Steelers Slammed for Pirates Success With Paul Skenes

The Pittsburgh Steelers are catching heat from former executives for not handling their situation like the Pirates are.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the spotlight once again for their treatment and ultimate trade of former first-round pick Kenny Pickett. This time, however, they're being compared to another in-city team, and one of the best rookie athletes Pittsburgh has ever seen.

Speaking on 93.7 The Fan, former Steelers executive Doug Whaley slammed the team for their mismanagement of Pickett. In his arguement, he referenced the Pirates and how they're going about rookie sensation Paul Skenes, saying the baseball club is handling the situation much better.

"This is … maybe the one time you might say the Pirates’ front office really got it right and the Steelers’ front office didn’t really have a plan," Whaley said. "Everything that the Pirates did with Skenes led him to what he did last night. Now, Skenes had to actually go out there and perform. But they put the plan in place … not rushing him, making sure he was doing the right thing”. That even includes, he noted, pulling Skenes early out of a potential no-hitter

"That fit in their plan, and they have a vision for [Skenes], compared to what the Steelers had. ‘Oh, we’ll have a competition at camp.' I don’t think that was a competition. No, ‘We’re gonna wait and throw [Pickett] in the middle of a game.’ … That just didn’t seem like a plan. That was a knee-jerk reaction. That’s what the difference is."

The trade to the Eagles happened after the Steelers signed Russell Wilson and made it known he would be in "poll position" to start this season. Days later, Pickett found himself in Philadelphia with the Eagles, and the Steelers acquired Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears.

"I’m not saying it’s all on the Steelers. Kenny [Pickett] is culpable as well, and if Kenny was Skenes, he probably could have overcome that," Whaley added. "Talent overcomes a lot. But because he didn’t have the talent, and the lack of plan, that’s why he’s in Philly now.'"

As for the Pirates, they're at .500 at the All-Star break and have one of the best players in baseball at the mound. Skenes is taking over the city and MLB and showcasing just why he was the No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft.

While Pickett was never considered a generational talent like Skenes, the Steelers didn't help themselves by keeping a bad offensive coordinator his first two years. Now, with the Eagles, he'll get another shot to grow. And in Pittsburgh, they'll be watching Skenes from the stands while Arthur Smith and Wilson take over the offense.

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