Steelers Today - A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

Losing can have unexpected effects on a team. Like causing frustrated players to make stupid comments. That’s exactly what Hines Ward did.

Ward, one of the Steelers veteran leaders, made comments in an interview with Bob Costas that I’m sure he’d like to take back.

Ward implied that Big Ben should have played in a game that was as important as the Steelers’ game against the Baltimore Ravens was.  Ward’s frustration seemed to be due to the fact that the team thought that Big Ben was going to play, and weren’t informed until Saturday that he wasn’t.

The video below shows coach Tomlin’s response to Hines Ward’s comments.

From what I can tell, both Hines Ward and Coach Tomlin were at fault in this incident.

Tomlin should have explained to the team exactly why he wasn’t playing Big Ben. Whenever there is a lack of information, people tend to use their imaginations to fill in the vacuum.

Hines Ward was equally culpable. Since, by his own admission, he didn’t have adequate information, he should have kept his mouth shut. Instead, he put his foot in it.

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The Steelers suffered their third consecutive loss last night, losing to the Baltimore Ravens 20-17.

Prior to the game, most of the comments that I received from Steelers fans expressed fear.  Most thought that with Dennis Dixon making his first NFL start, the Steelers had no hope of beating an opponent like the Baltimore Ravens.  In fact, I can’t ever remember seeing such a prevalant sense of hopelessness among Steeler Nation.

As it turns out, Dixon played much better than most expected.  He was almost flawless in the first half, going 8-10 for 87 yards, with one TD and no interceptions.  His passer rating at the end of the first half was 136.2.

Steelers QB Dennis Dixon

In the second half, things didn’t go quite so well for Dixon.  The Ravens came out after half-time seemingly intent on flustering the young quarterback.  They started out with an array of blitzes that had Dixon rushing passes.  Then they transitioned into more of a zone defense that made it hard for Dixon to find open receivers.  Dixon ended up going 4-16 after the half.

But it wasn’t Dixon who was most responsible for the Steelers loss.  No, that distinction goes to the defense……and the coaches.

The vaunted Steelers defense seemed to completely forget how to tackle.  On multiple occasions, a Baltimore runner seemed ready to be tackled by a Steelers defender, only to see the defender completely miss the tackle.  William Gay, Ryan Clark, and James Farrior had some very noticeable missed tackles.

Another missed tackle

As the season progresses, I’m noticing that William Gay is emerging as the weak link on the Steelers defense.  Teams even seem to be targeting him now.  He’s not a sure tackler, and he is very vulnerable to double moves when in coverage.  Whenever the Steelers get beat for long pass plays, Gay and Ryan Clark always seem to be the defenders who are in the area.  Clark is the free safety, so I expect him to be in the area.  But Gay’s presence is a too common occurrence.

The Steelers’ special teams also turned in a poor performance.  But that has been a consistent theme this season, so it’s almost not worth mentioning.  Almost.

But the real culpability in the loss probably belongs to the Steelers’ coaches.  I don’t consider myself to be a mind reader, yet I was able to predict almost every play that offensive coordinator Bruce Arians called.  If I was able to predict his calls, I’m sure the Ravens were able to do so as well.

Run, run, pass.  Run, run, pass.  Sound familiar?

Despite Dennis Dixon’s mobility, they seldom utilized it.  When they did, he threw for a touchdown, ran for a touchdown, and had a 31 yard run called back due to holding.  So why didn’t they put him in motion more often?  I understand that that they may not have wanted to subject Dixon to too many hits, since his backup had just been signed to the practice squad last week.  Nevertheless, there are “safe” ways to put a quarterback in motion.

They also didn’t seem to be interested in involving Mewelde Moore in the passing game, despite the fact that dumping the ball to the running back is probably the best safety valve that they could have provided to a young quarterback.  But the Steelers dumped the ball to Moore a grand total of 0 times.  That’s right, zero.  In fact, they only threw to their running backs twice during the entire game.   Moreover, the team seemed to be more interested in throwing the long pass than in attempting safer short passes.

I am not one of those people who is constantly calling for offensive coordinator Bruce Arians to be fired.  But I was very disappointed in his play calling in this game.

So the Steelers have dug themselves even deeper in the hole when it comes to the playoffs.  They are not mathematically eliminated, but things get tougher with each loss.

Ordinarily, I’d take great solace in the fact that the Steelers next two opponents are the Oakland Raiders and the Cleveland Browns.  But the way the Steelers have played lately, I’m not sure those are guaranteed wins.  In fact, if the Kansas City Chiefs game is any indication, we might actually lose one of those games.

Hopefully, some of the injured players like Troy Polamalu and Big Ben will be available to play soon.  But even with them, something tells me that the remainder of the season is going to be an emotional roller coaster for Steelers fans.

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Looks like the Steelers lost 3 times last week against the Kansas City Chiefs.  They lost the game, they lost starting QB Ben Roethlisberger to a head injury, and they lost backup QB Charlie Batch to a wrist injury.

With both Big Ben and Batch out for today’s game against the hated Baltimore Ravens, the game will now be in the hands of third string quarterback Dennis Dixon.

Dixon has made an appearance in a total of one NFL game in his 2-year NFL career.  During that game, he attempted 1 pass.  That pass was completed for a 3-yard gain.

