Kevin Gorman: When it comes to QBs, Steelers are on Island of Misfit Toys

This season Mike Tomlin calls a journey started for the Pittsburgh Steelers with Ben Roethlisberger as their starting quarterback, Mason Rudolph as backup and neither Devlin Hodges nor Paxton Lynch on an NFL roster or practice squad.

That the Steelers go into their season finale with Hodges as the starter and Lynch as the backup against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday should be the sign Tomlin is concluding a journey around the world in ways we can’t explain.

When it comes to quarterbacks, Pittsburgh has become the Island of Misfit Toys. On Christmas Eve, we learned that they won’t even have Rudolph to guide their sleigh. Somehow, Tomlin is expected to deliver the present of a playoff berth.

Merry Christmas!

Instead of ho-ho-ho’s, we got ha-ha-ha’s from Tomlin on Tuesday when asked if Hodges’ six interceptions the past two games against the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets were a result of mental mistakes or poor passes.

“Does it matter?” Tomlin said, with a hearty laugh. “Seriously, we’ve got to take care of the football.”

Tomlin was more willing to talk about turnover ratio than quarterback play, knowing full well the transitive relationship between the two: If Rudolph throws four interceptions and gets pulled the next game for Hodges, and Hodges throws four interceptions and gets pulled for Rudolph — who is now out of the equation with a bum left shoulder — then it stands to reason Lynch is only a pick or two away from making his Steelers debut.

As Tomlin said, some questions get answered in-stadium.

(As an aside, that the Steelers have an undrafted rookie signed only after a tryout as their starting quarterback and a former first-round pick as their backup tells you everything you need to know about this unbelievable journey).

Ravens coach John Harbaugh has noticed all the wrinkles the Steelers have employed this season to offset their inexperience at quarterback, running back and receiver.

Harbaugh mentioned on a conference call the Steelers’ use of an extra tackle in jumbo packages to help the run game, play-action to help the pass game and even wildcat runs to eliminate the quarterback from the conversation altogether.

“I see the Steelers’ personality,” Harbaugh said. “I see all the stuff that they’ve been doing over the years with Ben at quarterback. The different quarterbacks that have been coming in, they’ve never really strayed too far from their beliefs, and I think that goes back to Coach Tomlin, a very strong leader. He has a very strong vision for what they want to be offensively.”

What Tomlin wants to be offensively is a team that doesn’t turn the ball over, which is the exact opposite of what he wants his team to be defensively. Tomlin knows that when the turnover ratio is a negative, the likely result is a loss.

The Steelers are down to counting on Duck for good luck, even though he was benched in the second quarter against the Jets — only to be brought back for the fourth quarter when Rudolph suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.

Many wrote the Steelers off when Big Ben was lost to surgery on his throwing elbow in the second game, only for them to bounce back from a 1-4 start and win seven of their next eight games while rotating Rudolph and Hodges at quarterback. Tomlin emphasized that, for the Steelers, his saying that “the standard is the standard” is not a cliche but a mantra and all the variables are irrelevant.

One missing ingredient should help their cause. The Ravens are in the spirit of the season by giving the gift of sitting MVP frontrunner Lamar Jackson and Pro Bowl running back Mark Ingram and guard Marshal Yanda on offense. Not that Tomlin is taking any solace in seeing Robert Griffin III or third-stringer Trace McSorley at quarterback instead of Jackson, given that all three provide dangerous run-pass options.

“We’re not breathing a sigh of relief, if you will, in terms of quarterback mobility, its impact on the game and also the designed run element of it,” Tomlin said. “We’ve to keep our nose down and do a really good job of preparing in that way.”

When it comes to Hodges, preparation hasn’t been the problem. Tomlin said there has been nothing wrong with his approach or attitude. It’s the in-stadium delivery that’s the concern, especially when the presents go to the wrong address.

“I can trick myself in terms of seeking comfort or looking for clues and things of that nature,” Tomlin said. “We’re not in that world.”

No, Tomlin is living in a different dimension, one where he is counting on castoffs to make to the playoffs. If the Steelers can pull that off — cue the music — they’ll go down in history.

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