Tim Benz: Steelers quarterback situation makes it hard to buy what Art Rooney II is selling about Super Bowl goals

During his annual season-ending media session, Art Rooney II made one thing clear. His franchise doesn’t have thoughts of rebuilding. The goal is to have a Super Bowl-winning mentality heading into 2022.

“I would never sit here and say that we’re going to change our goal of trying to win a Super Bowl,” Rooney said. “Every season that’s got to be the goal, as far as I’m concerned.”

If I’m applying logic, that means one of three things about the team’s approach to replacing Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback.

• The Steelers are seriously considering an aggressive move at the draft, in a trade, or through free agency to get a new quarterback.

• Rooney is selling himself on goals for next year.

• Rooney is selling us on goals for next year.

I hope it’s the first thing. But I doubt it.

I don’t think it’s the second thing. So, I guess it’s the third.

Because I can’t believe Rooney II actually thinks that a Super Bowl is an attainable goal with either Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins at quarterback.

I also can’t believe he is unaware that his team is at least in the beginning stages of a rebuild.

The Hall of Fame quarterback is retiring, as is general manager Kevin Colbert. That’s to say nothing of replacing the defensive coordinator, the offensive line coach, and potentially numerous players at defensive back, wide receiver and along both lines of scrimmage.

At least.

I mean, in theory, if part of the logic behind why the team may not pursue the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson or Derek Carr is that the roster is so bleak it needs every draft pick possible to support any quarterback, then that sounds like a rebuild to me.

To be fair, I’m not going to convict the Steelers for something they haven’t done yet. In terms of either acquiring a veteran to compete for the starting job or perhaps drafting one, Rooney insisted, “Certainly, we won’t close any doors at this point. It’s still early in the process. There will be a lot of doors to open and look through.”

That echoes recent comments from coach Mike Tomlin. So let’s hope they are paying more than lip service to those statements if the stated goal of trying to contend for a Super Bowl is also legit.

Because if Rooney, Tomlin and Colbert felt that either Rudolph or Haskins is worthy of Super Bowl contention, why didn’t they start last year? They weren’t getting Super Bowl-worthy play from Roethlisberger at quarterback. Why was Roethlisberger brought back after the clear warning signs of his limitations by the end of 2020?

As a result, in 2021, the Steelers were fourth in pass attempts, but 15th in yards and 30th in yards per attempt. That’s not efficient. Especially when a lot of those yards were in desperate comebacks when opposing defenses were willingly swapping yards for time.

Specifically, the Vikings, Chargers, Chiefs and Bengals (twice).

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Roethlisberger was 29th in average yards passing per attempt. He was 24th in rating.

If Haskins and Rudolph are honestly capable of contending for a Super Bowl, then one of them should’ve been on the field because this Steelers team was at least (barely) capable of making the playoffs.

Thanks again, Jacksonville. I feel obligated to mention that every time the Steelers’ postseason berth is referenced.

So was 2021 truly about Super Bowl contention, too? Or was it more about constructing a palatable departure for Roethlisberger, who obviously wasn’t ready to retire after 2020?

I suppose what Rooney says in these media settings is more perfunctory than functional, so I’m not going to get too hung up on his word choice. The rare times Rooney goes on the record are often more about meeting an obligation to disseminate some offseason talking points to the fans. Not so much an opportunity to make sweeping, public declarations about the course of the franchise.

Plus, attendance is down at Heinz Field. Local television ratings have dipped during a year when they jumped in many other NFL markets. Rooney is never going to say, “Yeah. We’re rebuilding.” Especially not under circumstances like that. The closest he came to that acknowledgment was calling post-Big Ben life “a new chapter.”

If the Steelers go into 2022 riding the status quo at quarterback, though, I won’t blame any fan in Pittsburgh who is hesitant to buy what Rooney is selling.