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Steelers Training Camp Preview: Quarterback

July 31, 2009 By: Admin Category: Draft/Free Agency, Players

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.

ben

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.

Eagles Steelers Football

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.

Eagles Steelers Football

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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6 Comments to “Steelers Training Camp Preview: Quarterback”


  1. stairman says:

    if Dixon ever gets to showcase his talent, he will be looking for a starting job somewhere. How long do the steelers have him under contract for? It would be awsome to have him blossom for the Steelers at the right time. Imagine having two of the best Quarterbacks, the Steelers would be a Dynasty for the next decade. Our luck if Ben ever went down for a few games, Dixon would showcase his ability, and we would lose him in the off season, ala Tom Brady and Matt Casell.

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  2. Sean Eckemrod says:

    I’m tired of Dixon being thrown into a slash role just because he’s a good athlete AND BLACK. This kid had better stats that the other WHITE 1st rounders and could of won the Heisman if he didn’t get hurt…..do you see???? he was a better QB! this kid could of challenged for a starting job for some bad teams and asking him to change positions is like asking a 350 pound NT to play WR. He has a rocket arm, can make any NFL throw, played better in college than Flacco and even Atlanta’s rookie QB savior. So what if he’s a good enough athlete to see a broken play and pull it down and take it the distance himself??? he’s a better QB than Vick or Kordell ever was and has enough talent to make any throw (short or really deep) more accuratly than last years and this years’s 1st round QB’s. The Steelers have a gem and if Big Ben goes down, this kid can step in and win anyway possible. So will the media quit using the slash and wildcat role??? Dixon is a star who will someday blow everyone away

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  3. That is a great point that is being made with everyone assuming because Dixon is black he’ll be a mobile quarterback. If you look at Warren Moon not very mobile and even look back to last year Leftwich also is not considered very mobile. I agree with stairman that it would be great if (and I hope it doesn’t happen) but if something happened to Ben we’d have someone to not only step up but be a star and we’d have a 49ers-esque situation like Joe Montana and Steve Young. And on a final note I don’t think I understand the whole Wildcat obsession because fast and smart defenses won’t really fall victim to what I see a gimmick formation. I hate to admit it but teams like the Ravens and of course the Steelers move at what seems to be a higher level than others and don’t fall victim to the gimmick.

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  4. Donald is right. Dixon deserves much better consideration than just being an “athletic” QB. But I do feel the need to say that as a Steeler fan, I am not ready to hand the keys to the kingdom over to a Dennis Dixon just yet. I would feel a bit more comfortable with the team trying to win 2 or 3 games with Batch than trying to win 9-10 games with Dixon. Lets just say that if Ben ever goes down for an extended period or GOD forbid a season, neither Dixon or Batch gets them to a Super Bowl.

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  5. I LIKE THE ABOVE ANALYSIS ON THE QBS, BUT WHEN YOU GET TO BATCH AND HIS DURABILITY, YOUR POV OF HIM IS QUITE INACCURATE. HE DIDN’T JUST HAVE A SHOULDER INJURY, HIS COLLAR BONE WAS BROKEN! I DON’T THINK EVEN BIG BEN COULD BEEN ABLE TO STAY ON THE ACTIVE ROSTER WITH THAT TYPE OF ” injury “

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  6. well, as i sit in front of my 1997 color television set, i am hearing reports of mvick7 being thrown around as a possible future steelers backup/slash/utility player. i really like the guys who are there now, batch is very familiar with the offense, and dixon is in his 2nd year, whats this to do to his location content! football ” shape ” wise, who we have now is better then vick is, vick has been in confinement for 2 years now, he hasn’t felt the speed of a game, and i really do believe his mental state isn’t where it should be. please tomlin, don’t bring mv7 into the mix,,,,

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