Unless you’ve lived under a rock, you know by now the Ben Roethlisberger era for the Steelers has ended. Thus we wait to see who his successor is.
Whoever takes the helm for the Steelers will have big shoes to fill. Keeping that in mind, there was a discussion on Moving the Chains on Sirius XM radio earlier today in which they discussed the Dallas Cowboy quarterback situation. They mentioned that for Cowboys fans, the benchmark of success of any quarterback in Dallas depends on whether they play like Roger Staubach or Troy Aikman. To a large degree, that’s true.
Bringing that back to the Steelers, it seems going forward, the success of any future quarterback in Pittsburgh depends on how they compare to Terry Bradshaw or Ben Roethlisberger. Certainly, with the next man up, fans will have an expectation he should win every game his first season.
Big Ben did it, you’re the heir apparent, so you should have the ability. The new kid in town will have it rough, no doubt. It’s not the first time it happened in Steeler’s history. It’s not the first time it happened in Steeler’s history.
Steelers quarterbacks after Bradshaw
When Bradshaw retired, everyone judged all of the quarterbacks that played after him based on their ability to lead the Steelers to the Superbowl. Throughout the mid-80s until 1995, no one seemed to match up to Bradshaw’s stature. The first quarterback that came closest was Bubby Brister, drafted by the Steelers in 1986.
However, he never could rise to the occasion. Then on a Monday night game in 1991, after a poor performance and boos roaring from the stands, Chuck Noll benched Brister in favor of the rookie Neil O’Donnell, leading to a quarterback controversy. He then took the reigns from Brister and became the first quarterback to lead the Steelers to a Superbowl, although he could not pull out the win.
However, he opted for free agency the following year, at which the Steelers tried their luck with Kordell Stewart, Mike Tomczak, Tommy Maddox. They found no success none could match up to the legendary Terry Bradshaw.
The arrival of Big Ben
Then in 2004, that all changed with the arrival of Ben Roethlisberger. He dared to be better than Bradshaw setting an NFL record being the first rookie quarterback to win his first 15 games. Then a Superbowl the following season. By 2010 he made his third Superbowl and finished in the top five in many quarterback statistics by the end of his career.
This success puts any successor in a precarious position in future seasons. If they can’t win like Bradshaw, hurl the ball and extend plays like Big Ben, fans will have a short tolerance for poor performances, and the fans will let the Steelers know it, as they do any time the Steelers play horridly on Sunday. Before finding NFL success, even Bradshaw had to endure growing pains, one benching, and impatient fans.
Regardless of who gets chosen to lead the Steelers, they have their work cut out. There will be no room for error when they step on the field. Fans will want another superstar to take the helm, and anyone who can not live up to that standard will not play for the Steelers long. If you do not believe that, just ask Mark Malone!