Rookie quarterbacks don't have immediate success in the NFL. Neither do first-year middle linebackers. The positions simply are too complicated and too critical, and coaches won't trust them to the novice.
Don't tell that to Ben Roethlisberger and Jonathan Vilma, whose early success belies the theory that rookies can't call signals or lead pro offenses and defenses.
Roethlisberger is 8-0 as a starter for the Steelers, an unprecedented beginning for an NFL rookie quarterback. He's operating behind a strong line, he has a superb pair of running backs and excellent receivers, plus a stingy defense. Few quarterbacks -- rookies or veterans -- are surrounded by such talent.
But don't sell the No. 11 overall pick short. He's been a playmaker, the Steelers haven't toned down their game plans very much with him on the field, and even when he struggles, as he did last Sunday at Cincinnati, the Steelers win.
"The biggest surprise is how we're coming together as a team," he says. "I can't really say that's a big surprise, but the way the guys are rallying around me as a rookie quarterback, they're the ones that deserve the credit. They're the ones blocking, running hard, catching the ball. They make my job a lot easier."
The way Roethlisberger has taken control in Pittsburgh has made some coaches' jobs more difficult. And not just the opposing coaches game-planning for a matchup with the Steelers.
Giants coach Tom Coughlin might have felt more pressure to get Eli Manning in the lineup after Roethlisberger's success. Manning made his first start last weekend.
Bill Parcells could be headed for a similar decision with untested Drew Henson in Dallas. Craig Krenzel, a fifth-round pick, is starting in Chicago -- and is 3-1, even though he's done little more than manage a conservative offense. If J.P Losman hadn't broken his leg in preseason, he might be the starter in Buffalo by now.
Roethlisberger, though, has proven he is special -- the best rookie quarterback since Dan Marino in 1983.
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, left, tries to elude Cleveland's Orpheus Roye. The action took place Oct. 10 in Pittsburgh.
"He is very mature for his age (22)," coach Bill Cowher said. "While certainly he is going to have a better feel for this offense as he continues to grow in it, he has done a very good job of handling everything that has come with it. He has not been overwhelmed by anything."
Getting overwhelmed by running a defense is just as problematical for NFL rookies, but the Jets' Vilma slid into the middle linebacker spot smoothly. He took over in game three after Sam Cowart hurt his knee, and his added speed and agility have made a big impact on an improved unit.
His coordinator, Donnie Henderson, believes Vilma could be headed for the level of -- dare it be said? -- Ray Lewis.
"I've said this before: Jonathan five years from now could be that way," says Henderson, who was the secondary coach in Baltimore before joining the Jets. "They're the same mold. They come from the same university (Miami, Fla.). Football to them is a passion.
"Jonathan is just a young guy. I'm trying to make him still be a rookie. If I told Jonathan to go ahead and take over and make all the calls and play like Ray, he'd do that right now. But at the same time he's not Ray. He doesn't have the experience ... give him five years he's going to be fine. But you see how he runs around. You can't tell me he doesn't look like a little Ray Lewis -- other than he's five years away."
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.