Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

It was never mentioned during Sunday’s game, but at some point, Charlie Batch broke his wrist.  He played through the injury, so most of us weren’t even aware of how badly he was hurt.

Batch only participated in 4 plays in the Steelers overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.  He  entered the game when starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger went down with a possible concussion after being hit in the head by an opponent’s knee.  But at some point during those four plays, his wrist got broken.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Batch will undergo surgery on Tuesday or Wednesday.  The Steelers organization has not made an official statement on the matter.  The team says that Coach Tomlin will provide an official update during his Tuesday press conference.

If the reports are true, then Batch would miss the rest of the regular season.  Depending on how well the wrist heals, he could potentially be available for the playoffs.

With Roethlisberger potentially having a concussion, and Batch out for at least 6 weeks, the Steelers might be forced to start 3rd string quarterback Dennis Dixon in Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Even if Big Ben is healthy enough to start on Sunday, the Steelers are still left without a 3rd quarterback on the active roster.

Sources say that the Steelers have signed quarterback Tyler Palko to their practice squad.  Palko, a former QB for West Allegheny H.S. and the Pitt Panthers ,was most recently with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League after brief stints with the New Orleans Saints and the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL.

Palko has never held a consistent spot on an NFL roster, so he is probably not an ideal candidate for the Steelers’ active roster.  The Steelers may also be looking for a more seasoned veteran to add to the active roster.  Several players are available, including Jeff Garcia who was recently released by the Oakland Raiders.

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July 31, 2009
By Donald Starver

This is Part 5 in a series.  If you haven’t read the previous installments, please click below:

Part 1:  Defensive linemen

Part 2:  Linebackers

Part 3:  Safeties

Part 4: Cornerbacks

Now That we’ve finished discussing the defense, it’s time to turn our attenti0n to the offense.  The first position that we are going to preview is quarterback.

Most Steelers fans are aware that the team always carries 3 quarterbacks on the roster.  2009 will be no different.

Let’s look at the quarterbacks who will battle to make the Steelers’ 2009 roster.

Ben Roethlisberger – In his first 5 years in the NFL, Ben Roethlisberger has quarterbacked the Steelers to 2 Super Bowl championships.  That means he has delivered championships 40% of the time.  If he continues at that pace, and has a 10-15 year career, is is guaranteed to be make the NFL Hall of Fame.  Moreover, he will surpass Terry Bradshaw as the greatest Steelers quarterback of all time.

The Steelers acknowledged Big Ben’s potential in 2008 when they signed him to an 8-year extension that will pay him $102 billion (or was that $102 million?  I’m not sure, but I know it was a lot).

Big Ben has now entered the rarefied air previously reserved for Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.  He is an elite franchise quarterback that teams have to game plan for.  Moreover, in 2008 he was the single highest paid player in the NFL.

Big Ben is going to be the Steelers’ starting quarterback for a long time, provided he stays healthy (and his health is not a given, considering how often he gets sacked).  Is there really any question whether Ben will make the roster and be the starter in 2009?  I thought not.

Andrea McNulty is far more likely to knock Ben out of his starting job than Charlie Batch or Dennis Dixon are.

Charlie Batch – The Steelers have enjoyed having the dependable Batch waiting in the wings for a long time now.  Batch is an experienced, dependable veteran who is not likely to lose the game for the team if called upon to play.

Perhaps Batch’s most important characteristic is his apparent comfort with the idea of being a back-up.  This characteristic is what was missing in Byron Leftwich, and is the reason why Leftwich is not with the Steelers today.  Leftwich saw himself as a starter.  He was never going to be comfortable with being relegated to a backup role.  Charlie Batch has no such problem.

Both fans and coaches are extremely comfortable with Charlie Batch.  That is why most fans have already penciled Batch in as the #2 quarterback in 2009.  I am not so quick to anoint Batch to the #2 spot.  While Batch is admittedly competent and dependable, he has a few glaring flaws.

1. Batch will be 35 years old this season.  His best days are clearly behind him.
2. Batch has a career QB rating of only 77.9.  While he probably won’t lose many games for the Steelers, he also can’t be expected to carry the team on his back and win many games either.
3. Batch has a history of injuries.  This was most recently evident in 2008 when he missed most of the season with a shoulder injury.

Rather than hand the #2 quarterback role to Batch, I’d much rather see another player win the spot in training camp.  That player is……..

Dennis Dixon -  Prior to injuring his ACL during his last year in college, Dennis Dixon was leading Oregon to a potential national championship.  Moreover, he was the front-runner for the Heisman trophy.  The kid was a star, and NFL scouts were drooling over him.

