My thoughts on preseason wk 2

We still have at least a couple of posters here who think the only thing keeping him from leading the Steelers to a championship is the team refusing to give him a three-year window as the starter.

 

Burress set his career highs in receptions and receiving yards as a Steeler in 2002.

 

I stand corrected. He still had 3 very good seasons with the Giants, two of those he had 1000+ yards receiving, and one just shy of 1000.

 

With Tommy Maddox, not Ben Roethlisberger or Eli Manning.

But... had Burress stayed with Steelers, he likely would have had some awesome years on a 2nd contract. Steelers brass had no interest in signing him, IIRC.

 

Agreed - had he stayed, it would have been interesting to see the duo of Ward/Burress, alongside Miller.

I feel like they ended up prioritizing Ward somewhere in all of that. Also, for some reason, I faintly remember Burress later admitting that the Steelers had offered him a comparable deal, but he ended up choosing the giants anyway.

 

I've stewed on this for a while. I like Mason but he just has too low of a ceiling but we are dealt a hand and we have to play it.
My thoughts on each:

1. Aaron Rodgers
Pros - By far the most accomplished passer in the group.
Still offers the best pre-snap processing, pocket awareness, and red-zone experience.
Can make Pittsburgh competitive immediately if protected and supported by a strong defense.
His presence could accelerate Howard’s and Allar’s development.

Cons - He is now a short-term solution, not a long-term answer.
His athleticism and ability to escape pressure are greatly diminished compared with his prime.
The Steelers would be vulnerable if they need him to carry the offense every week.
A repeat of his 2025-level performance would likely make Pittsburgh more “competent” than genuinely dangerous.
Ceiling: A respectable starter who gets Pittsburgh into the playoffs and perhaps wins a game there. The realistic ceiling is closer to 2019–2021 Philip Rivers than MVP-level Rodgers.

2. Mason Rudolph
Pros - The safest non-Rodgers option because he has meaningful NFL starting experience.
Knows the organization, terminology, and AFC North environment.
Generally protects the football and can operate a structured offense.
More reliable than Howard or Allar if Pittsburgh suddenly needed someone to start for an injured Rogers.

Cons - His arm is adequate rather than special.
He tends to be conservative, which can make the offense predictable.
He has not shown sustained evidence that he can elevate a mediocre supporting cast.
Pittsburgh probably knows his ceiling after several seasons of evaluation.
Ceiling: A No. 25–20 NFL starter who can win with a strong running game, defense, and field position. More realistically, he is a high-quality QB2.

3. Will Howard
Pros - Has the physical profile Pittsburgh wants: size, arm strength, toughness, and enough mobility.
Finished his college career at Ohio State with a national championship, which gave him valuable high-pressure experience.
Has developmental upside and could benefit substantially from another offseason in the system.
At his best, he can attack vertically and use his size in the red zone.

Cons - He has not appeared in an NFL game.
He remains a raw processor and needs to become faster and more consistent reading NFL coverages.
His sixth-round draft status reflects substantial uncertainty.
Reports from 2025 training-camp practices were not especially encouraging; one team evaluator said Howard did not look as good as Rudolph or Skylar Thompson in padded work.
Ceiling: A starter-capable, aggressive pocket passer—possibly a lower-end QB1 if his processing develops. His floor is a career backup who never becomes comfortable against NFL pressure.

Howard is the most interesting developmental player in the room, but naming him the opening-day starter would be a significant gamble unless he makes a major jump in training camp and preseason.

4. Drew Allar
Pros - Excellent size and arm talent.
Was a highly regarded college recruit and has traits NFL teams typically seek in a developmental quarterback.
His physical ceiling is arguably the highest among the younger Steelers quarterbacks.
A year behind Rodgers or Rudolph could help him adjust without being forced into action.

Cons - He is a rookie and will need time with NFL timing, protections, and coverage rotations.
His college career included stretches where he was overly cautious and inconsistent attacking downfield.
He has no professional experience and should not be expected to solve Pittsburgh’s immediate quarterback problem.
His ceiling is theoretical at this point, not evidence-based.
Ceiling: A potential long-term franchise starter, but with a wide range of outcomes. He could eventually become a steady top-15 passer, though projecting more than that would be premature.


My Overall assessment
For 2026, I would rank the practical depth chart:

• Rodgers
• Rudolph
• Howard
• Allar

If Rodgers is injured, Rudolph should probably be the starter while Howard competes for the job.
Howard has more upside, but Rudolph gives Pittsburgh the better chance to avoid an early-season collapse.

For the long term, I would rank them differently:

• Allar — highest theoretical ceiling
• Howard — more likely to contribute sooner
• Rodgers — short-term only (this is it)
• Rudolph — safest backup, lowest long-term upside

The Steelers’ ideal outcome is for Rodgers to start his last season, Rudolph to remain the dependable No. 2, and either Howard or Allar to emerge as the organization’s future starter.

 

You lost me at X

 

Calvin Austin was probably who they should have kept instead of Wilson. Of course, he's now hurt and out for the season so there's that.
I saw some were defending his game against the Jets.
It's tough to not notice that 2 picks occurred in throws to him. This kind of illustrates what I've seen from him all along:
- He does not have a feel for "the window" (open field/seam)
- He just seems to run sloppy routes.

I thought having him on the inside and let him riff some might be a good thing. My jury is still out on that and he has this last game to prove it.
I think we are stuck with him as Wetjen is a longshot to replace him despite the low bar Wilson sets.

 

Wilson needs to move on with his life's work. Chuck Noll said this about half of the team in 1969.

 

team:

“Look, I’ve been watching the game films since I took the job. And I can tell you guys that the reason you’ve been losing is not because of your attitude, or your psyche, or any of that stuff. The problem is that you’re just not good enough. You know you can’t run fast enough, you can’t jump high enough, you’re not quick enough. Your techniques are abysmal. I’m probably going to have to get rid of most of you, and we’re going to move on.”

-CHN

 

Can't imagine Coach Popcorn giving a speech to the team being that blunt. Cowher, yes....but not Tomlin.

Or should I say Blount....instead of blunt.