First off, allow me to ensure that all readers understand that this is an editorial piece. My views may not be the same as other staff members here at “The Yinzer” – as a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure my views are much different.
Secondly, this entire subject may be a moot issue. Originally reported by NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, a rumor that Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is unhappy in Pittsburgh and may demand a trade in the offseason broke this weekend. The rumor was so strong and so controversial that many fans may have missed the fact that the Steelers defeated the Buffalo Bills 23-10 on Sunday to move within two games of the second Wild Card slot in the AFC. Yes, a Steelers team that was virtually left for dead like a deer on the side of a Beaver County road in November is right back in the hunt for the postseason, albeit on the outside looking in.
Because of the nature of this rumor – and I call it a rumor, not a report – and the iron-clad response by Big Ben when asked about the validity of the chatter on Sunday afternoon, we have essentially squashed the issue before pen has been put to paper. The first media question asked to No. 7 after his 18-30 204 yard passing, one touchdown performance this Sunday was not about the quarterback being able to once again keep his team in the hunt after an 0-4 start to 2013; it was about the “rumor”. Roethlisberger responded by making it crystal-clear that he intends to remain a Steeler for his entire career, and that nobody in his camp (agents, handlers, etc.) would have made such a statement. It was a response you would expect from a player who has been the face of the franchise and owns two Super Bowl rings with Black and Gold edging. Roethlisberger has always stated that he has zero intention or desire to ever play in another uniform. Nothing has changed on his end.
What has changed is the fickle nature of NFL fans, and now Steelers fans. A fan base that has always supported the Steelers and their vision is now questioning the very foundation of the Pittsburgh powerhouse due to what looks to be a down season. Yes, the Steelers are a very un-Steeler-like 3-6 after nine games, and they are going to have to go at least 7-1 over the final eight contests to be in the AFC playoffs. It is a daunting task for any NFL team, but for a Steelers team that is looking at an injury report that is beginning to mimic the list that jolly old St. Nick is compiling up North, it looks like an impossible mission. If the Steelers do manage to pull off the seemingly impossible, it will be on the back of its All-Pro future Hall of Fame quarterback.
That is where we pick up the Big Ben Trade-gate discussion. A line in the sand has been drawn between those who believe that a Roethlisberger trade would be a good thing for a rebuilding Steelers team, and those that believe that the very uttering of such a slanderous, dastardly rumor is tantamount to a threat against the King. This is Ben Roethlisberger we are talking about folks, arguably one of the best signal callers in NFL history, and for those who do not confuse fantasy football statistics with the real thing – a top 10 ALL-TIME quarterback. This is the Ben Roethlisberger who has put this franchise on his back countless times. He has taken the lumps when needed, taken more sacks than any average QB could handle, and has owned up to the mistakes he has made along the way. This is the quarterback who finally caused Steelers brass to buy a new trophy case, one that holds more than four Lombardi Trophies. This is the Ben Roethlisberger who brought Pittsburgh the “one for the thumb” and then brought one more just to be sure we didn’t forget his name. This is the Ben Roethlisberger who engineered one of the great drives in Super Bowl history to propel the Steelers to a win in Super Bowl XLIII. This is the player – the man – who has been the architect behind the success that now looms as a cloud of doubt over a 3-6 campaign.
Ben Roethlisberger is what is known as a franchise quarterback, a successful franchise quarterback. His style of play has been credited with many of his victories, and criticized in many of his defeats. He holds onto the ball too long, he extends plays with his legs, and occasionally those traits end up in turnovers. More often than not, they end up in endzones. There is no commodity in football more valuable than the franchise quarterback. When you have one, food tastes better. Water is colder. The air is crisper. When you don’t have one, you are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Many have speculated that the Steelers could possibly ask for two first round draft picks in a deal for Big Ben. That is a haul in itself, and most likely would be just the tip of the iceberg on a deal that would include numerous mid-round picks in addition to first rounders. That may sound great to the Madden NFL video game players out there, but real fans know that the NFL Draft has become more of a crap shoot every year. Situations where you would trade away a franchise quarterback do not arise often. Last year, one did arise in Indianapolis. The Colts made the decision to allow QB Peyton Manning to walk away after a serious neck injury threatened his career. Manning hooked on with the Denver Broncos and has quickly shown that the rumors of his demise were premature. The Colts, however, did not make that decision without a clear-cut resolution in the near future. They had the first overall pick in the 2011 draft, and they would be able to draft QB Andrew Luck, the best quarterback prospect to enter the league in decades. Luck was the kind of player who would be able to start from day one, and he has, leading the Colts to the playoffs in his rookie season and on the cusp in year two.
There is no Andrew Luck in the upcoming draft. Players like Teddy Bridgewater and Marcus Mariota are fine prospects, but neither is a sure-fire Andrew Luck type of prospect. Besides that, unless the Steelers could secure a top three pick in the draft, both of those players will be long gone. That would leave the Steelers with the biggest hole possible to fill and a stable of mid-round quarterbacks to choose from – not a position GM Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin want to be in come April. Even if the Steelers did pull off a historic Ben Roethlisberger deal, the odds of it turning into Herschel Walker to the Vikings 2.0 are slim. Yes, the Steelers could use an immediate influx of young talent on both sides of the ball, but that becomes irrelevant if they have to spend the next five years grooming a replacement for their departed quarterback.
These Steelers are in a position to be back in the race for AFC Titles within a year or two if they continue to follow the path they have built. They have spent a great deal of equity on young offensive linemen, many of who have sustained injuries that have kept them from fulfilling their promise as of yet. They have seen the emergence of a true starting running back in Le’Veon Bell, who has gotten better every week since returning from an early season injury. They have their top WR Antonio Brown locked up for many years. They are beginning to see what they have in their young group of defensive players who are next in lie to take their place on the starting defense. All is not lost, Steeler Nation.
There are holes on this roster, and not a great level of talent beyond the starting lineup. The team will need to draft well, and as their salary cap issues become manageable this offseason, they might need to dip into the free agent pool more than they tend to like. The reality of needing to shore up the roster will force their hand, and many fans will be tickled three shades of pink to see the Steelers do so.
Without Ben Roethlisberger, however, all of that becomes secondary. Besides his role on the field, Roethlisberger is the unquestioned leader of a team that has lost multiple members of its veteran core over the past 24 months. The Steelers will need his leadership to get through this tough road ahead. Trading Ben Roethlisberger would be an unparalleled move in the history of the Steelers franchise, a move that changes the landscape of all that is considered sacred in the Pittsburgh football annuals of time. It would institute a line of changes that would engulf the franchise. It would be overcompensation for a 3-6 start to a season. Even if the team tanks from this point forward and end up 4-12, they will need to rely on Ben Roethlisberger to take the reigns of a younger, sleeker, 2014 team and create a new group of championship level players in Pittsburgh.
I started off this article by pointing out that this all may be a moot point. In closing, I will say that I believe THAT is a good thing. Steeler Nation is not ready for life beyond No. 7, and luckily for them they will not have to know that life for at least a few more seasons.
