Really? PG: “Dwayne Haskins is giving Steelers a reason to be optimistic.” Hmmm.

Dwayne Haskins: Post-Gazette

… I, for one, am not optimistic about the Steelers’ QBs


To say that the Steelers are in trouble at the QB position would be an accurate statement. 


However, I am not referring to the future. In reality, the present is downright scary — if you watched the Steelers demise at the end of the 2020 season. 


Ben Roethlisberger is over the hill, and he has not been particularly effective over the past decade. He has recorded a lot of yardage, but he has not provided two elements that are essential for a team that thinks of itself as a successful NFL franchise. 


First, he is woeful in the postseason. Second, he has not won a big playoff game since ???


Actually, when was the last playoff game that Ben won?


So, when the Pittsburgh media talk about a castoff backup as a reason to be optimistic, I am not impressed. In fact, when I wrote that the Steelers would not win another Super Bowl until 2034, I was considering two problems: The coach, and the team’s inability to win in the offseason. 


Steelers have a plethora of problems


Perhaps the Steelers will surprise many people who are picking them to finish third in their division because of their offensive line -- or maybe not. 


Perhaps the Steelers will be able to protect their old and slow QB this season and unleash a rookie running back who will become the AFC offensive rookie of the year. 


Perhaps there is a Santa Claus. 


However, saying that they have a great future because of Dwayne Haskins may simply be hyperbole — or insanity. 


Yet, that is what Post-Gazette columnist Paul Zeise is saying right now, 


He is the ultimate weapon in the modern day NFL. He has a big arm and he has a lot of athletic ability, so he can beat teams in a lot of ways. He is exactly what teams are looking for from the quarterback position these days.


Paul Zeise, “Dwayne Haskins is giving Steelers a reason to 

be optimistic,” Post-Gazette, August 3, 2021


 Then, he rips Mason Rudolph, the backup who has really never had a chance to show what he can do for a full season. 


I am not certain about Rudolph, but he showed last year against the Browns that he can direct the team very successfully — even though most of the Steeler starters were sitting out that game. 


However, to say that a player whom the Washington Redskins — or whatever they are calling themselves — gave up on despite his being a first-round draft pick is a reach. 


Not really a gamble


Zeise notes that the Steelers did not really give up much to take a chance on Haskins, which is true. And Haskins does have some very good athleticism. 


However, he may be overly optimistic himself about his analysis,


The best-case scenario for the Steelers is Rudolph shows enough in training camp and throughout the season to make the Steelers feel good about him as a potential starter for next season. That way they at least have one quarterback in the loop who knows the offense well and has worked with the receivers for a few years.


And while that happens, Haskins needs to show he has put his immaturity issues behind him and is ready to become the quarterback Washington believed he could be when they drafted him in the first round. If that happens, the Steelers will have a first-round draft choice to take over for Roethlisberger without having to use a first-round pick to get him.


If that is the case, the Steelers will have hit a home run in their succession plan to Roethlisberger. They would have a high-level talent to be their starter and a savvy, capable player like Rudolph as their backup. 


That would give them an excellent shot at making a smooth transition and avoiding the “dark ages” that so many fear are coming.


It is a long way until that happens, but so far Haskins has shown that the Steelers were smart to at least take a chance on him. He has proven he is focused more on football and he is working to refine his skill set and accuracy. That’s more than what many believed he would be capable of, and so far he has given the Steelers reason to be optimistic about his future.


Paul Zeise, PG, August 3, 2021


Hmmm.




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