With The First Pick
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Ben Roethlisberger makes wild admission about Kenny Pickett

By Lou Scataglia

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 11: The Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Kenny Pickett from Pittsburgh speaks at the 2021 Heisman Trophy finalist press conference at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on December 11, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 11: The Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Kenny Pickett from Pittsburgh speaks at the 2021 Heisman Trophy finalist press conference at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on December 11, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images) /
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Former Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has a shocking admission about Kenny Pickett. Was this an understandable reaction?  Honestly, I can see why Big Ben felt this way.  He admitted his initial feelings about Kenny Pickett on his podcast.

Here’s what the Steelers’ great had to say about then-rookie Kenny Pickett:

"“I’ll be completely honest. And I’ll be super transparent. I’m gonna get blasted,” Roethlisberger said. “I probably shouldn’t say this. But, I mean, who cares at this point. I wouldn’t say that I wanted Kenny to necessarily fail. But when someone comes to replace you and you’re like, I still feel like I had it, I hope he doesn’t come ball out. Because then it’s like, ‘Ben who?'”"

He continued on:

"“Early on, I didn’t want him to succeed, ’cause I didn’t want him to follow me up,” he said. “I didn’t want it to happen. I think that’s probably the selfishness of me, and I feel bad for it. But as it went on, as the season went on, he got into like the third game playing, I was rooting for him. I was excited for ya. I wanted you to succeed. I wanted you to win the games. I wanted you to get to playoffs. So, I feel bad that I felt that early on, but I’m glad that I transitioned into loving and rooting for you.“It’s been fun watching you. I enjoy texting you after games. It’s been fun watching you, man. I’m a fan.”"

I think this is a completely normal reaction from Ben Roethlisberger, who played for the Steelers from 2004-2021, winning two Super Bowls in 2005 and 2008 with the team.  Big Ben is a first ballot Hall of Famer who had his ups and downs with the Steelers, including a rash of injuries he played through and some excellent playoff success.

Roethlisberger had a 165-81-1 regular season record with the Steelers and went 9-7 in his final year.  The Steelers wasted no time in trying to replace him when they took Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Pickett played in 13 games for the Steelers, starting 12, and going 7-5 as a starter with seven touchdowns and nine interceptions.  He was up and down and seemed to catch on as the season went on.

He was 24 years old as a rookie, so his second season at age 25 is going to be a huge year for him.  If Pickett can’t put it together as a 25 year old, then will he ever?  He’s a vastly different QB than Ben Roethlisberger, in my opinion, but does have the hometown allure to him.

Big Ben not rooting for Pickett at first honestly makes sense to me.  I’ve been in those type of situations before in my personal life and it’s a very understandable stance.

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