcome to the NFL, Kenny Pickett. Let’s make things happen.

Wow. I’ve said Kenny Pickett’s name in nearly every paragraph of this blog post. This is weird. I’m not used to actually willingly mentioning a Steelers starting quarterback’s name.

But I could get used to it. 😀