Dunlap: Landry Jones Validates Steelers Selecting Him
Who knows where it goes from here?
But, man, that Landry Jones sure had a day on Sunday.
Who knows where it goes from here?
But, man, that Landry Jones better take that game ball he earned in the Steelers 25-13 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday and get it into his trophy case as quickly as possible --- because there's a great chance he'll never shine in the NFL as bright as he did on this day.
Who knows where it goes from here?
But, man, that Landry Jones just has to be the starter --- provided Big Ben can't go against the Chiefs --- when the Steelers line up next Sunday.
Who knows where it goes from here?
But, man, that Landry Jones has swung the tide of the perception about him in a quicker span of time maybe more than any Pittsburgh sports figure in recent memory.
And that's what this is all about, that's the biggest takeaway as Steelers Nation tries to gather its collective thoughts after Jones threw for two touchdowns --- both to Martavis Bryant --- as he went 8 for 12 for 168 yards in a relief role of Mike Vick.
It comes down to something this fundamental: As we sit here today and think about it, all the grief and misery we've all given Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert over taking Jones with a fourth-round selection in 2013 seems moot.
Or, at the very least, it becomes the biggest point of discussion.
That is to say, does just one performance in a pretty darn big game by Jones validate Colbert's unpopular decision --- until about Sunday at 3 p.m. --- to select Jones where he selected Jones?
I say, without wavering, "yes."
Let's not get ahead of ourselves and anoint Landry Jones any sort of heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger, as there is no telling what will happen when Big Ben decides he's had enough football, or football decides it for him.
But Sunday was a game in which the Steelers, without any question, were underdogs. It was a day in which they just needed to keep biding time until Big Ben's return and were pitted against a high-flying offense that was complemented by an Arizona defense that had performed more-than-admirably.
Admit it.
You expected them to lose.
With Vick and, especially if they needed to go to Landry Jones, you expected the Steelers to lose. It's OK to admit, just about all of us in Western Pennsylvania expected it, I'd venture.
But Jones wouldn't let it happen as he entered the game, took command of the Steelers' offense and, with it, thrust this team to a 4-2 record and an in-better-shape-than-we-all-thought-without-Ben mark right now.
So, again, who knows where it all goes from here?
All that said, however, if Landry Jones doesn't so much as complete another pass in the NFL or factor into any more games in his time in this league, by virtue of his virtuoso performance on Sunday, he firmly validated Colbert's choice to go with him in that fourth round a few years ago --- even if the pick was a pick made for a guy who ever only plays a game or two in his career.
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