STEELERS History not on QB's side for first start

Terry Bradshaw was just 4-of-16 for 70 yards in his debut.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Ben Roethlisberger knows one thing: His first NFL start can't be much worse than those of the Pittsburgh Steelers' last three rookie starting quarterbacks, including one named Terry Bradshaw.
Roethlisberger was drafted No. 11 in April to be the Steelers' quarterback of the future, only to see that future arrive much more quickly than either he or the Steelers anticipated.
With starter Tommy Maddox (torn elbow ligament) out at least six weeks and backup Charlie Batch (knee) out for the season, Roethlisberger will become the first Steelers rookie quarterback in 34 years to start as early as the third game of the season.
The last to do so? Bradshaw, a Hall of Famer whose debut shouldn't be hard for Roethlisberger to top. He was only 4-of-16 for 70 yards in a 19-7 loss to Houston in the 1970 season opener, a performance the No. 1 draft pick duplicated numerous times while throwing six touchdown passes and 24 interceptions as a rookie.
"I'm just approaching it as a chance to play football, starting again," Roethlisberger said of his Sunday start at Miami. "Unfortunately it had to come at the expense of someone getting hurt. You never want that. But you have to be able to step up when your name is called."
Poor start
The only other two Steelers rookie QBs to start since then didn't do much better.
Mike Kruczek was the only one to win, going 5-for-12 for 58 yards and an interception in a 23-6 win over Cincinnati in 1976. Bubby Brister was 12 of 33 for 191 yards in a 24-22 Monday night loss to Cincinnati in 1986, then started only once more until winning the starting job in 1988.
Kruczek not only won his debut, he won his first nine NFL starts -- though there possibly should be an asterisk involved. With Bradshaw injured, Kruczek was mostly asked to hand the ball off to dual 1,000-yard running backs Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier and get out of the way. He also was supported by arguably the best defense in NFL history, one that had five shutouts and allowed only 28 points in those nine games.
These Steelers aren't adopting a "Let's save the rookie" attitude like those 1976 Steelers did, if only because they don't feel it is necessary. Roethlisberger showed what he could do by throwing two touchdown passes in less than two quarters after Maddox was hurt in a 30-13 loss Sunday in Baltimore.
"He has all the attributes of being a great quarterback in the league," wide receiver Plaxico Burress said Wednesday. "He can throw the ball 70 yards in the air, he can make all the throws. I think he is going to be just fine."
Adjustment
So does Hines Ward, who leads all NFL receivers with 250 yards receiving. He successfully adjusted to a quarterback change two Septembers ago when Maddox took over for Kordell Stewart, but he said changing quarterbacks during the season can be difficult.
"It's tough but, at the same time, you've got to be disciplined about it," he said. "If I go out there and run my routes, it's up to the quarterback to put the ball in my hands. I can't go out there and try to compensate for Ben. When you do that, turnovers start to happen.
"I just do my job, regardless of who the signal caller is."
Former All-Pro guard Alan Faneca was criticized for saying he "wasn't excited" about the change, but Faneca insisted he wasn't being critical of the rookie.
"What is there to be excited about, your starting quarterback being hurt in the second game?" Faneca said. "I have confidence in Ben. I saw him today while I was working out and I told him, 'The comment had nothing to do with you.' ... I definitely don't think it's a desperate situation."
Neither does Roethlisberger, the former Miami (Ohio) star who set numerous Mid-American Conference passing records. He knows a Dolphins' defense that has allowed the second-fewest yards in the league will throw a lot at him, but he feels he is ready for it.
"The biggest thing is not necessarily how I play but that we win. That's my number one goal," Roethlisberger said. "I could be the worst quarterback out there, but if we come out with a victory that's all that matters to me."
Mike Kruczek could tell him all about that.