The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to kick off Friday night for their second preseason game of the year. Head coach Mike McCarthy made a rather surprising decision toplay only Will Howard and Drew Allar in this game, with each quarterback getting one full half of football. Mason Rudolph will join Aaron Rodgers for a veteran day off. Despite this exciting opportunity for these young quarterbacks, one longtime beat writer has grown concerned over Howard’s responses to the opportunity. Not because they were negative, per se. Instead, it sounded like Howard wants to do more than what his scouting report says he can.

Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show shared this report on X and is concerned that Howard might try to do too much Friday. In an opportunity to prove he is a clear QB2, it could backfire.

“You might have to question whether he’s in the right frame of mind for the challenge.
Howard sounded like a guy who has been reading his draft bio and his press clippings a little more than what might be deemed healthy because, along with playing at a high level over these next two preseason games, he sounded like a man who was out to prove something that can’t be attained during a half of a preseason game … prove something to people who really don’t matter that much in the grand scheme of things.”

Howard’s Focus Should Be Growing His Game

Kaboly brings up a legitimate concern in his perspective on Howard. If he goes out trying to play hero ball and showcase his strong physical traits, he could make costly mistakes. That would only lead to scrutiny from fans and disappointment from his coaches. Though some of Howard’s tools are limited, he isn’t a finished product. He has upside with his athleticism and downfield accuracy between the hashes.

Howard’s focus Friday night needs to be building on the momentum from his debut last Thursday night. He operated well in the pocket, extended plays a few times and made some excellent downfield throws to sustain drives.

His play can continue to improve by refining his pocket presence and command of the offense. If anything, that will say more about his game than anything a scout has written in a report.

Execution Will Prove More Than What Scouts Had to Say About Howard

Similar to Howard, Drew Allar had a lot of concerns in his scouting reports. Much of that was due to his mechanics and footwork. However, Allar showed some improvement in those areas during his debut. Howard can continue to do the same. His arm isn’t magically going to become a cannon. He can, though, build on his strengths and make his weaknesses less significant.

Ultimately, Howard will play the game he wants to play. If he wants to make splash plays, he will go for it. If he wants to operate within a structure, he will do so.

This is Howard’s opportunity to prove something to the coaching staff. What scouts said about him before, frankly, doesn’t matter Friday night.