Mark Madden: Accept objective evaluation of Kenny Pickett

Kenny Pickett has thrown seven interceptions in 12-plus quarters of play.

Besides picks, just about all of Pickett’s stats rank near the NFL’s bottom.

Pickett did more than any Pittsburgh Steeler to lose Sunday’s game at Miami, throwing interceptions to end potential game-winning drives on the team’s last two possessions. Both passes were horrific decisions.

But none of that is any problem because:

• Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions as a rookie. Terry Bradshaw threw 24. Troy Aikman threw 18. They all went on to Hall of Fame careers and won multiple Super Bowls.

• One of the analytics geniuses says only three of Pickett’s seven interceptions should have been interceptions. The rest don’t really count.

• Matt Canada is a bad offensive coordinator. There’s no way Pickett could succeed with that gameplan.

• Pickett is a rookie. He’s allowed to make rookie mistakes.

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Pickett can’t absorb an ounce of blame. The local gatekeeping is vicious and nonstop. God forbid you retort logically and thusly:

• Pickett probably isn’t Manning, Bradshaw or Aikman. What if he’s Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen or Mitch Trubisky? What if Pickett never pans out? That happens, too.

• What if I believe that interceptions are the responsibility of whoever throws them, and that breaks and bounces even out? Do interceptions not count if there’s an excuse?

• Canada is a bad offensive coordinator. But he didn’t tell Pickett to throw the ball right at Miami defensive backs twice in the fourth quarter. That was not what Canada called.

• Pickett is, indeed, a rookie. But, at 24 and after playing 52 games and an extra year at Pitt, we were constantly told he was “NFL ready.” Well, it turns out he isn’t. Perhaps that fifth season at Pitt deceptively inflated his potential. Pickett wasn’t considered anywhere near a first-round talent before that extra year. How high is his ceiling?

Pickett may yet develop into a first-rate NFL quarterback. He likely will. (He won’t be Manning, Bradshaw, Aikman or Ben Roethlisberger. Kirk Cousins, maybe.)

But evaluating him objectively now shouldn’t trigger the Spanish Inquisition. Criticizing Pickett draws a horrible, abusive response.

The worst isn’t even the anonymous mob on social media. The worst are legit media members who pander to that anonymous mob. It’s fanboy opportunism.

Is it because Pickett went to Pitt? If Pitt football engenders such foul-tempered loyalty, you’d think the Panthers would get better attendance at Acrisure Stadium for games that don’t involve a big rival or marquee foe that sells lots of tickets to opposition supporters.

Pickett’s sanctification probably has more to do with the perceived divine right of Steelers fans to have a great team in the tradition of six Super Bowl wins and a great quarterback in the tradition of Bradshaw and Roethlisberger. This ignores their current 2-5 record, three playoff wins in the past 11 years, no playoff wins in the past five, Kent Graham, Jim Miller, Devlin Hodges, Bruce Gradkowski, Kent Nix, Dick Shiner, etc.

I intend to continue evaluating Pickett objectively. When I am accused of “hating,” I will shift gears and do just that. That’s when Kenny Pickett becomes Kenny Pickoff.

If you want me to hate, I will. Nobody is better at it.

It’s a bad time for quarterbacks. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are under .500 and look like they’re in the tank. Russell Wilson got shadow benched. It looks like Baker Mayfield lost his starting job in Carolina. Matt Ryan got put on Indianapolis’ pay-no-mind list.

With so many QB situations in flux, it seems the perfect time to trade Mason Rudolph for a first-round pick. Or start him.