As the energy continues to shift in Pittsburgh from the dog days of summer to the Pittsburgh Steelers and training camp, more and more eyes and attention seem to follow. Fans everywhere are all well aware of the complete roster overhaul that has been the 2022 off-season and what lies ahead for the Steelers come September. However, there are a lot of critical deadlines and events that have to pass before the Steelers kickoff in Cincinnati.
We’ve heard from a variety of Steelers players, both past and present, on their thoughts of this season and how they think the 2022 Steelers season will finish. On Wednesday night, another Steelers Hall of Famer made a bold statement on his outlook of the 2022 Steelers and what they need to succeed.
Former Steelers RB Jerome Bettis thinks the quarterback position is going to be the deciding factor in 2022.
Bettis sat down with NFL Total Access to talk about his thoughts on the looming Steelers season. With the retirement of 18-year veteran quarterback and offensive leader, Ben Roethlisberger, in the rearview mirror, there is obviously a large void at the quarterback position that needs to be filled. Although we heard Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin, talk about his efforts to develop Najee Harris into a strong leader on offense, Bettis thinks it will fall on whoever lines up under center:
“It’s going to be very competitive, I believe. Because they’ve got to figure out who's going to be the quarterback. They’ve got a playoff-caliber football team, we saw that last year, and now they need a leader. They need a quarterback that can complete that third and six, third and eight. They’ve got a really good running game with Najee Harris; I think he’s going to take it to another level in his maturation process. But I really believe the quarterback is going to be the question because right now, if one of these guys can really step up, this team can be a little bit better than a lot of people think.”
This may be the ‘old way of thinking,’ but there is no denying the quarterback is the key leadership position on any football team. Bettis had a front row seat to Roethlisberger’s professional development early on and knows the power a young quarterback has in leading a team to a Super Bowl. Therefore, even though Tomlin wants to groom Harris into that leader, whoever wins the job at quarterback is going to inherit a significant amount of those leadership responsibilities. Listening to Bettis, it sounds like the Steelers are one non-tangible detail away from their first playoff win since 2016.
According to Bettis, the key to the Steelers success in 2022 is a quarterback who can prove himself as a leader.
Again, Bettis has owed his sole Super Bowl championship to a 23-year old Roethlisberger who promised him a ring after the 2004 AFC Championship game loss. After living his final season on a prayer, Roethlisberger stayed true to his promise and delivered Bettis a Super Bowl XL championship. Bettis’ optimism may simply be an extension of what he felt 17 years ago, but he’s certainly onto what could be the deciding factor in the Steelers quarterback competition.
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger and Jerome Bettis celebrate their Super Bowl XL victory over the Seattle Seahawks. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Which Steelers quarterback option has the advantage as being the best leader?
As of where we stand today before training camp gets off and running, Mitch Trubisky would have to gain the upper hand in this regard. Trubisky was able to get a mediocre team, led by a below-average coaching staff, to the playoffs on multiple occasions; all before his 26th birthday. No other quarterback on the Steelers roster can say that. However, rookie Kenny Pickett carries that same chip on his shoulder as Roethlisberger did in 2004 and 2005. Although he has to earn his spot, he led a University of Pittsburgh football program to a conference championship on his way to becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2021. In addition, Pickett led the program to its first 11-win season since 1981.
After the 2020 season, Pickett told his team that he’d only return for his final year of eligibility to win a championship; he did just that. Although they fall under completely different categories, a quarterback promising his team a championship knowing it is his last with that key group of players gives shades of 2005-esque Roethlisberger within Pickett. Pickett showed he can lead a team who has been removed from postseason success in recent years to an incredible championship-winning run. This could be that ‘leadership’ factor Bettis mentioned that the Steelers need in 2022.
Quarterback Kenny Pickett celebrates his promised ACC Championship win in Charlotte, NC in 2021 with the Pittsburgh Panthers. (Pamela Smith, Pitt News)
In this same light, this is where Mason Rudolph falls short. Rudolph has yet to be a part of a playoff victory and prove he can be the starter. Although he carries a 9-7-1 record as a starter, Rudolph seems to continue to have problems in executing an effective offensive game plan, making the right decisions with the ball, and being the lead man on offense. Sure, one could argue he’s played in the tall shadow of Roethlisberger, but Rudolph hasn’t cemented himself as that ‘veteran quarterback who has been with the team since 2018’ leadership role. Rudolph has made mention to possible disconnects he felt early in his career between he and Roethlisberger, but now that Rudolph is the longest-tenured Steelers quarterback in the locker room, he needs to show leadership qualities in order to stay competitive for the starting spot.
Being in the Hall of Fame, it is safe to assume Bettis is very familiar with what it takes to win. Not to mention, what it takes to win a Super Bowl as an under-the-radar team with a new, young quarterback at the wheel. Although Trubisky checks all the boxes that the Steelers are looking for as a starting quarterback, there is a reason they drafted Pickett in the first round. Pickett brings that edge the Steelers quarterback room has been missing the past few seasons, and he could have what it takes to make the same Super Bowl promise to the Steelers veterans in the locker room as Roethlisberger did 17 years ago.
Do you agree with Bettis that the quarterback will need to lead the Steelers in 2022? Who do you think is the best leader at quarterback heading into training camp? Let us know in the comments below!
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