In the preseason, the initial rush of excitement for the return of football quickly gives way to disappointment at the starting quarterbacks getting little or no playing time. That was certainly the case with tonight’s Hall of Fame Game.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play at all, and Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater played only the first quarter. Bridgewater played well, completing five of his six passes for 44 yards, but the Vikings failed to score as their first drive ended with an unsuccessful fourth-down conversion attempt, and their second drive ended with a missed field goal.
Bridgewater was replaced by backup quarterback Mike Kafka. For the Steelers, the starter was third-stringer Landry Jones because not only was Roethlisberger held out, but backup Bruce Gradkowski is injured.
The best thing about the preseason, however, isn’t watching the quarterbacks. It’s seeing promising young players get more playing time. For the Steelers in the first quarter, the promising young player who showed off the most impressive moves was Dri Archer, who had a 15-yard run to convert on third-and-13 and also caught a seven-yard pass. Archer played sparingly as a rookie last year but is trying to show this year that he can be a playmaker in Pittsburgh. That’s what the preseason is about.