Steelers Need Roethlisberger To Defy Odds
History Unkind To Rookie QBs
By Jerry DiPaola

There is nothing pretty about ligaments and tendons literally tearing off the bone.

The pain is almost unbearable, and brings tears to the eyes of grown football players.

When it happened to Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox in Baltimore last month, it hurt in more places than his throwing elbow.

It hurt his mind, his heart, his career, his future. It all but ended his two-year reign as the Steelers' starting quarterback. It will accelerate his becoming a mere footnote in Steelers history. Just another Mark Malone or David Woodley.

The Steelers are stuck in the Ben Roethlisberger era now, with Maddox out until at least early November.

Steelers' coach Bill Cowher never would look at the situation as a relief, because it is far from it. He respects Maddox's ability to play the position, his leadership skills and the way he was able to rally the team with occasional pinpoint accuracy and more fiery enthusiasm than you might expect. Maddox, after all, is the last Steelers' quarterback to throw a pass in a playoff game - a distinction he has held for nearly two years and may not give up anytime soon.

But there has been a burden lifted from Cowher's shoulders, even if he doesn't know it or acknowledge it. The decision to anoint Roethlisberger as the Steelers' starting quarterback in 2005 has, practically, been made for him.

Here are two possible scenarios, each with the same result:

Let's assume Roethlisberger plays well enough to win, as he did in his starting debut at Miami when he completed 12 of 22 passes for 163 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Suppose he keeps the Steelers in the playoff race. At that point, he will have established himself as legitimate NFL quarterback. Even if Cowher gives the job back to Maddox, Roethlisberger will have earned the right to regain it next year. Carson Palmer got the job in Cincinnati this year, and all he did was watch Jon Kitna resurrect the franchise in 2003.

Let's assume that Roethlisberger fails miserably over the next month. Maddox gets the job back, but the Steelers aren't playing well enough around him to get to the playoffs. Cowher has no choice. He must look to the future - and Roethlisberger - next year.

For better or worse, it's Roethlisberger's time and team.

Is He Ready?

So, the question becomes: Is he better off playing the rest of this season or sitting and watching someone else play the position?

The question was put to former Steelers' quarterback Mike Tomczak, who played the position for 16 years in the National Football League and served as backup/mentor/starter for several teams.

He believes it's important for a team to determine as soon as possible if they have invested wisely in its quarterback of the future.

'You have a long-term investment in this kid,' Tomczak said. 'Any inefficiency he has is going to show up early and if you nip it in the bud, it will increase his (learning) acceleration. You will know what the return on your investment is going to be. You'll be able to tell if your new product is going to work in the workplace.'

Roethlisberger said playing so soon means two things.

'More reps and I'll see more stress,' he said. 'That's part of the job. It comes with being a starting quarterback, and that's just something you have to deal with.'

But what if he fails?

Cowher was asked if throwing Roethlisberger into the hot cauldron of the NFL so early in his rookie season - a year to the day after he was preparing to play Akron - could hurt his ultimate development.

Cowher, predictably, danced around the answer, probably because he wasn't sure of it. But he did appear eager to learn it.

'There is a growth that takes place,' he said. 'It is inevitable that is going to take place.'

He said that growth is defined by 'how people handle success, and how people handle tough times.'

That's what he wants to find out about Roethlisberger, and that's what would remain a mystery as long as he stayed on the bench.

'The game is faster at this level,' Cowher said. 'The game is more complex at this level. There is more scrutiny at this level. I think that a lot of it is how you are able to deal with circumstances you are handed, and some of the results that take place.

'Confidence is a very fragile thing at times.'

Maybe so, but Cowher said he is confident and comfortable with Roethlisberger guiding his team.

'The more you are around the kid, the more you realize he has a good demeanor about him, and a good presence about him," Cowher said. "He is not overwhelmed by itÉI think he is more looking forward to it than worried about it. That is what you like about him.'

That's not to say that there are not warts to Roethlisberger's game. ESPN NFL analyst Merril Hoge, a former Steelers' running back, noticed one flaw when he studied Roethlisberger's Miami (Ohio) game tapes before the draft this year.

'You can bait him into making bad decisions,' Hoge said. 'That's what this league is all about. Those are the things he struggled with when he played Iowa (one of the few top caliber opponents Roethlisberger faced outside the MAC).

'What he sees before they snap the ball is not what he is going to see after they snap the ball. Sometimes you get outmatched and that's where an experienced guy will get you out of trouble.'

In other words, Steelers' fans shouldn't be surprised when Roethlisberger throws multiple interceptions and the team drifts away from the top of standings in the division.

Now Or Later?

Bengals' quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese said it wasn't an easy decision for his team to turn the team over to Palmer, the first overall draft choice in 2003.

'Whoever gives us the best chance to win is basically the philosophy here,' he said. 'We went around and around with this, and gave it a lot of thought. It's really hard to come from college and earn the trust and respect of the guys you'll be playing with. It's hard to execute all the things you need to execute on a weekly basis at this level.'

Zampese said it's best to have a veteran quarterback supporting a rookie, which puts the Steelers at a distinct disadvantage with Brian St. Pierre and Mike Quinn behind Roethlisberger.

'Anytime you have a young quarterback, it's good to have a guy around with some skins on his wall,' Zampese said.

Unless Roethlisberger lets failure beat him down - such as it eventually did with Kordell Stewart - nothing that happens over the next month should hurt his development. Not even a long losing streak.

'You learn the timing immediately, you sure learn the tempo of the game right away, you learn where guys are going to be on Sundays in regard to their routes,' Zampese said. 'Because things are different on Sunday than they are during the week.

'From what I know of Ben, I see that he is a good character guy and a guy who will learn what he needs to and then translate it to the football field.'

Miami (Ohio) coach Terry Hoeppner said Roethlisberger sat and watched during his freshman college season while fifth-year senior Mike Bath ran the team. That was the best way to go. In most cases, freshmen - like NFL rookies - aren't ready.

Eventually, the training wheels must come off, however.

'You can sit all you want, you can learn all you want, you can do all the right things, but you've got to play,' Hoeppner said.

Miami (Ohio) offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery noted that Roethisberger's first game in college, against a University of Michigan defense that broke his nose, was not unlike his sudden entry into the Ravens' game when he threw two quick interceptions and nearly had a third that went through the hands of safety Ed Reed.

'The first game he played here against Michigan the same thing happened,' Montgomery said. 'The same exact pass that should have been picked off, just very similar situations. So if what happened here is any indication of what's to come, the Steelers should be in good shape.

'It's going to take some time, but as the season goes on I think he's got the firepower around him, especially at receiver, so he's going to make some plays. They've got to stay confident around him, and the other people on the offense are going to have to help him up.'

Help for Roethlisberger is expected to come from the running game, Duce Staley and the offensive line. If Staley can gain yards and keep the secondary honest, Roethlisberger could find holes in the defense with his arm.

Rookie Starters