Transcript of the media availability with Steelers President Art Rooney II.
Opening Statement:
Let me just start by saying that even though we fell short of making the playoffs this year, I thought the second half of the season was encouraging. Obviously, we still have a lot of areas that we need to improve on, but I liked the way the team kept fighting down the stretch and kept ourselves alive.
Obviously, a key factor in the season was having a rookie starting quarter-back who stepped in about a quarter of the way through the season. The progression of Kenny Pickett I think was obvious, and good to see, and hopefully something that we’ll continue to build on next year.
Some key statistics that we saw that I think are evidence of the improvement: Time of possession, the second half of the season, we really started to dominate teams. Third-down conversions, obviously, those two go hand in hand. Big improvement there. We were outrushing teams. Obviously, all those things are related, and can be part of a formula for success.
The defense, I think we also got better as the season went on. Getting T.J. (Watt) back helped in that regard, for sure. But all things considered, the fact that we, as a team, got better as the season went on, is something that we’re encouraged by and look forward to building upon as we get into this offseason.
Q. When you evaluate the season in its total, is that the way you look at it? You talked about the second half. Do you evaluate the early stages, or what happens in the second half of the season overrides that when you’re evaluating the season?
A. I mean, look, you want to see a team improve over the course of the season from start to finish. No matter what your record is, that’s what
