Can Saints, Steelers stay strong?
THE balance of power shifted significantly in the NFL on Monday as news surfaced of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger being lost for the season with a right elbow injury and Saints quarterback Drew Brees being lost for at least six weeks with a torn ligament in his right thumb.
Entering the season, the Saints were the favorites to win the NFC South and the Steelers were most people’s favorite to win the AFC North. Now those respective divisions and conferences are completely up for grabs.
The last time the Steelers played a season in which Roethlisberger didn’t play at least 10 games was in 2003, when Tommy Maddox played and they went 6-10. That was their last losing season.
The Steelers, who are already in a hole at 0-2 after Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks, will now turn to second-year QB Mason Rudolph, who completed 12-of-19 passes for 112 yards, two touchdowns and one interception Sunday in relief of Roethlisberger.
While the Steelers next play the 49ers Sunday in Santa Clara, Calif., and will move on without their incumbent starter, it’s fair to wonder whether Roethlisberger has played his final NFL game. He’s spoken openly about retirement after each of the past two seasons.
The Saints’ news isn’t as bad as it is in Pittsburgh, with Brees expected back by around midseason. But his absence points the spotlight directly and brightly on Teddy Bridgewater, Brees’ backup.
Bridgewater not only is the highest-paid backup quarterback in the NFL ($7.25 million), he also is a man of mystery. Interestingly, Bridgewater turned down a starting opportunity with the Dolphins and opted to sign on as a backup with New Orleans with visions of perhaps eventually taking over for Brees.
Bridgewater has proven himself to be a winning NFL quarterback, having led the Vikings to an 11-5 record in 2015, his second season. At that time, the former Louisville quarterback was one of the bright young stars in the league until he suffered a horrible, career-altering knee injury before the 2016 season.
Including the 30 passes he threw in relief of Brees in Sunday’s 27-9 loss to the Rams, Bridgewater has thrown a total of 55 passes since that 2015 season, starting one game (a garbage-time season finale last year as the Saints rested their starters for the playoffs).
The question is: Who is Teddy Bridgewater now after the knee injury?
He completed 17 of 30 passes for 165 yards Sunday on a day when the Saints usually potent offense stalled. Bridgewater wasn’t helped by five offensive holding penalties, not to mention the fact that he didn’t take first-team reps in practice all last week.
It also shines a light on New Orleans head coach Sean Payton, who just signed a fiveyear contract extension. Payton has developed a reputation for being a keen offensive mind and a quarterback whisperer of sorts. It’s a lot easier to do that with a Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback.
Make no mistake: The cupboard is not bare in the offensive meeting rooms in New Orleans, even without Brees.
Receiver Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara are game-breaking stars. Taysom Hill is a dynamic hybrid quarterback with Steve Young-like running ability. Based on how often Payton inserted Hill into the game when Brees was healthy, you have to wonder if his role will be increased with Bridgewater now the starting quarterback.
So now we find out about not only Bridgewater, but Payton, too.