One of the most noticeable things early in the 2024 NFL season is that QB play just hasn’t been as good as in past seasons, and former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger attributes it to the college game. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Roethlisberger said that quarterbacks not getting in a huddle and not playing from under center as often in college has impacted their play when they get to the next level.

“I think that the college game potentially is hurting quarterbacks. There’s something to be said about getting in a huddle and looking your guys in the eye,” Roethlisberger said. “When you don’t get in a huddle in college, how are you looking at a guy and challenging him? Everyone looks to the sideline, coach gives a signal,” Roethlisberger said. “I just think that hurts a quarterback, not getting under center.”

Roethlisberger said that during his last year at Miami (OH), his head coach Terry Hoeppner would allow him to work under center every day in practice.

“I know my last year, Coach [Hoeppner], who rest in peace, was like a father to me, my last year, knowing that I had a chance to get to the NFL, he let me every day in practice do the offense from under center. Like I was getting reps every day from under center. And I think that went a long way to helping me when I got to the league.”

NFL fans were blessed with the golden era of quarterback play when Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and the Manning Brothers along with Philip Rivers were all playing high-level football at the same time. As those guys retired, quarterback play has diminished, but players like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen have still enthralled and kept the standard for quarterback play high.

But this season, passing totals are down significantly, with teams averaging 202.8 passing yards per game through Week 4, which is a dip of 47 yards per game compared to where it was in just 2020, per ESPN. That’s a precipitous drop from just four years ago, and there’s been a noticeable decline in quarterback play early on.

Some of that can be contributed to the fact that there’s one fewer preseason game and teams are more cautious to play their starters in the preseason, but Roethlisberger’s point about guys not being ready for an NFL offense is valid. Young quarterbacks, with a few notable exceptions like C.J. Stroud and Jayden Daniels, usually struggle early in their careers, as there’s a big adjustment period when it comes to getting up to speed and learning an NFL system. It takes time for guys to develop, as we’ve seen with Justin Fields now having his best season through four games after struggling with the Bears.

Several factors could explain why quarterback play has dropped off, but the change in scheme and systems from college to the NFL is certainly one of the biggest ones.