Drew Allar’s first NFL preseason outing gave Steelers fans plenty to talk about, but the bigger takeaway in Pittsburgh is less about the splash plays and more about how the rookie is being taught to grow.
Allar opened his NFL debut by leading three touchdown drives against the Green Bay Packers, finishing 10 of 13 for 153 yards and three total touchdowns. The performance was enough to show why the buzz started immediately, and it also gave him a clear boost in confidence with his footwork and ability to play in rhythm.
Even with that fast start, Allar said he still sees room for a couple of plays to be cleaned up. Most of his production came underneath instead of pushing the ball downfield, but the timing and footwork matched what Mike McCarthy has been drilling in quarterback meetings.
“There were one or two plays I’d like to have back, which is how it’s going to be every week, no matter how good or how bad the performance is,” Allar said. “For me, it’s just continuing to be clean with my decisive decision-making, be clean in my footwork and protections, and master the fundamentals to allow me to go out there and play fast.”
That’s the lane McCarthy wants both Allar and fellow young quarterback Will Howard to stay in. The Steelers head coach said preseason football is valuable because it lets young passers handle the full operation - from commanding the offense and getting to the line of scrimmage, to responding when things break down around them.
“Preseason football is great for young quarterbacks on so many fronts,” McCarthy said. “You want to see them command the offense, take the play entry, get up to the line of scrimmage.
If they get in trouble, they have a proactive reasoning to do with it. But also if something goes wrong -- if the route’s not the way it should be or it doesn’t happen or the right tackle doesn’t do the right thing, to be able to react to that and not be surprised by it.”
McCarthy has made his message clear to the rookie quarterbacks: the goal is “brilliance in the basics.” For Allar, that emphasis hits home as he moves into his second game and tries to stack the same kind of clean habits that helped him shine in his first. The young quarterback had plenty of arm talent on display at Penn State, but the challenge now is turning the easy stuff into a consistent part of his NFL game.
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