The Pittsburgh Steelers may not be in the playoff mix this season for the first time in quite a while. This is reflected in their +8000 NFL future odds to win the Super Bowl.
For the first time in 18 years, the Steelers will have a new quarterback under center, impacting their competitiveness. However, there are several parallels between 2004 and this upcoming campaign, suggesting that things could go better than expected.
Quarterback Depth
When the Steelers drafted Ben Roethlisberger in 2004, he was touted as the future franchise quarterback. He entered training camp third on the depth chart, with no imminent plans of starting him under center.
Then, Charlie Batch got injured in training camp, and Tommy Maddox didn’t make it out of Week 4, forcing Roethlisberger into action. The rest is history, and now the Steelers need to find a quarterback to lead them into this season.