I read many of the Steelers websites and forums, and there is a piece of false information that I find repeated over and over again.  Many fans say that “Dennis Dixon is just an athlete who would rather run than throw the ball.  He is just another Michael Vick or Vince Young”.  Sure, all three are black quarterbacks, and all three are athletic, but the comparisons end there.

Dennis Dixon was an accomplished quarterback at Oregon.  He has a powerful arm, and can make all of the throws.  In fact, prior to his injury, he was viewed as a better prospect than last years’ NFL freshmen sensations Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco.

All three quarterbacks came out of college the same year.  That year, Dennis Dixon had a QB rating of 161.19.  Joe Flacco’s QB rating was 144.91, and Matt Ryan’s was 127.04.  Advantage: Dixon.

Dennis Dixon’s pass completion percentage was 67.7%.  Joe Flacco’s was 63.5%, and Matt Ryan’s was 59.3%.  Advantage: Dixon.

Dennis Dixon threw 4 interceptions.  Joe Flacco threw 5, and Matt Ryan threw a whopping 19.  Advantage: Dixon.

Most impressive of all, Dixon averaged 8.4 yards per pass.  Joe Flacco averaged 8.2, and Matt Ryan averaged 6.9.  So not only was Dixon a more accurate passer than Flacco or Ryan, but he also tended to make longer passes than them.   Advantage:  Dixon.

Both Flacco and Ryan did very well in their first year in the NFL.  So why are Steelers fans so concerned that Dixon is only going to be useful as a wildcat quarterback?  Moreover, why have some Steelers fans called for Dixon to be placed in a “slash” role and to only be used for gimmick plays?  I’ve even heard Steelers fans suggest that Dixon be converted to a wide receiver.  Dixon has never played receiver.  Why try to turn him into one?

I don’t want to offend any readers, but many of the comments that I have read about Dixon verge on being racist stereotypes.

Dennis Dixon is NOT an athlete pretending to be a quarterback.  He is an accomplished quarterback who needs to learn the Steelers playbook so he can show fans and coaches just what he is capable of doing.

Dennis Dixon is younger than Charlie Batch, taller than Charlie Batch, faster than Charlie Batch, and he has a stronger arm than Charlie Batch.  If he can master the playbook, I believe he will emerge from Steelers training camp as the #2 quarterback.

Mike Reilly – After redshirting his freshman year at Washington State, Reilly transferred to Central Washington.  He ended his career at Central Washington as the third leading passer in Division II history with 12,448 passing yards.

Reilly impressed scouts with his confidence at the NFL Scouting Combine, but many were turned off by the lack of arm strength that he displayed at the East-West Shrine Game.

Reilly is a gutsy player who has to be commended for making it to an NFL training camp from a Division II school.  However, making the roster of the reigning NFL champions may be too much to ask of him.

If he plays reasonably well in camp, Reilly is likely to be placed on the practice squad.

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June 15, 2009
By Donald Starver

Recently, one of our readers asked us “which Steelers veteran is likely to lose his job in 2009?”.  I answered the question in the comments section of one of our articles, but I thought the question was interesting enough to expound upon further.

The Steelers will convene for training camp on July 31, and competition will begin for roster spots.  The Steelers brought in some veteran free agents, and they had an exceptional draft.  Both factors mean that the roster is likely to undergo some changes.

As we look ahead to what is likely to happen in training camp, a couple of names come to mind who may be at risk.

The first name that comes to mind is Carey Davis.  Davis has managed to maintain a roster position since 2007.  However, going into 2009, the numbers may not work in Davis’ favor.  Davis finds himself behind Willie Parker, Mewelde Moore, and Rashard Mendenhall on the depth chart.  The Steelers drafted Frank Summers from UNLV, and he appears to be the Steelers’ short yardage back of the future.

To further compound Davis’ problems, he is officially listed as a fullback, and Steelers’ offensive coordinator Bruce Arians doesn’t really use the fullback position in his offensive scheme.  Arians prefers to utilize an H-back as the primary blocker in the backfield.  He has returning veteran Sean McHugh at that position, and has added promising rookie David Johnson from Arkansas State in the draft.

When you compare all of the players vying for time in the Steelers’ backfield, Carey Davis seems to be last in the pecking order.  When the music stops, Davis is likely to find himself without a chair.

The next Steelers player in the crosshairs is probably Trai Essex.  Essex was drafted by the Steelers back in 2005.  Former Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm seemed to have a lot of confidence in Essex.  Essex never broke into the starting lineup, but he made himself valuable by learning to play multiple positions along the offensive line.  “Position flexibility” is something that current Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin clearly values.  However, how long will the Steelers remain patient with a player who has not been able to break into the starting lineup despite playing for an offensive line that is often criticized for lacking talent?