This will be Dixon’s first NFL start.  Obviously, that would be a scary thing for just about any young quarterback.  But to make matters even worse, Dixon gets to do so against the Steelers’ AFC North nemesis - the Baltimore Ravens.  The Ravens have always played tough defense, and they won’t make it easy for Dixon.

Steelers QB Dennis Dixon

We all remember what happened last year when Rashard Mendenhall made his first start against the Ravens.  Ray Lewis hit Mendenhall with a crushing blow that put him on the injured reserve for the rest of the season.  Let’s hope that history doesn’t repeat itself.

Should Dixon be hurt, the Steelers signed Tyler Palko from their practice squad to serve as the #2 quarterback.  Big Ben is listed as the #3 quarterback.  However, he can only play if both Dixon and Palko are injured and are unable to perform.

I’ve heard some fans say that the Steelers should use the Wildcat offense to take advantage of Dennis Dixon’s athleticism.  Let me be the first to say that that would be absolutely INSANE.

The Wildcat offense would allow the quarterback to take too many hits.  In case you haven’t noticed, Dennis Dixon is not built like Big Ben.  He only weighs 209 lbs., and it is a tall, lanky 209.  He would get killed in the Wildcat.  Moreover, if he got injured, then the Steelers playoff hopes would be in the hands of Tyler Palko.  Need I say more?

I think that even in 2009 fans often look at black quarterbacks and assume that they are more comfortable running the ball than throwing it.  But not all black quarterbacks are like Michael Vick.  Dennis Dixon certainly isn’t.

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.

Dixon was an accomplished passer 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.

I’m not saying that Dixon is going to play better than Joe Flacco in this game.  After all, Joe Flacco has a year of experience behind him, while Dixon will be making his first start.  But do not be confused about Dixon’s potential.  He is more than just a gadget quarterback.  He can stand in the pocket and pass the ball.  He just needs experience.

It looks like that experience begins today.

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Okay, it seems like nobody else is willing to say it, so I guess I’m going to have to be the one to do it.  Charlie Batch is made of glass.  He’s like that guy in the M. Night Shyamalan movie “Unbreakable”.  He’s fragile.  He breaks upon the slightest contact.

Some have referred to him as “Brittle Batch”.  Perhaps that nickname is appropriate.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love Charlie Batch.  He has been an excellent backup quarterback for the Steelers for many years.  Unlike Byron Leftwich, Batch always seemed to be comfortable playing a backup role.  Moreover, he was a hometown boy.  So getting to play for the Black and Gold was a dream come true for him.

Charlie has been a mentor to Ben Roethlisberger throughout Big Ben’s career.  He can always be seen offering Ben words of advice and encouragement anytime Ben makes a mistake.

Steelers QB Charlie Batch

But despite Charlie’s many good qualities, he has one quality that is very bad for an NFL player; he gets hurt too easily.

Did anyone even realize that Charlie was hurt during the Kansas City game?  After all, he only participated in 4 plays.  When did he get hurt?  How did he get hurt?

Big Ben took a vicious knee to the head, and he’s already promising teammates and fans that he is going to play Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.  Meanwhile, nobody saw Batch take a hit, but he’s out for the rest of the season.

The same thing happened in 2008.  Batch played a few plays in the preseason opener, and he broke his collarbone, which caused him to miss the entire season.

Steelers fans are probably spoiled because we get to watch Big Ben play each week.  Ben gets sacked 59 times per game, and he just keeps ticking.  How many times has Ben been sacked in the last 2 years?  3,000?  4,000?  But he just gets up and keeps playing.  I’m sure all of those hits are going to take their toll at some point, but so far, he shows no sign of slowing down.

That’s why it’s hard to accept Charlie’s injuries.  It seems that if a defender looks at Charlie too hard, he gets injured.

Lets take a look at Charlie’s history.

As a college quarterback, he missed the 1996 season when he injured his leg after only 2 games.

When he was with the Detroit Lions, Batch also had a history of injuries.  He played the 2nd half of the 1999 season with a fractured knuckle that severely hindered his performance.  In 2000 he injured his knee in a non-contact drill and had to have surgery.  He came back from the knee injury later in the 2000 season, but suffered bruised ribs  that seemed to slow him down for the rest of the season.  He also suffered a concussion that season that made him miss playing time.  Batch’s injury history, along with the Lions’ selection of Joey Harrington in the draft, finally made him expendable in 2001.

With the Steelers, Batch missed most of the 2004 season after having knee surgery.  Then as mentioned earlier, he missed the 2008 season with a broken collar bone.  Now he will miss the rest of the 2009 season with a broken wrist.  That’s a lot of time missed due to injury for any player.  But it’s a ridiculous amount of time missed for a backup player who seldom even gets onto the field.

Lets look exclusively at Batch’s time with the Steelers.  If we were to calculate the ratio of Batch’s time missed due to injury relative to his actual time spent on the field in games, the ratio would equal infinity.  He’s missed a lot of time while playing very little.

Batch will be 35 years old on December 5, 2009.  Brett Favre has proven that a quarterback can play long after age 35.  However, do the Steelers want to continue to place their faith in an aging quarterback who can’t seem to stay healthy?

As I said earlier, I really like Charlie Batch.  I truly do.  But someone has to ask the tough questions.  Since nobody else seems to be willing to, that burden apparently falls to me.

So what do you think?  Is it time for the Steelers to move in another direction with their backup quarterback, or is Batch worth keeping after the 2009 season?

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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.

QB Charlie Batch

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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