Ben Roethlisberger is out for the season.
These words seem to be the worst nightmare for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Roethlisberger will have season ending elbow surgery that will force him to sit out. The season is over then right? It would seem to think so if you listen to the national media. Not so fast, we’ve seen this before haven’t we?
To answer my own question; we have. It was week two in the 2004 season, and the Steelers starter at the time, Tommy Maddox, went down with ligament damage in his right elbow. While the Steelers lost that game 30-13, there was light in that loss as rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger came in and played well after Maddox went down by completing 12-of-20 passes for 176 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Sound Familiar?
In case anybody’s memory is hazy on the 2004 season, the Steelers then went 14-0 to finish the season and lost to the Patriots in the AFC Championship.
Now let’s pump the breaks because not every young QB is a future hall of famer, and lightning never strikes twice in the same place, but it could be a possibility couldn’t it? Roehtlisberger is 37-years-old, and will be coming off of a missed season due to elbow surgery on his throwing arm. Who knows how well he’ll be able to recover next season. This begs the question; is this Mason Rudolph’s team now?
Mason Rudolph looks like the prototypical Steelers QB. He’s a big guy (6’5”) with a rocket arm, and has the athleticism to extend plays in the pocket. He has also had a year to learn the offense under Ben Roethlisberger, which can only be a good thing.
Rudolph looked fairly good on Sunday against the Seahawks. His first drive interception was not his fault, bounced off of Donte Moncrief’s hands, but went on to finished 12-of-19, 112 yards, two touchdowns & 1 interception. The offense came alive after he entered the game, and was able to drive the ball better than it had with Ben through the first 6 quarters of the season. Steelers tight end Vance McDonald was used more (7 receptions), and Rudolph’s ability to spread the ball out and far down field opened up receivers.
Moving forward Rudolph provides the Steelers at a chance for something they haven’t had in a long time, a fresh start. Now I know they are 0-2 on the season, but organizationally this could be a fresh start. The start was obviously the subtractions of Le’Veon Bell & Antonio Brown, that much has been well documented. While you never want to say it is needed to lose a hall of fame quarterback, maybe it will help the team move on into a new era instead of holding on to one that may be too far gone.
As far as this season is concerned 0-2 is a hole, but it's not as deep as you think. It is no secret that the AFC North is not one of the strongest this season. While the Ravens are 2-0, they beat the pitiful Dolphins & a young Cardinals team at home. The Browns were crushed at home by Titans, but beat the Darnold-less Jets, and the Bengals cant put it all together at all. The Steelers still have all six games remaining in the division and still play the Jets, Dolphins, & Bills this season. On thing that isn’t against the Steelers in this situation is time.
The biggest question will be the defense. This week the defense played well in the first half (4 sacks, one fumble recovery). They broke down in the second half, giving up three straight touchdown drives, but forced a fumble late which gave the Steelers a chance to steal the game. The addition of second year defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick should be really helpful to this defense.
At the end of the day the Steelers lost a hall of fame quarterback, but can Mason Rudolph step in and repeat what his predecessor did 15 years ago? The setup is certainly there, all that is left to do is wait and see.
Comments