Tim Benz: Appreciating Ben Roethlisberger's career, and grasping the massive task of replacing him

For as much as Monday night’s Steelers-Browns game at Heinz Field will be about honoring quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s illustrious career, it also will be about remembering the two decades before he came to Pittsburgh.

Those 20 seasons between the start of the 1984 season and the conclusion of the 2003 campaign. The years that Pittsburgh football fans often refer to as “the quarterback desert” — between the end of Terry Bradshaw’s Hall of Fame career and the start of Roethlisberger’s.

Actually, it was more like 21 years, seeing as how Bradshaw played just one game in 1983. That was the fall after the Steelers passed on Pitt quarterback Dan Marino in the NFL Draft, thus beginning the long journey through that quarterback drought.

With Roethlisberger’s retirement all but assured after this season and no clear succession plan to replace him, fans who are old enough to remember those arid days of quarterback play in Pittsburgh are fearful that history is about to repeat itself.

After all, Roethlisberger’s backup, Mason Rudolph, appears to be cut from the same cloth as many of those quarterbacks who attempted to shorten the run of quarterback questions “A.B.” and “B.B.” — “After Bradshaw” and “Before Ben.”

Rudolph has the look of Mike Tomczak, sprinkled with a dash of Todd Blackledge plus a dollop of Mark Malone. You know, a signal-caller who might be good enough to be an eight- or nine-win guy at his best — and with a lot of help. But also a player who once lost his job to Devlin “Duck” Hodges and one who could only tie the then-winless Detroit Lions this past November.

Hence, the lack of confidence hanging over Pittsburgh should Rudolph be the opening day starter in 2022, also known as “Year 1 A.B.B.” — “After Big Ben.”

Here’s the thing about those quarterback desert years, though. The climate was a lot more temperate than we tend to remember.

From 1984-2003, the Steelers won their division eight times, went to the playoffs 10 times, won nine playoff games and played in five AFC title games and one Super Bowl.

The narrative always was that those Steelers teams had enough pieces in place to win a fifth Super Bowl after Bradshaw retired but that the quarterback play was never quite good enough.

To a degree, that was true. That said, Kordell Stewart was a league phenom known as “Slash” before leading the team to an AFC championship game in 1997 and another in 2001 while also making the Pro Bowl that season. Neil O’Donnell went to a Pro Bowl after the 1992 season and a Super Bowl to conclude 1995. Tommy Maddox was NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2002.

In 1984, the first year after Bradshaw’s retirement, Malone quarterbacked the Steelers to an AFC Central title and a trip to the conference championship game. The Steelers had five Pro Bowlers that year. Hall of Fame receiver John Stallworth had the best season of his career. Louis Lipps was Rookie of the Year. The Steelers offense was second in the AFC in rushing. And the defense led the AFC against the rush and was fifth in the NFL in total defense.

How does that compare to the foundation of a roster Rudolph may have to lead in 2022?

Some Pitt fans have visions of Heisman candidate Kenny Pickett becoming the next Marino, just that this time the Steelers draft him to flip that two-decade script.

Maybe.

Also, Pittsburgh has been mentioned as a potential landing spot for big-name quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers if they leave Seattle and Green Bay, respectively.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed, but I won’t hold my breath. After all, I also wished for Santa to stuff $5 million into my stocking. That didn’t happen.

So while watching the final 60 minutes of Roethlisberger’s Heinz Field playing days Monday, just focus on what he has done over his 18 seasons: 177 wins (playoffs and regular season combined), eight division titles, three trips to the Super Bowl and two championships.

Because trying to piece together what life “A.B.B.” is going to look like is far too dense of an undertaking for one night.

Or for one offseason.

Replacing Roethlisberger is going to be difficult regardless of what path the franchise takes. Rebuilding a team equal to the ones Bradshaw and Roethlisberger were fortunate enough to lead will be an even larger task.

The Steelers would be best served beginning that process before blindly hoping that their Black and Gold divining rod immediately finds another quarterback oasis.