What to do with Ben....

Got get a starting QB this draft.
Do it.

Let that QB sit behind Ben next season looking over his shoulder.

Ben gets hurt or throws 3 picks again, put the new guy in.

 

He's not leaving $40M on the table. He is owed $19M, the other $22M was paid in previous years in the form of bonuses whose cap hits are coming due.

What the Steelers are going to do depends on Ben. If he wants to play, they'll extend him with no new cash and we'll have the same kind of QB we've had the last few seasons -- one that can only work out of a shotgun, doesn't like play-action, doesn't like QB sneaks, and who wants to throw 50+ times a game and is erratic when he does. I don't like the prospect of that with a harder schedule and weakened roster.

If he retires, they'll use the cap savings to keep more of their own free agents and ride with Mason next year.

I'd be shocked if something other than those two scenarios plays out.

 

**** no. He's immobile and his success is largely driven by having cavernous pockets from which to throw to wide open receivers. He also has a next generation play caller scheming things wide open.

If the Steelers draft Jones at 1.24, it will set the franchise back five more years.

 

Ben will never go for that. He wants to throw it 50+ times, but only out of shotgun, no play action, no QB sneaks. If you want to run that kind of offense, draft Najee Harris and trade for Darnold.

 

Ben is way to injury prone at this point and even ignoring injuries, he's not seeing the field anymore. He was making all kinds of errors out there, bad reads, bad throws, missed opportunities, etc. If he was able to dig himself out of his holes, I'd say go with him next year. But in 4/5 of his last games, he failed to come back from his earlier mistakes.

Also, I can't stand that we're forced to run out of the pistol or shotgun. Teams with aggressive defenses need good running games to rest their players and we can't do that when we're telegraphing all our runs.

We're pressed on the salary cap. Odds are we can't both get the next franchise QB, resign key players, and retool with the draft and free agents. So, we could possibly defer the franchise QB search until 2022 and shore up all the other gaps in 2021.

 

There is really no sense in going shotgun if all you are doing is 5-10 yard passes. I understand shotgun gives you a better chance of getting the ball out quickly for the short passing game, but it leaves little question as to where there is a run play or short pass.

 

Love Ben but I agree. Time to retire

 

I fear it will be a return like Manning, Eli, not Peyton.

Being benched, getting boo'd every game by the home crowd, and then when your team is completely out of the Playoff picture being allowed to start week 17 for you final game.

 

If Ben can’t/won’t get under center and run play action or quarterback sneak then no thanks. The Steelers have done more than right by big Ben. It’s time to MoveOn

 

No.

 

Ben played 16 games in 2018, and counting the playoff game he played 16 games in 2020. He actually threw more passes in 2020, by one, than he did in 2018.

If he stays, Ben is gonna wanna throw in 2021. He’ll run out of shotgun 90% of the time. He won’t QB sneak, he won’t want to hand off. The leopard won’t change his spots, the old dog won’t learn new tricks. This is certain. But Ben will be a yr older, a year more inconsistent, a year more inaccurate. Bens QB rating this year was essentially league average. It won’t get better in 2021.

 

I guarantee it and will want every nickel due I have felt he has held the whole franchise hostage for a while. He is a very wealthy man because of his employer he should retire and give back all bonus money due..

 

This should not even be a thread. We can’t do a dam thing with Ben. It is between him,family, friends and the Steelers organization.

 

He's due a 15 million bonus in March, plus his 19 million salary in 2021.

 

What would Ben's completion % be if 90% of his passes weren't within 5 yards of the LOS ? like 10 % ? He sucks Tannehill is elite level compared to Ben right now.

 

$15MM roster bonus.
$4MM salary.

 

Cut him n move on. Why wait another year

 

Ed Bouchette has a well written article in the Athletic today calling for Ben to retire. I would have expected him to back Ben to the end. I’d recommend anybody that is still on the Ben train to read it. It’s not just about Bens limitations or cap hit, the Steelers just won’t be able to put the team around him for the next couple of years and it can only end in more disappointment and failure.

When you look at the whole situation it really makes no sense whatsoever for him to come back

 

I'm all for trading for Darnold. I just don't think he is going to be available. If I'm the Jets, I don't take a quarterback at No. 2. I just don't think any of the guys available after Lawrence are worth it. Better to trade down or take someone like Penei Sewell, Patrick Surtain, or Devonta Smith. Unless they take a quarterback at No. 2 overall, they aren't trading Darnold.

That said, the Steelers need a quarterback willing to go under center at least part of the time, and Roethlisberger is a significantly worse quarterback without play-action passing.

 

If he comes back, and it appears he is, I think it needs to be clear that he and Mason have to split reps in practice. If Ben starts off with too many 3 and outs, then he get's pulled and Mason goes in. Sorry, the offense needed a spark down the stretch and Ben wasn't it. While he may have had a few 300 yard games, it was with a large volume of short passes and few long gains. Mason played against the Browns and may have lost, but he played well and I think could have won that game if they hadn't handcuffed him early. I do think with Ben's poor throws and INTs in the playoff game that Mason could have started and won that game.