Steelers QB John impresses in Mile High debut

by Crimsion | 4 years ago | 1 Comments

It was less than a week ago where rookie quarterback Mackenzie John found out he was being handed the keys to the offense in Pittsburgh. Fast forward to Monday afternoon, John is now the talk of the town. Although he was unable to find a win over the Denver Broncos this wekend, he put on a show for those who entered the week asking themselves "who is this kid?".

The Alabama product was firing on all cylinders, completing 31 of his 43 pass attempts while compiling 496 yards through the air and finding the endzone six times. John wasn't without his rookie mistakes though, throwing two interceptions, with one coming off a dropped pass.  A battle with a strong defensive front such as the Denver Broncos wasn't going to be easy, but John gave credit to his pass blocking for keeping him clean for the majority of the game.

"This game is fast, I was prepared for it, but I can't deny that it was quick," said John in his post game presser. "Going up against guys like Von [Miller], Bradley [Chubb] and my guy Cameron [Heyward] isn't easy, but my guys in the trenches and the backfield made me feel comfortable and let me do my thing."

John did receive his fair share of hits, especially when he left the pocket. His 3rd quarter fumble had proven fairly costly once the Broncos were able to recover it and turn it into points on the other end.

"Yeah, that fumble was unecessary on my part, I need to get down," John said with a smirk on his face. "They're hard hitters man, I gotta give them that."

Finding success early wasn't something the 5th round pick was surprised about, given that he was usherd into a fairly stout offensive attack.

"It helps that we've got so many playmakers such as JuJu, Ebro [Eric Ebron], Wash [James Washington], all of them, they've all done a great job prepping me for this moment," said John. "But I know what I'm capable of too, and I've told this organization since I got here, you just drafted the hungriest quarterback in this class."

Confidence like this is never overlooked, but it's evident that John's skill set was overlooked in his eyes as seven rookie quarterbacks have seen action this season, while five remain the starters on their team as of now. Reporters alike were quick to have John compare himself to the likes of the 1st round quarterbacks selected in this past SFL draft. 

"I know I can perform better than those guys have to close out the year," said John. "I've got nothing but respect for those dudes, but I feel like having the time to sit back and learn from someone like Matt [Stafford] was crucial. I mean look at what is going on in Chicago, Miami and New York."

John may have said this with a smile on his face, but his point does come with some backing. Taken rounds ahead of him, the likes of Trey Nance, Justin Fields and especially Trevor Lawrence have not lived up to expectations. John closed things with some words of hope for the people of Pittsburgh.

"I may not be the flashiest player in this draft class, but give me time. I'll show you why this organization placed their faith in me."