Will Howard
Will Howard
Did Will Howard move the needle in the backup quarterback battle with Mason Rudolph?
Although they only scored once between them, both Will Howard and Mason Rudolph offered positive play in their preseason debuts. The two split the first half, Rudolph taking the first two drives, Howard the final two—plus the first drive of the second half. Both had chances to score, but only one did.
The Steelers’ first series began with a sack on 2nd and 6, resulting in a quick three and out. His second possession began with another sack, but he showed his deftness in overcoming it. Ultimately, he led the offense down the field, a handoff to Lew Nichols for a six-yard score negated by a holding penalty on Troy Fautanu. A few plays later, he found Germie Bernard for another would-be touchdown, but he couldn’t get his second foot down inbounds in the back of the end zone. From the quarterback’s perspective, though, Rudolph did his job.
Will Howard’s first drive didn’t last very long, reaching the Steelers’ 32-yard line at its height. He ultimately took a sack on 3rd and 11, forcing Pittsburgh to punt. On the drive, he went 1-for-2 for 9 yards.
But game circumstances allowed the Steelers to evaluate Howard in the two-minute operation, and with the desired result. On 4th and 1, Mike McCarthy put the ball in Howard’s hands and he hit Ben Skowronek for a 17-yard gain. After the game, he called that huge and a confidence booster.
After that momentum swing, Howard connected with Robert Tonyan on three consecutive plays for a combined 55 yards. The final connection nearly found the end zone, Nichols capping it off with a one-yard score.
The Steelers trotted Will Howard back out to start the third quarter, but his final drive didn’t go far. He did convert a 3rd and 4 with another connection to Tonyan, but the drive fizzled out there. A loss of a yard for Nichols preceded a broken play for Howard, forced to scramble for two yards. On 3rd and 9, his pass fell incomplete.
On the whole, Howard certainly showed things to like, especially in the “weighty moments”. His two-minute drive left a positive impression, but what will it take for the Steelers to trust him to be the backup quarterback? If he simply outperforms Rudolph over the next two games, is that enough?
The Steelers have a long road ahead of them under Mike McCarthy, along with his cadre of quarterbacks.With seven consecutive postseason losses, and no wins in nearly a decade, they are under fire for their repeated playoff failures. While we have seen many changes, none could dream of topping Mike Tomlin resigning.
We’re already into training camp, with free agency and the draft already reshaping rosters. The Steelers, of course, are used to early offseason mode as a team thatloses by the middle of January all the time. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.