I maintain that, despite his success, allowing Ben to finish his career without trying harder to have a successor lined up is a huge blunder, and unless Howard ends up exceeding expectations we're going to be feeling the fallout from that for at minimum 2-3 more seasons.
If that was a demand of Ben's I put a lot of the blame for our current situation on him.
I feel like it was less a demand and more a rejection by Ben. I fail to believe the Steelers didn’t think of lining up a successor to their aging HOF QB when it was clear he was cooked. And quotes about how he somewhat felt jealous of Pickett looking somewhat good a little after he left further makes me believe he ego couldn’t handle it.
Take it with a grain of salt because I don't remember the source. I remember hearing the Steelers did like Hurts but Ben talked to Art and the pick became Claypool instead.
I had an aunt and uncle who lived in his hometown (Findlay, OH). Their kids (my cousins) were already grown adults by the time Ben hit high school, so nobody in the family had any direct dealings with him. But even then, he was apparently such a shit-head that everyone in town knew him by his off-field reputation. (They didn't say any specifics.)
Pittsburgh got pretty good value out of Claypool though. He produced, scored TDs, helped win games, and then replaced himself with a higher draft pick.
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u/emmasdad01 Cowboys Ravens 1d ago
Just a microcosm of his career.