Roethlisberger may be responsible for rookie QB trend
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Ben Roethlisberger's first start came in the third game of his career: A hurricane-delayed start on a Sunday night in 2004 in Miami against the Dolphins.
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Even though he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft, Troy Aikman never dreamed his first season with the Dallas Cowboys would unfold as it did.
Sure, he would become the first rookie to start at quarterback for the Cowboys since Roger Staubach in 1969. And, yes, he threw for a rookie-record 379 yards in a game against the Phoenix Cardinals.
Aikman, though, lost his first 11 games and the Cowboys finished 1-15. It was a rude welcome to the NFL for a player who won the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top collegiate quarterback a year earlier.
"I think back to when I came in 1989, the only quarterback who had success as a rookie was Dan Marino, and part of that was he had gone to a team that had Super Bowl experience," Aikman said. "Over the years, it was pretty difficult to come in and play and do anything. I certainly struggled and so did a lot of guys."
- Game: Steelers vs. Jaguars at Heinz Field.
- When: 1 p.m.
- TV: KDKA.
Not anymore.
Rookie quarterbacks are being thrown to the NFL wolves these days, rarely getting more than a year to be an understudy and learn the game from the sidelines, the old-school way. Today, fresh of out colleges where they operated in pro-style or spread offenses, they have a better understanding of reading coverages and what it takes to be successful in the NFL.
Three rookie quarterbacks already are starting this season, and one of them -- Blaine Gabbert -- will lead the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) into the 1 p.m. game today against the Steelers (3-2) at Heinz Field. Gabbert has not enjoyed the same measure of success as the other rookie starters: Carolina's Cam Newton, who already has back-to-back 400-yard games; and Cincinnati's Andy Dalton, who is 3-2 and has completed nearly 60 percent of his passes for 1,047 yards and six touchdowns.
In a league where elite quarterbacks are nearly mandatory to win a Super Bowl, teams are trying to unearth them as fast as they can. And, in many instances, it's working -- even in a year when a lockout was supposed to hinder the development of young players, especially quarterbacks.
First Published October 16, 2011 12:00 am
