Chuck Noll told players to move on with their lives, and now, like Tommy Maddox, Ben Roethlisberger must do so -- and let the Mason Rudolph Era begin

Mason Rudolph

Photo courtesy of Pittsburgh Steelers

... remember Tommy Maddox?

When Steeler legendary head coach Chuck Noll noted that one of his great players was starting to slow down and produce less and less, he was not exactly the most tactful person in the world. 

In short, Chuck never took a course from Dale Carnegie: “How to win friends and influence people.”

He did influence people, but it was in an “old-school” way.

Noll simply told his Hall of Fame QB Terry Bradshaw this in 1983, “It’s time to get on with the rest of your life’s work.” Terry resented that, but in the business world, that is the way things operate -- and Terry has done well after football.

And the Pittsburgh Steelers were in the business world. They had to move on without Terry.

Flash forward to 2019

Ben Roethlisberger would have been better served if he had played under Chuck Noll, who was no-nonsense. Now, Ben must come to a realization at the age of 37: It is time to get on with his life’s work and turn over the QB reins to a younger, potentially good player, Mason Rudolph.

No one knows exactly how the Mason Rudolph era will go, or how long it will last, but one commentator believes that it is time to make that move. After Sunday’s disappointing two-point loss to the Seattle Seahawks, columnist Paul Zeise of the Post-Gazette in Pittsburgh said this even before knowing about Roethlisberger’s season-ending elbow surgery,

Mason Rudolph was drafted with the belief that he could be the Steelers’ quarterback of the future. Rudolph and the Steelers fell just short Sunday at Heinz Field — they lost to the Seahawks 28-26 — but I’ve seen enough to believe the Steelers’ future is in good hands …

Anyone who watched Rudolph play at Oklahoma State has seen he is a brilliant passer that has great touch, can make every throw and has excellent arm strength.

That’s not what makes me believe he has the “it” factor, though, as a lot of talented passers have turned out to be bad NFL quarterbacks.

No, it is his leadership and his brash — almost cocky — demeanor on the field that makes me think he has a chance to become a star.

He only needed one play to sell me on this, by the way, and that was a scramble in the fourth quarter when the Steelers absolutely needed a play. Trailing 21-13, the Steelers faced a third-and-5 at the Seahawks 26. Rudolph dropped back to pass, the pocket collapsed and he scrambled out of danger, put his head down and ran for seven yards and the first down.

“Paul Zeise: Let's start the Mason Rudolph era next week,” Sept. 16, 2019

Being out in the Midwest, I did not see the game, just the highlights. The play that convinced me that Rudolph was the man was a flea-flicker that he completed to JuJu Smith-Schuster. It was a 45-yard gain that led to a Steelers touchdown.

For the game, Rudolph was 12 of 19 for 112 yards and two touchdowns for a QB rating of 92.4. He threw an interception that hurt that rating, but that was one that went through the concrete hands of Donte Moncrief and was picked off. It was not his fault.

As Zeise pointed out, Rudolph gives the Steeler fans hope,

If Rudolph had played the entire game Sunday, as opposed to just the second half, the Steelers likely would have won. And I also believe had the defense been able to get one last stop — the Seahawks ran the final 5:34 off the clock — and got Rudolph the ball back, he would have led them all the way to the win.

Rudolph just looks like he gets it, and he has that “it” factor. He is poised and intelligent and the team rallied around him. He is clearly a natural leader, and he is a really talented passer to boot.

Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette, Sept. 16, 2019

Through his first six quarters of 2019, Roethlisberger has been lethargic, at best. His QB rating in the 33-3 humiliation by the Patriots last week was 65.6 and in two quarters this week was 67.4.

Zeise questions whether or not the 15-year player has the intensity and desire to lead the team again,

Roethlisberger is a Hall of Fame player and one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history by just about any standard. He has had an incredible run with the Steelers. I just don’t know how much he has left in the tank. And I also don’t know if he has the energy necessary to lead a changing roster full of youngsters and players he doesn’t necessarily relate to.

Sunday was the second game in a row that Roethlisberger looked a little bit slow, a little bit tired and not exactly all that inspired. It doesn’t necessarily mean he isn’t capable of leading the Steelers to the promised land, but at this point, I’d bet against him. Father Time may have finally caught up to and is getting the best of Roethlisberger.

Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette, Sept. 16, 2019

While some fans are saying that the season has ended for the Steelers, I do not buy that — yet. If Rudolph is able to lead them to some victories over the next few weeks, they may enter their battle against the Baltimore Ravens with renewed vigor.

Remember Tommy Maddox?

The irony of Ben Roethlisberger is that the Steelers did not want him in the first place. Believe it or not, they were sold on Philip Rivers, but the Chargers took him first in the 2004 draft — and the Giants took Eli Manning — and Roethlisberger was falling fast.

Nevertheless, the team took Roethlisberger with the 11th pick with the intent of having him sit for a season or two behind then starter Tommy Maddox. The team was loaded with a great defense and running game, and with “Tommy Gun” leading the passing attack, they should do well.

However, Maddox was injured early in the season, and Roethlisberger was the backup. However, he had not engendered any love with the offensive linemen.

Here is what Alan Faneca, a soon-to-be Hall of Fame offensive lineman said about Roethlisberger after learning that Maddox was going to be sidelined for at least six weeks with ligament damage to his elbow, according to ESPN,

Co-captain Alan Faneca sounded less than thrilled when he discussed the prospect of a rookie leading the charge against the Dolphins.

"Exciting?" Faneca replied to a question with disbelief in his voice, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. "No, it's not exciting. Do you want to go work with some little young kid who's just out of college?

"Everybody's got to do a little more," the All-Pro offensive guard told the newspaper. "Everybody's got to help out, got to do a little more, do a little extra, take that extra step, put the extra work in this week and rally around him and help out.

"It's a learning process for him. He's a No. 1 pick, he's fresh out of college and that's the big thing. He's throwing in a new offense. ... He has to learn that, too, so there's a lot to soak in. It's like every play you get better, you see things, you start to realize things, how a play works, how defenses react to it. It's just a process."

“Rookie steps in for injured Maddox,” ESPN, Sept. 27, 2004

When Roethlisberger took over for Maddox in 2004, he completed 12 of 20 passes for 176 yards and two touchdown with two interceptions. One of those interceptions was returned for a TD, so Faneca was less than enthralled with the rookie.

However, the Steelers won the next 13 games and finally lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

The Steelers do not have that great defense or great running game, but Rudolph does have potential, they have some good skilled players and a veteran offensive line. If they come together in the same way, perhaps they can make the playoffs.

We shall see, but I, like Zeise, am eager for the Mason Rudolph Era to begin.