In my opinion, the fact that Essex was not able to win Kendall Simmons’ starting position at right guard when Simmons went down with an injury, may have been the final nail in Essex’ coffin.  Instead of winning Simmons’ position, Essex was beat out by undrafted free agent Darnell Stapleton.

With the addition of young talent like Kraig Urbik and A.Q. Shipley to the Steelers’ offensive line competition, Essex may finally find himself on the outside looking in.

Another Steeler player who may find himself on the endangered species list is Charlie Batch.

Batch is a quality backup quarterback who seems to embrace the backup role.  Unlike Byron Leftwich, who openly proclaimed that he wanted to compete for a starting position, Batch seems content to be a backup.  The fact that Batch is from the Pittsburgh area probably enhances his contentment.

Unfortunately, Batch has a young lion named Dennis Dixon challenging him for the #2 position.  Dixon is a very talented young quarterback who might have won the Heisman Trophy had he not suffered a season-ending injury during his final year at Oregon.

If Dixon can show that he has mastered the playbook, he is likely to overtake Batch on the Steelers’ depth chart.  If that happens, Batch’s career will likely be over.  As a 12 year veteran, Batch doesn’t have much gas left in his tank.  He makes too much money to be a viable #3 quarterback, so rather than retain him as the third quarterback on the roster, the Steelers would probably release him and develop Kevin McCabe or Mike Reilly to be #3.

Hopefully, Batch realizes that his future is completely in Dennis Dixon’s hands.

Another player who may find himself at risk is Tyrone Carter.  Carter has always been small for the safety position.  There are plenty of 5’9″ cornerbacks in the NFL, but you don’t find many safeties that size.  Moreover, you don’t find many strong safeties who only weigh 195 lbs.  Tyrone Carter falls into both categories.  That can’t be a good thing.

Two factors may make Carter expendable.  The first is the development (or lack thereof) of Ryan Mundy.  Mundy is younger, taller, and heavier than Carter.  If Mundy shows his potential in training camp, Carter will be sweating bullets.

The second factor that may make Carter expendable is Deshea Townsend’s ability to pick up the safety position.  I have often said that Townsend would make a great free safety, and that moving to the position would help extend his career.  Townsend is one of the most intelligent players on the Steelers’ roster.  He has never been the fastest player on the field, or the most talented.  However, Townsend is rarely out of position.  That is the primary requirement of a free safety.  Just ask Anthony Smith.

Two factors may save Carter.  Firstly, Townsend is two years older than him.  So age is on Carter’s side.  The second is the fact that the Steelers just don’t have many safeties on the roster.  Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, and Tyrone Carter are the only  safeties on the Steelers’ roster with NFL experience.  Thus, Tyrone Carter may be saved by the lack of viable competition.

The final veteran who may find himself at risk is Travis Kirschke.  Kirschke is the oldest player on the Steelers’ roster.  Despite not getting much playing time, Kirschke usually performs well when given the opportunity.  He knows the defense, and does his job when called upon.  Unfortunately, time waits for no man.  The Steelers need to get younger at the defensive line positions.  Kirschke will be 35 years old next season, and finding a young replacement for him will help the Steelers in the future.

So who do you fans think will NOT be on the Steelers’ roster when the season starts?  Do you agree with our assessment?  If not, why not?  We’d love to hear your comments.

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February 10, 2009
By Donald Starver

Note: This is the second installment in a three-part series.  If you haven’t already read the first part, please click here.

After dealing with the offensive linemen, Bryant McFadden, and Nate Washington, the next position that Kevin Colbert is going to have to turn his attention to is backup quarterback.  Both Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch are unrestricted free agents.  The Steelers will still have Dennis Dixon under contract, but they probably won’t feel comfortable placing the Steelers’ season on his inexperienced shoulders if Big Ben gets hurt.  Thus, resigning either Leftwich or Batch is going to be imperative.

At this point in their careers, there is no doubt that Byron Leftwich is the better quarterback.  However, Leftwich is only one year older than Ben Roethlisberger, and he thinks he still has a future as a starter in the NFL.  He knows that he won’t get to compete for that position with the Steelers, so he will probably choose to go elsewhere.

