For the last few years, there's been a defined order at the quarterback position in Pittsburgh.
QB1: Ben Roethlisberger. QB2: Landry Jones.
That situation had a wrench thrown into it in April when the Steelers selected Mason Rudolph in the third round of the draft. First, it was Roethlisberger going public with his displeasure with the pick before saying his comments were taken out of context. Now, there's the inherent questioning of Jones' status as the backup.
In the short term, it seems logical to think Jones will remain the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart. But (most) teams don't spend third-round picks on players they want buried at No. 3, meaning Rudolph will challenge for Jones' job fairly soon, and Roethlisberger's after that.
The window for Jones to make an impact is closing -- quickly.
That's inspired Jones to be as prepared as possible to pull a Keystone State stunner in the same vein as Philadelphia Eagles backup hero Nick Foles.
"That would be the goal," Jones said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Shoot, man, go on a run like that, be Super Bowl MVP!"
It falls in the same line as other wishful thinking: Make the winning shot at the buzzer in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Hit a walk-off home run in the World Series. But what's different here is Pittsburgh is assembled to contend now. This goes from dream to possibility with one unfortunate injury.
"It's always in the back of your mind, that something like that could happen," Jones said Wednesday. "You're not out there hoping that someone gets injured or anything like that because ultimately you develop relationships with people. You care about people. I care about Ben, I want nothing but the best for him.
"But if something like that happens, sure, no question."
That's obviously not in the plans for anyone but Jones, as no one wants to wish injury upon anyone. The preparation is key, though, especially for a veteran who might not be around for much longer. After all, it won Foles a ring.
