The Pittsburgh Steelers are now into the regular season, in which they entered with big aspirations, in spite of a tumultuous start to the offseason. Significant players were lost via trade and free agency, players who have helped shape the course of the franchise in recent years. We even now sit here without Ben Roethlisberger after just two games.
The team made some bold moves this offseason and in some areas of the roster look quite a bit different than they did a year ago. That would especially be the case at wide receiver and inside linebacker, where they have new starters. And quarterback was suddenly added to that list.
How will the season progress without Roethlisberger, behind Mason Rudolph, and now Devlin Hodges? How will the young players advance into their expected roles? Will the new coaches be up to the task? Who is looking good in games? Who is sitting out due to injury?
These are the sorts of questions among many others that we have been exploring on a daily basis and will continue to do so. Football has become a year-round pastime and there is always a question to be asked, though there is rarely a concrete answer, as I’ve learned in my years of doing this.
Question: Would you start Paxton Lynch over Devlin Hodges now that we know Mason Rudolph won’t play on Sunday?
The Steelers’ season is on the line, and not even a win alone can get them into the postseason. But their path there without it is seemingly impossible—or at least improbable. The problem being, the team’s primary starter in recent weeks has been handing the ball over to the other team far too frequently—including three times in the end zone.
We did a poll yesterday asking our readers whom, between Hodges, Rudolph, and Lynch you would choose to start in Sunday’s game if they were healthy. The overwhelming favorite was Rudolph. Hodges finished fairly comfortably behind Lynch.
That took me by surprise, so now I’m bringing it directly to our immediate community. With the Steelers absolutely needing to win this game, would you start Lynch over Hodges, or would you trust that the rookie’s interception woes are over and he can get back to playing at least competent ball?
Duck didn’t take long at all to become a fan favorite, but like so many underdogs who got their chances and then failed, even if temporarily, many fans quickly turned in their club cards and decided that it was all a mirage. Are we now there with Hodges, to the point that we’re willing to start Lynch in a very meaningful game?
