Apr 25, 2004 By Commentary Mike Ciarochi 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – Here comes Ben Roethlisberger … and there goes Tommy Maddox’s new contract. Or not.

When the Steelers drafted Roethlisberger with the 11th pick in the NFL draft Saturday, it wasn’t viewed so much as a major investment in a player unlikely to take a snap this season, but rather a shuffling of the dollars the team will commit to the quarterback position.

Maddox, of course, will be the starter in 2004 and now we think we know that he will remain the lowest paid starting quarterback in the league. Maddox is under contract for three more seasons and he may be made to live by the terms of that contract or move on. The money the Steelers would have needed to increase Maddox’s salary might be dumped into Roethlisberger’s pocket, most of it in the form of a signing bonus.

Or so we think.

Steelers owner Dan Rooney promised Maddox the Steelers would at least take a look at his contract before training camp rolls around in late July. Rooney always has been a man of his word, so there is no reason to expect that to change now.

And what about coach Bill Cowher, who didn’t have his contract extended with two years remaining, as had been the rule, following Pittsburgh’s 6-10 2003 season? Isn’t he risking a lot by taking a player 11th overall who isn’t likely to take a snap in 2004?

Probably not.

Steelers brass said they have no intention of trading Maddox or Charlie Batch or Brian St. Pierre, which means they are likely to go to training camp with those three and Roethlisberger. The only way that may change would be if some team makes an offer the Steelers can’t refuse.

Don’t feel bad for Maddox, however. He still may get a new deal, even though it won’t contain as many zeroes as it would have without Roethlisberger.

Cowher spewed about how he doesn’t plan to be selecting this high – it was only his third pick this high in his 12 drafts in Pittsburgh – very often and added that passing on a player of Roethlisberger’s pedigree wasn’t really a viable option.

At the same time, he was tying his own career to that of his new quarterback. Cowher has two years remaining on his contract and it was in that situation that the Steelers twice extended the coach’s contract. The Steelers haven’t made a move on extending Cowher’s current deal, nor should they in light of the team’s 6-10 finish last season.

But it may have been Kevin Colbert, the team’s director of football operations, who took the biggest risk. In fact, he may have given Cowher an out if the 2004 season goes like 2003 did. It was Colbert, after all, who wanted a quarterback in the first round. Cowher openly preferred a cornerback.

It was a gutsy pick, both for Cowher and Kevin Colbert, the team’s director of football operations. Both guys head into a new season hoping to rebound from a 6-10 finish by drafting a player likely not to take a meaningful snap. If 2004 goes as poorly as 2003 did, Cowher and Colbert could have drafted a quarterback for their successors.

But this was the right pick for the Steelers to make. Many teams, including the Steelers, regarded Roethlisberger as the second-best quarterback prospect in this draft.

N.C. State’s Phillip Rivers, who shot up the draft board in the last month or so, was viewed as a second-round pick after his last season in college and was in the 5th-to-7th round range just a year ago. He was picked fourth and traded to San Diego. Many believed Rivers was coming to Pittsburgh, but his upward journey took him, instead, to the Chargers.

The other top guy was Eli Manning, who went from San Diego to the Giants in about an hour at the top of the draft. He was rated as the top QB available and landed the Chargers three additional picks, just for sitting at the top of the draft.

Roethlisberger has perhaps the strongest arm in this quarterback class, but has the least experience. He started only one year in high school and three at Miami (Ohio).

“I think this kid has a lot of upside,” Cowher said.

“When you watch Ben play in the MAC, even though some people view that as a notch below the other conferences, he did what he should do in that conference, which is dominate,” Colbert said. “There was no question that he was the best player in that conference. We don’t think he’s reached his peak yet. He’s on his way up.”

The Steelers are hoping he’ll be able to carry them up with him, eventually.

Mike Ciarochi may be reached at mciarochi@heraldstandard.com