Should we pick up the steel duck?

Should they offer him a contract before the season ends? I'd hate to lose this kid as our backup.

 

If Duck keeps winning, the bigger question is what to do with MR.

 

We may have to look at the market, there are going to be a lot of players floating around after the season. The guy from the Titans comes to mind. The inflapable Flacco will probably be floating out of Denver. Some say Brees will push Bridgewater out because he is a threat to him. Big Red from the Bengals will likely get the door when they draft Barrows.

 

I doubt that any team is out there licking their chops just waiting to snatch him up.

Can't remember a QB from the PS that anyone stole from the Steelers.

 

What if he keeps winning and takes us deep in the playoffs. I would trade Rothlisberger and his huge salary and sign Watts, Dupree and Minkah to long term contracts...along with Duck. So far he’s beaten two overall first pick in drafts with his first two starts and chances are he’ll beat another one this coming Sunday.

 

I don't remember too many on the ps. We did lose Hoyer the year we let him go and then we're going to sign him back. Teams will take notice especially the qb position. If it was a different position I would agree with you knox.

 

Maybe you're right. But hey, Kap is out there and available. Who wouldn't want him?

 

If he plays like he did yesterday the rest of the season - (some ups, some downs), I'd sign him to whatever back up contract they can afford. He can only improve but I think he has the mental foundation to be a solid back-up.

 

Depends on how he finishes this season. Should he perform well to close out, I would not be opposed to it. If he does not and gets benched for Mason, then I would not. That being said though, sans this year, Pittsburgh likes to keep 3 QBs on the roster.


Given what has happened this season, I doubt they go forth with two QBs again.

 

Duck will play a couple of decent defenses (Buf, Bal) that will have film on him. He'll have some games on the road. He'll likely play in the coldest weather of his life. There's every chance that he'll never be loved more by Stiller fans than he is now.

Maybe the Steelers fell into a diamond in the rough. But it's more likely they found an undrafted FA that no one has bothered to figure out, yet.

Lots of people oohed and aahed about Mason's progress after the Rams game. That was his 6th start. And he regressed badly. This week Duck has his third. Good luck to him, but almost every QB with much higher pedigree than him have struggled. I don't think Duck is immune.

 

Can you remember a quarterback from the practice squad who started two games for the Steelers? Can you remember one who started more than two games, as Hodges is likely to do?

 

As CK pointed out, you are getting way ahead of the game there. You're also assuming anybody is going to trade for Roethlisberger and that massive contract, which is a dubious assumption at best.

Unless he isn't recovered enough from surgery, Roethlisberger will open next season as the Steelers' starting quarterback. I assume Rudolph and Hodges will both be back next season. AQL is right. I doubt the Steelers will go with two quarterbacks again any time soon. It's not as if they are going to have to break the bank to hold on to Rudolph and Hodges as backups.

 

Short answer, no.

But Duck isn't starting because he's the next Joe Montana. He's simply next man up.

 

The 49ers got trade offers for C.J. Beathard, who was next man up and didn't completely suck last season. If Hodges continues at a level similar to what he has so far this season, there will be interest in him.

I don't think Hodges has some great future, but he's past the point of being a labeled a practice squad guy now.

 

Beathard is probably a good comparison to Duck. I dont recall teams trying to get him from SF, but I don't follow the 9ers backup QBs closely.

I get your point, but the steelers have a recent track record of keeping backup QBs that nobody else wants except for Dobbs. I'm thinking Jones, Gradkowski, Batch, Leftwich, Dixon. Those are the guys off the top of my head and I'm pretty sure nobody was beating down the door to snatch them up.

Point is, I'm just not seeing the demand across the league for the QB services of one Devlin Hodges. I could be wrong.

 

I know I am being overly optimistic but it’s not totally without basis. Duck broke passing records and you can see his accuracy and anticipation. He has shown he belongs. Some Qb’s are accurate and some can never get that consistency. People will have film on Duck, but Duck can also improve on some of the stuff like moving out of pocket to the right too quickly. Duck has played with practice squad type players and moved the offense against Baltimore, San Diego and Cleveland. Duck supposedly played better than all the qb’s in camp. We can argue all we want, but the questions shall be answered in next two weeks. I like to be optimistic. As far Ben is concerned, there is always Bruce Arian in Tampa who would like to be reunited and relive his glory years with Ben. The big caveat is that Duck would have to win at least two playoff games. With our defense, it can happen.....,possibly. One can dream.

 

You would huh. You do realize the guaranteed money paid Ben is not tradeable and all would count against the cap next year (like the money we ate for AB). You realize that Ben could just refuse to report (like AB with Buffalo), and you realize you are not going to get much for him. So in one great GM sweep you give a HOF QB away, bust the cap so you do not have the money you would have paid the other guys with, and possibly have a 3rd or 4th round pick. Do not apply when Colbert retires.

 

I hope Duck becomes all that and more, the list of all time NCAA FBS passing leaders include Case keenum, Timmy Chang, Laundry Jones, Graham Harrell, and Ty Detmer 1-5, with our beloved MR number 11 on the list. You want to make a case for those guys?

 

That's a pretty bad list. The FCS list is actually better with Hodges the all time passing leader followed by Steve McNair and Jimmy Garapalo is ranked 8th all time.

 

That is pretty interesting isn't it?!

 

Right now, everyone and I pray it stays that way.

 

Duck is a stand in QB and that is it. He disappears when Ben comes back. Depending on camp and preseason games he could be behind Mason again. This is all fantasy thinking as we haven't seen how this fairy tale ends.