Ben's Coming Back

 

A couple of Saturdays ago, I was in the car and heard Joe Starkey come on the air on 93.7 The Fan to do a solo Saturday afternoon show.  To start off, Joe said that he had lots of topics to discuss that afternoon, but one of them was NOT going to be Ben Roethlisberger and his ongoing contract  will-they-or-won't-they dance with the Steelers.  "I've become exhausted talking about it, and I just need a day away from it," Joe said.  Yep.  Couldn't agree more, which is why I have not talked about it in this space since that God-awful playoff loss against Cleveland in January.

Has any subject been beaten to death more in the papers, on radio and TV, both local and national, and social media than the Steelers-Ben Drama?

Well, now it's over (and it is STILL being beaten to death on The Fan), and we know that Ben will be back in 2021 for one more go-round with the Steelers.  In no particular order of importance, here are some Grandstander thoughts on the subject.

• First of all, I am glad that he will be back. Period.
• If Ben is coming back for only one more season, I am glad that it will be with the Steelers.  The image of Franco Harris in a Seahawks uniform kept going into my mind throughout this whole mishegas, and I would have positively hated to see Ben playing out the string in Houston or Philly or the Jets.  
• From a football perspective, I am not convinced that Ben is done.  I still think that there is enough gas left in the tank for him to lead the Steelers to a winning and even a playoff season, provided, of course, that the Steelers do some things to beef up both the offensive line and the running attack.  It will also help if the receivers don't drop so many passes.
• I am also not convinced that Mason Rudolph is NOT the answer in the Steelers QB succession plan.  I've addressed this before, so I am not going to go into it  yet again.  However,  2021 will be the fourth year of Rudolph's rookie contract and it doesn't appear that the team is in any hurry to offer him an extension, so what the hell do I know?  If they do not do so, it is probably that the Rudolph will be gone after this season, and then what?
• Dwayne Haskins was a first round draft pick of the Washington Football Team, and he proved to be a bust and was released at the end of last season, only to be signed by the Steelers.  Some sub-thoughts on that:

1. Haskins displayed a distinct lack of maturity and self-discipline while in Washington.  How much of that was his fault, and how much of it was the fault of the WFT organization, which at times over the last several years have made the Pittsburgh Pirates seem like the very model of a great sports organization.  
2. If he thinks about it, maybe Haskins will say to himself, "If an organization like the Steelers wants me, maybe I better buckle down and take advantage of this opportunity."
3. It cost the Steelers nothing to sign Haskins.  If he flames out, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
4. At some point, somebody felt that Haskins was worth a first round draft pick, so there is obviously some talent there, and if Mike Tomlin and the Steelers manage to bring it out in him, terrific.  If not, then see Point #3 above.

• Whatever happens, Season Number 18 for Big Ben looks to be his last one, and the Steelers need to be thinking to 2022 and beyond.  The team seems ambivalent, at best, about Rudolph, and Haskins is a gigantic question mark, so what happens in this year's Draft will be of interest to Steelers fans, all of whom all well aware of the parade of quarterbacks who toiled under center for the team AT (After Terry) and BB (Before Ben).

And as cornball as it is, I am glad that Big Ben will be getting a Farewell Tour with the Steelers in his final season.  As Captain Renault once said of Rick Blaine, I'm a rank sentimentalist.