The nightmare that started because Ben Roethlisberger had the audacity to age has the Pittsburgh Steelers held hostage by 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers.
For the second offseason in a row.
Even if Rodgers re-signs with the Steelers, he is not their future. Neither is Mason Rudolph. Obviously, as a certain former Steelers coach might say.
Will Howard and Drew Allar offer hope, but neither has taken a snap in even a preseason NFL game. To the cynic, Howard and Allar are lottery tickets, the latter one simply cost a couple of bucks more.
Allar will take the practice field as a Steeler for the first time Friday. The team’s three-day rookie minicamp will be an orientation in pads for the team’s 10 draft picks and college free agents; others will try to show the Steelers enough to sign them to their offseason roster.
The significance for Allar? It will be the start of his NFL journey after a good college career, but one that left many wanting more.
Even before his first on-field session with Steelers HC and reputed QB whisperer Mike McCarthy, predictions are all over the place about Allar’s football future.
Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner is incredibly bullish on Allar. Roethlisberger, who outdueled Warner in Super Bowl XLIII, isn’t so sure Allar is the guy to lead the Steelers out of their quarterback wilderness.
The cacophony since the Steelers drafted Allar in the third round two weeks ago has echoed largely held pre-draft opinions that Allar is a boom-or-bust prospect. It’s anyone’s guess how his story will play out.
“He’s gonna be really good,” Bob Palko told Steelers Depot. “Trust me.”
Palko’s endorsement carries weight for several reasons. He has won eight Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) titles and one state championship during his storied coaching career.
He just returned to coaching after spending the last three years at Penn State as the football program’s director of high school relations. During that time, he became close with Allar.
What caught my attention was what happened as I interviewed Palko last Saturday before he was inducted into the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Palko coached Steelers seventh-round pick Eli Heidenreich at Mt. Lebanon High School, where they won a state championship together in 2021.
Palko raved about Heidenreich. He did the same about Allar.
And he did so unprompted.
“He’s a perfect drop-back, play-action pass quarterback. We ran RPOs at Penn State. Now he’s in an offense that can showcase what he can do,” Palko said. “Look and see how many three-step drops we did at Penn State. And I’m not blaming anybody. But he’s a drop-back quarterback.”
Penn State associate head football coach Terry Smith said similar things shortly after the Steelers drafted Allar.
Even if Allar was miscast in Penn State’s offense, that doesn’t explain his accuracy issues that seemed rooted in faulty mechanics. Or answer questions about why an insanely talented 6-5, 228-pound quarterback too often did not deliver in big games.
But Palko’s message when it comes to Allar is a simple one that can be distilled to two words: just wait.
“Love the kid,” Palko said. “He’s unbelievable.”
Recommended for you