Wait a second, Steelers, what happened to the Will Howard era?

There’s a Will, however apparently not a method.

Not a method to the Steelers’ beginning quarterback job, anyhow, now that the group selected Penn State’s Drew Allar in the third spherical Friday and continues to be ready hopefully on Aaron Rodgers (don’t fret; any day now).

Where does this depart Will Howard, possibly the most hyped sixth-round decide in NFL historical past?

Steelers brass talked up Howard all offseason, pandering to a fan base that loves him, making it sound like Howard was a promoting level for potential coaches after Mike Tomlin resigned. The candidates simply could not wait to work with him, group president Art Rooney II mentioned.

Once Mike McCarthy was employed, he dutifully performed alongside — possibly as a smokescreen to cowl the group’s curiosity in Allar, because it seems.

“I love the way he plays the game,” McCarthy mentioned, regardless that Howard had by no means even performed a preseason NFL recreation. “If I was drafting players (last) year, he wouldn’t be around in the fifth or sixth round. I valued him higher than that. I think he’s a real prospect as a starting quarterback.”

General supervisor Omar Khan shoveled the largest pile of horse bleep, unsolicited at the NFL Scouting Combine.

“We’re excited to work with Will,” Khan mentioned. “Coach McCarthy, he is talked about how a lot he favored popping out, and he and I’ve spent a while watching his (Steelers) apply tape. Obviously, we did not have the potential to watch him in video games, which might’ve been good. He obtained damage in the preseason.

“But we watched all the practice tape and saw the progression, and there’s some exciting stuff to see.”

Well, we’ll all the time have the apply tape, I suppose, however I do not see a viable path for Howard until there are accidents in entrance of him. Allar is clearly the higher prospect and was simply drafted 109 spots forward of Howard.

Allar did not win the large video games in faculty (0-6 towards top-five opponents) however he has the greater arm and people large fingers that McCarthy and Khan appear to worth a lot in an “AFC North” quarterback (by no means thoughts that Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson have toddler fingers).

Howard did win the large video games, together with the largest one in all all, however a fast take a look at current nationwide championship quarterbacks reveals how little meaning at the subsequent degree. Josh Heupel, Ken Dorsey, Craig Krenzel, Matt Mauck, Matt Leinart, Chris Leak, Matt Flynn, Tim Tebow (twice), Greg McElroy, AJ McCarron, Stetson Bennett (twice), Jake Coker and Cardale Jones received nationwide titles, too.

Now let’s speak about the impossibility of growing a number of younger quarterbacks at the identical time.

Let’s assume Rodgers returns and Mason Rudolph is jettisoned (though for all I do know he’ll stick round). It merely is not real looking to pour the required time, consideration and apply reps into two mission quarterbacks behind your starter. One shall be shortchanged. One should be put in entrance of the different, until you resort to enjoying ridiculous video games like switching the reps behind Rodgers and making an attempt to please everybody. That would go away each gamers shortchanged.

Somebody has to take the again seat, and based mostly on the place they had been picked, plus the disparity in bodily expertise, sensible cash says that somebody shall be Howard. His greatest hope is that he outplays Allar in a pressurized scenario — like everybody else has — in restricted reps.

Also, what about subsequent 12 months? That’s supposedly a higher 12 months for school quarterbacks. How might it not be? The Steelers must be aiming to transfer up as excessive as potential (assuming they end 10-8 once more after a horrific playoff loss) to goal the subsequent face of their franchise, as an alternative of losing draft picks on lottery tickets.

But how will you try this now that you’ve got two mission quarterbacks in your fingers, together with one you simply took 76th general? How are you able to make a honest analysis on Allar, or Howard for that matter, if neither performs this season?

Now, if the Allar decide signaled that Rodgers is retiring? Oh boy. Then now we have a higher story. Then now we have a Will Howard-Drew Allar quarterback controversy.

Sign me up for that.