"The question isn't will Ron bench Sam again," Kevin Sheehan said reading a comment from a listener. "The question is, if the situation calls for it, should he bench Sam again or should he let him work through it?"
Sheehan said that is the right question to ask, this isn't a will he or won't he guess, this is about if the situation looks dire for the second-year quarterback Sunday against a good New York Jets defense – or later against a good San Francisco 49ers defense or a good Dallas Cowboys defense in the season finale – will the head coach do what he did last Sunday in Los Angeles and turn to veteran backup Jacoby Brissett?
It could also be if Howell is taking a beating like he did against Buffalo, does Rivera make that call?
In Sheehan's mind, Rivera opened a whole can of offseason and end-of-season discussion by sitting Howell for the remainder of the game against the Rams. (This was compounded by how well Brissett played in relief, too.)
With the way the season hs gone, Sheehan said he is a stronger lean that Howell isn't likely going to develop into an Andy Dalton-type quarterback.
Listen for his full take on the quarterback situation – and Sheehan and producer Denton Day's answer to the original question – on the audio player above.




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