A Final (?) Duck Tale

Duck Hodges

No Pittsburgh sports story of 2019, and certainly no Steelers story, was quite as surprising, as much fun, or one that ended with such predictability the story of Steelers rookie quarterback Devlin "Duck" Hodges.

You all know the story, undrafted, he signed as a fourth string "training camp arm", was cut at the end of camp, resigned to the practice squad, and then found himself, incredibly, starting for the Steelers after injuries to Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph.  Even more incredibly, Hodges actually won games for the Steelers, three of them as a starter and one when he appeared in relief of an ineffective Rudolph against the Bengals.

His engaging personalty and colorful nickname and back story (he got the name because he won a duck calling contest), Hodges became a mini-sensation in Steelers nation and even in national circles.  

But, as the saying goes, the other teams have coaches who study game films, too, and they were soon able to solve the riddle of Duck Hodges.   Talent, like water, always finds its own level, and Hodges' last three games of the season, all Steelers losses, were disasters.  It is quite possible that Duck Hodges may never play in another NFL game again.

Still, by all appearances, he remains a likable guy, and this quote from Hodges that appeared in Monday's papers following the Week 7 loss to Baltimore says a lot, I think:

“Yeah, it is tough, but at the same time, I really enjoyed the experience. Shoot, I am 23. If you asked a lot of people if I would be in this position, they would have said no way. I am blessed. I haven’t really had time to sit back and reflect, but I played with the Pittsburgh Steelers this year, one of the most historic franchises in the NFL, and it is so cool and amazing.”

Hardly the quote of a diva NFL superstar, is it?  Seems that Duck has no illusions of what lies ahead.  It also seems that he is humble and as amazed at his story as anyone, and that he will always value and appreciate his time in the NFL and with the Steelers, however brief it turns out to be.  

In his own way, he has become a Steelers legend, and I hope that he has a great life, and that he can get a lot of his lunch tabs picked up for him in future years because of what he accomplished in 2019 for the Steelers.

Hodges even inspired some Christmas gifts in 2019