PITTSBURGH — Will Howard and Drew Allar dazzled at times in their NFL preseason debuts for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The challenge for both young quarterbacks heading into a visit from the New York Jets on Friday? Doing it again.
They won't lack for opportunities after coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday that Howard and Allar will split snaps against New York while starter Aaron Rodgers and longtime backup Mason Rudolph get the night off.
“We’ve got two games here, and I want to see those guys play as much as possible,” McCarthy said.
Howard will start, with Allar coming on in relief. The duo combined to lead four touchdown drives in last week's victory over Green Bay, looking plenty comfortable in McCarthy's detailed and decidedly quarterback-friendly offense.
McCarthy added he's comfortable with what he's seen from Rudolph since the start of organized team activities and is more curious about seeing Howard and Allar try to take another solid step forward.
The club has been coy about whether it would consider carrying four quarterbacks when rosters are trimmed to 53 at the end of the month, a number that is considered a bit of a luxury. McCarthy hasn't ruled it out, and assistant general manager Andy Weidl said Wednesday that it will be McCarthy's call.
{{/usCountry}}The club has been coy about whether it would consider carrying four quarterbacks when rosters are trimmed to 53 at the end of the month, a number that is considered a bit of a luxury. McCarthy hasn't ruled it out, and assistant general manager Andy Weidl said Wednesday that it will be McCarthy's call.
{{/usCountry}}Allar is eager to get back to work after throwing for a pair of scores and running for another against Green Bay.
“I think it’s just continuing to be clean with my decisive decision-making and just be clean in my footwork and protections and everything like that,” he said. “Just master the fundamentals at this point to allow me to go out there and just play fast.”
Allar, who starred at Penn State — about a 2 1/2-hour drive from Pittsburgh — has already won over a portion of the fan base. There was an audible “Drewwww” when he entered the game in the second half last week, and he did little to dampen enthusiasm after showcasing some of the physical skills that made him such an intriguing prospect to McCarthy.
The 22-year-old Allar shrugged off the attention, saying it comes with the territory when you play quarterback, be it for the Nittany Lions or in the NFL.
“I feel like kind of prepared me for everything,” Allar said.
Well, not quite everything. McCarthy is considered a quarterback guru, and Allar's opening weeks as a pro were spent essentially re-learning the position, from footwork to hand placement to cadence. He's made considerable progress in a short amount of time, though there remains plenty to work on.
“I was kind of swimming mentally back in like rookie OTAs, and OTAs," Allar said. “That’s kind of how it is for every rookie really. So it was just getting through that phase and trying to digest it and retain as much information as possible."
Howard, who didn't play at all last season after injuring his hand early in training camp, went through a similar process. He also dropped about 15 pounds by design — going from 245 to around 230 — in an effort to help him move around a little better in the pocket.
That mobility was on display during a 2-minute drill against Green Bay that included a handful of connections with tight end Robert Tonyan, including a 22-yard strike that brought Pittsburgh to the goal line. Perhaps even more impressive than the result of the plays were the decisions made by Howard to make them happen.
“It just kind came,” he said. “I think that’s really what you have to do to get those big plays to not reach, not force it. Just take the game as it comes to you and those opportunities will really present themselves.”
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