On Sept. 19, 2004, the Pittsburgh Steelers were being hosted by the division rival Baltimore Ravens.
Early in the third quarter, quarterback Tommy Maddox left the game with an elbow injury. In comes a quarterback that perhaps they hadn’t heard of yet, leading Steeler Nation to believe they’re toast.
That Rookie quarterback was 22-year-old Ben Roethlisberger.
Fast forward to Jan. 23, 2005 –– Pittsburgh just fell to the Patriots in the 2004 AFC Championship Game, but an unknown Ben Roethlisberger went undefeated in the regular season. As a result, optimism trickles back into the air of the Steel City.
Now, let’s bring it back to the Steelers and Seahawks game; Ben goes down with an elbow injury and Pittsburgh lost to Seattle. Is it right to think Mason Rudolph will be the next Ben Roethlisberger? No. But let’s not be upset if we’re proven to be wrong.
What Steeler Nation needs is some faith to boost the Oklahoma State product’s confidence as he looks to be the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.
