Writer hasn’t quite thrown in the towel just yet
From the notebook of a sportswriter who鈥檚 didn鈥檛 throw in the towel on the Steelers season after a close loss that dropped them to 0-3:
n I threw in the towel last week when Ben Roethlisberger went down for the season. Didn鈥檛 you?
n An internet saturated with fan anger doesn鈥檛 surprise me anymore, but was anyone really expecting a Roethlisberger-like undefeated run from Mason Rudolph?
n Roethlisberger, as a rookie in his third week, won his first start, 13-3, in hurricane residue at Miami with this passing line: 12-22-163, 1 TD-1 INT, 74.6 passer rating, 1 sack.
n Rudolph, as a second-year QB in the third week, lost his first start, 24-20, at San Francisco, with this passing line: 14-27-174, 2 TD-1 INT, 81.4 passer rating, 2 sacks.
n Very similar, but Roethlisberger, of course, had all of the promise of a franchise quarterback. Rudolph was a third-round draft pick merely carrying the hope of not being the 1980s.
n It鈥檚 not the 1980s. I saw that up close, in my 20s, when memories lock in more clearly. And, no, this is not the 1980s.
n Run through that dreadful line of quarterbacking and the best measure to Rudolph is Neil O鈥橠onnell, the 70th player selected in the 1990 draft. Rudolph was the 76th player selected in the 2018 draft.
n O鈥橠onnell鈥檚 first start was Week 8 of his second year. He went 1-4/2-6 to finish the 1991 season. He became the primary starter for Bill Cowher鈥檚 first four seasons. O鈥橠onnell鈥檚 last start with the Steelers was a Super Bowl.
n Rudolph is better than O鈥橠onnell.
n See, we鈥檝e somehow managed to avert the 1980s, which has been everyone鈥檚 fear since Roethlisberger first contemplated retirement a few years ago.
n So, the Steelers are 0-3, like the 2000 team that finished 9-7. The 2002 team started 1-3 and also changed QBs in the third game. That team rallied to make the playoffs without much of a running game. Amos Zereoue led that team with 762 yards rushing.
n That will-o-wisp short-passing team cratered in 2003. It started 2-1 but lost five in a row. That鈥檚 the team to which this one compares, in my opinion. There was young defensive talent on that team that came together spectacularly the following two seasons under a new coordinator. The offense was built to maximize the talents of a veteran QB but had to remind itself of its traditional and fundamental approach when a new quarterback entered the picture in 2004.
n While these Steelers impressed defensively yesterday, the coordinator remains on the hot seat. And while Rudolph might only be a one-year starter to be re-replaced by Roethlisberger next season, the offense should follow the aforementioned traditional template and get back to the fundamentals.
n It seems to be leaning that way with the virtual scratch of both receivers 鈥� Donte Moncrief and Ryan Switzer 鈥� who were Roethlisberger favorites.
n That the coaching staff leaned toward and showed partiality for not only Roethlisberger鈥檚 strategic planning but starting playmakers only made sense. Maybe you prefer a harder line from a coaching staff, and I understand and appreciate that, but 218 games played and a $26 million cap hit should come with immense organizational respect.
n I鈥檒l keep the 2003 season in mind, as well as what Cowher told me the other day when I brought up the comparison of that team to this team: 鈥淚 think they鈥檙e going to get better as the season goes along. You see a lot of breakdowns right now, but that鈥檚 part of the growing pains that you have to go through when you have new players playing with each other. So, I think they鈥檒l get better as the season goes along. It鈥檚 a great opportunity right now for Mason and that offense. They need some people to step up and see what their roles can be and then you start to play to those strengths.鈥�
n The offense needs playmakers, and one of those people who needs to 鈥渟tep up鈥� is James Washington.
n JuJu Smith-Schuster showed that he鈥檚 still the big-play threat he was with Antonio Brown, and rookie Diontae Johnson again displayed a knack for getting open. But, neither scares anyone with speed. That鈥檚 not Washington鈥檚 game, either, so he needs to show the rest of this season that he belongs with the other two moving forward, otherwise speed WR joins TE and maybe even RB as draft targets with their second and third-round picks next season.
n James Conner, I mean, if your game is power and heart and grit, you have to hang on to the football in the fourth quarter. Simple as that.
n All week I watched and waited for Jaylen Samuels to make a bit of a move up the depth chart, and was disappointed Sunday to see he鈥檚 still considered a niche player because of his receiving skills.
n Benny Snell outcarried Samuels 3-0 and I have no information that Samuels is hurt. He had rushed three times for 18 yards the previous week and is the only back of the three to flash any kind of speed. Samuels definitely looks faster this season after dropping weight, and as a rookie TE/Slash player he ran a 4.54 at his NFL Combine. He might be in the 4.4s now and should be getting primary consideration to replace Conner, if that鈥檚 the coaching staff鈥檚 determination after yet another killer fumble.
n I doubt they鈥檒l crush Conner鈥檚 spirit with a benching, particularly with the porous Cincinnati Bengals looming, but Samuels needs to see the ball more. A lot more.
n The stellar debut of Minkah Fitzpatrick didn鈥檛 surprise any of us who watched him play at Alabama and through his first week of practice here. Why the negativity surrounding that trade, I鈥檒l never know. Of course, criticism is a fallback for the uninformed who wish to impress as intelligent, but this team has needed an elite talent on the back end for the longest time. Throw in the fact that he鈥檚 an A-plus person and leader, and the trade was a no-brainer.
n The other side will continue to argue that the Steelers would rather draft a franchise quarterback should it finish with a top-5 or 6 pick. Frankly, I don鈥檛 see that quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa is everyone鈥檚 rage 鈥� except for me. I can鈥檛 get past the lack of arm fluidity as he seems to push the ball 鈥� most of the times to his target. Yep, he completes 70 percent of his passes, but at 6-feet-1 and lacking a loose left limb, he just doesn鈥檛 impress me as that franchise type.
n Now, the other top college QB, Justin Herbert, is 6-6 with a rocket right arm. But he makes questionable decisions. Still, he鈥檚 the guy I would target with a top-5 pick, but is NOT a sure thing.
n Minkah is a sure thing.
n When Stephon Tuitt鈥檚 healthy, there鈥檚 an elite, young defensive talent at each level. Tuitt has 3.5 sacks in three games this season and appears on his way to breaking out as a 26-year-old.
n Devin Bush has a nose for the ball and is cat-quick. He鈥檚 the elite, young middle linebacker, but when paired with another hybrid type, such as Mark Barron, the Steelers are vulnerable to fullbacks and power running games 鈥� such as that of the 49ers.
n And, of course, T.J. Watt, the young pass-rusher, is the fourth pillar around which this defense will build. Yes, this defense is on the verge of playing excellent football now, but in my opinion it will grow into dominance around these four.
n Terrell Edmunds, I鈥檓 not giving up on you 鈥� yet 鈥� but it鈥檚 time to start making big plays. Tick tock.
n While I may have thrown in the towel on this season following the injury to Roethlisberger, I haven鈥檛 thrown in the towel on this organization鈥檚 near future. They鈥檝e been down lower and have risen further in the past. As Cowher said, these growing pains are inevitable.