Charlie Batch, on the other hand, is from the Pittsburgh area, and he would like to spend the rest of his career with the Steelers.  He understand that he has the ideal job.  He gets to collect Super Bowl rings with the team that he grew up cheering for, make more money than most people can even dream of making, and rarely have to even get his jersey dirty.  Not a bad deal for a 34 year old quarterback.  Unlike Byron Leftwich, Batch knows that his days as a starter are over, and he will do whatever it takes to stay with the Steelers.  He’s going to tell his agent to get this deal done.

So next year, I’d expect to enter the season with Ben as the starter, Batch as the backup, and the Steelers will probably bring in an undrafted free agent or a 6th or 7th round draft pick to compete with Dennis Dixon for the third string quarterback position.

The final unrestricted free agent that the Steelers will have to take care of is Keyaron Fox.  Fox will probably never be a starting linebacker for the Steelers.  However, he is a very competent backup, and a terror on special teams.  Fox emerged as one of my favorite Steelers, and that is difficult to do as primarily a special teamer.  But the Steelers were terrible on special teams for quite some time, and Fox has been a big factor in their turnaround.    With a salary of less than $500,000, Fox was one of the better values on the Steelers’ roster.

After languishing for years in that football Hell called the Kansas City Chiefs, Fox probably understands that he has a great situation in Pittsburgh.  He is a valued contributor on a team that has the potential to win more Super Bowl rings.  Moreover, he sees that the Rooneys run a class organization.  My guess is that he will want to remain a Steeler.   I also believe that Kevin Colbert and the Steelers coaching staff will want to see him stay as well.  Thus, this deal should get done quickly and quietly.

With the unrestricted free agents taken care of, Colbert will turn his attention to the restricted free agents.  We’ve already discussed Willie Colon in Part 1 of this series.  After him, the most visible restricted free agent is Anthony Smith.  When Smith was drafted, I had high hopes for him.  However, his act has worn thin.  He has never really shown anything on the field (except that he is easily fooled by a pump fake).  Fans and coaches won’t soon forget his silly prediction against the New England Patriots a few years back.  They also won’t forget watching Tom Brady throw touchdown after touchdown at Smith’s expense.  Smith just doesn’t seem to understand that his role is to be the last line of defense, and that he can’t bite on every pump fake that quarterbacks throw at him.

Frankly, I want to see Smith leave because I am tired of watching him try to take his own receivers’ heads off during training camp.  I don’t know why he thinks that he can prove his worth by showing how hard he can hit his own teammates.  The Steelers can’t afford to lose Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, or Nate Washington  to injury because Anthony Smith was trying to prove how tough he is.  Everybody but Smith understands this simple point.  Besides, can anyone ever remember seeing Anthony Smith get a good hit on ANY player who wasn’t wearing black and gold?  Ever?  Even once?  Neither can I.  Goodbye Anthony.  don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

The 3 remaining restricted free agents are LB Arnold Harrison, TE/FB Sean McHugh, and CB Anthony Madison.  None of these players are going to get much attention in free agency.  Harrison might be able to get some attention as a special teamer or as a backup LB, but that’s about it.  All of them will be best served doing everything that they can to stay with the Steelers.  Afterall, if they want to win additional championships, there aren’t many organizations that give them a better opportunity to do so than the Steelers.

In my opinion, losing any of these players won’t be a major loss to the organization.  Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians has a tight end fetish, and he collects as many of them as he possibly can.  Therefore, he is likely to try to keep McHugh, even though most fans would probably prefer to see the Steelers get a legitimate blocking fullback (as opposed to a tight end playing out of position).

Harrison (Arnold, not James) is a good special teams player, and he is a good backup LB.  He has spent several years in Dick LeBeau’s defensive system, and he should know it pretty well by now.  Unfortunately, the Steelers are busting at the seams with talented linebackers.  Lawrence Timmons is going to supplant Larry Foote next year, and Bruce Davis has a lot of potential and will probably move ahead of Arnold Harrison on the depth chart next year if he continues to work hard.  The Steelers will probably keep Harrison if they can sign him for reasonable dollars.  But if he asks for too much money, the Steelers will let him go without losing any sleep.

Anthony Madison is a career special teamer.  Technically, he is a cornerback.  However, in his 3 year career, he has never started a game, has never made an interception, and has never even had a single pass defensed.  He only makes approximately $450,000, so if he is willing to sign a new contract for the same amount, the Steelers will probably keep him around.  However, his position will be one of the most vulnerable come training camp.

That will take care of Colbert’s free agents.  However, his most pressing problem is not his free agents.  He has 9 important players with one year left on their contracts.  Among them are Hines Ward, James Harrison, Heath Miller, Ryan Clark, and Brett Keisel.  We’ll discuss what Kevin Colbert should do with these players in Part 3 of our series.

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