Tommy Maddox: Ben's job is to help Steelers win, not to mentor

If anyone can relate to Ben Roethlisberger's scenario, it's Tommy Maddox.

Roethlisberger recently criticized the Pittsburgh Steelers' decision to select quarterback Mason Rudolph with a third-round pick in this year's draft to be Big Ben's likely successor.

When Roethlisberger was drafted in 2004, Maddox was the incumbent quarterback whose starting job was in jeopardy.

As Roethlisberger has said, Maddox handled the situation with class and took a young Ben under his wing. Last week, Roethlisberger threatened to do no such thing for Rudolph.

"If he asks me a question, I might just have to point to the playbook," Roethlisberger said on the "Cook and Poni" show last week.

Though Maddox never treated Roethlisberger with such disdain, he understands his plight.

"I've heard a lot of people say he owes it. That kind of gets into a little bit of a slippery slope. His job is to win football games right now," Maddox said, in Roethlisberger's defense, to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

"But, with that said, I think everybody in the locker room, the more it gets along, the better this team is going to be."

Roethlisberger is the owner of two Super Bowl rings, but he's yet to lead a loaded Steelers roster to the Super Bowl since 2010. While the 36-year-old still has a shot at another championship, it should remain his primary focus, Maddox said.

"I think Ben will treat (Mason) with respect. His No. 1 goal is to get ready to play and help the team be successful," he said.