Ben Makes It Official, The Best Sports Day of the Year, and One Other Football thought

Ben Roethlisberger made it official this past week and formally announced his retirement from pro football and the Steelers after an historic eighteen year career.  I have written a lot about Big Ben in recent weeks, so I won't belabor it any further in this space, other than to say thanks, and best wishes for a happy life for Number 7.

The speculation now begins as to "who comes next?" for the Steelers at the most important position on the field.  Talk show hosts and callers will be frothing at the mouths throughout the off season and well into the 2022 season and beyond.  What do I think?  Well, I think that Mason Rudolph has earned the right to go into the season at the top of the depth chart.  He has not earned the right to go to training camp without facing competition for the job.  That competition could come from current #3 guy Dwayne Haskins (meh), a veteran that they could obtain via trade or free agency (Russell Wilson? Bring him on.  Mitch Trubisky? Intriguing.  Kirk Cousins?  Please no.), or a drafted QB (Any chance Kenny Pickett might be available with the 20th pick?).  

Whatever and whoever it is, it will no doubt be THE storyline for the next twelve months where the Steelers are concerned.  I am old enough to remember bad quarterback play before Terry Bradshaw arrived in 1970, and I remember some mediocre (with some exceptions) quarterback play in the the twenty years After Bradshaw (AB) and Before Ben (BB), and eighteen seasons of Hall of Fame caliber play at the position since 2004.  HOF worthy QB's don't grow on trees, and I just hope that I live long enough to see another one at the position for the Steelers, but at my age, that is not necessarily a sure thing.

********

As I type this, we are less than an hour away from the start of one of my favorite sports days of the year:  NFL Conference Championship Sunday.  It is hard to imagine either of the two games today matching what we saw last weekend in all four of the Divisional Round games, especially that absolute classic between the Chiefs and the Bills and Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

As for today, I have put coin of the realm on the Chiefs at -7.5 over the Bengals and the Rams at -3.5 over the 49ers.  Cannot want to see the duel at quarterback between Mahomes and Joe Burrow in Kansas City.  

********

Final thought following last week's NFL games.....

Has anyone fallen in the Court of Public Opinion as quickly as has Aaron Rodgers?

In the space of the last few months, he went from lovable prospective  "Jeopardy" host and affable State Farm pitchman to lying anti-vaxxer kook and a possible right wing nut job.  When his Number One seeded Packers lost the the 49ers last week, social and mainstream media exploded with people ripping him with a vengeful glee that was almost shocking to read.

Sic transit gloria mundi, A-aron.