Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had seen enough. After witnessing quarterback Mason Rudolph go three and done against the winless Bengals to start the second half, he figured he needed to make a change. The starter’s latest series of futility didn’t just worsen a line that, by then, reflected an eight-of-16 effort and yet another interception. Including poor outings over the previous three games, it reflected a downward trajectory that stunted the offense and required the defense to carry the load by extension. The season was on the line, and the time had come for him to save it by inserting, in his words, “a spark.”
Tomlin was right, of course, and not simply because the Steelers then went on to win. Never mind that backup Duck Hodges was serviceable at best, going five of 11 for 118 yards. Most importantly, he delivered the goods while protecting the ball. In his first time out on the field, he made a good pass that led to an even better run by wide receiver James Washington after the catch; the board reflected a 79-yard completion for a touchdown, turning a four-point deficit into a two-point lead consolidated by the extra point.
In the aftermath, the box score had Hodges staying at one TD through five more drives. Crucially, it also showed he had zero interceptions in each of those five drives. And, twice, he went deep enough downfield to set up field goals that preserved victory. Make no mistake; the Steelers’ defense still carried the day. That said, he made sure not to burden it with additional baggage by understanding the importance of safe decision making. Slow and steady wins the race, and Tomlin was pleased with the result. To wit, “Mason wasn’t doing enough; Duck came in and provided us with a spark, made a couple plays.”
Whether the performance was likewise a successful audition for the starting job remains to be seen. Tomlin wouldn’t commit in his post-mortem, instead choosing to note in neither-here-nor-there fashion that Hodges “made some plays, but you can’t take anything away from James Washington, with what he did to produce after that catch. Man, we’re just all rowing together.” Which, in a nutshell, means he’ll have a hard choice to make — that is, if he didn’t merely refuse to divulge that he already made it. In any case, the erstwhile third-string quarterback will be ready to answer the call.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
