Clipboard Kings: Assessing The Pittsburgh Steelers QB Depth Chart
By Dan Viens
PART 3 IN A SERIES:
We hear it every year at this time, the backup quarterback is one of the most important positions on the roster. Whether it is or not is a debate for another time, but it’s under the microscope now more than ever as teams try to justify how many resources, or in some cases how few, they’ve committed to the position….and you hear reports of young QB’s who are just “killing it” in their mini-camps.
The position can either be rendered completely irrelevant: Jim Sorgi never getting his uniform dirty in meaningful situations backing up Peyton Manning from 2004 – 2010. Or franchise altering: The Colts never addressing the position appropriately, team goes 2-14 without Manning in 2011, total housecleaning, first pick, Manning moves on, Andrew Luck now in place.
I thought it would be interesting to take a look at every team’s backup situation. These aren’t grades, just an overall look at the total sum of each team’s outlook if their starter were to go down. I’ll consider the immediate situation and the longer-term picture.
I’ll go in order of my NFL Power Rankings 1.0, published May 10th.
Today, the PITTSBURGH STEELERS:
STARTER: Ben Roethlisberger
PROJECTED BACKUP: Byron Leftwich – IF he can stay healthy, Leftwich should be able to claim the job as Big Ben’s primary backup. Still only 32, it seems like forever since he was the #7 overall pick out of Marshall, and despite the fact he was a bust as a full-time starter, he’s shown enough in bits and pieces of his two stints with the Steelers to think that they see something they like. He never was very mobile, and his slow release and propensity for holding onto the ball too long has led to a string of injuries, and he spent most of last year on Injured Reserve after breaking his arm in the preseason. Still….without someone younger, and better, on the roster at this point, the Steelers may have no other choice but to go with Leftwich.
PROJECTED THIRD QB: Troy Smith. After showing flashes of being a solid playmaker in 14 games with the Baltimore Ravens from 2007-2009, Smith has bounced around, including a short stint in the now-defunct UFL last year. But the former Heisman Trophy Winner is only 27 years old and possesses something none of the other backup contenders on the Steelers roster have — mobility. The Steelers appear to be trying to get younger and faster on offense, and Smith could provide some solid depth. With a good camp and preseason, he could even get a chance to win the backup job.
OTHER CONTENDERS: Jerrod Johnson, Charlie Batch. Should I be writing off the persistance of Batch just yet? Maybe not. But he’s 37, and while he’s filled in capably for Roethlisberger over the last 10 years it may just be time to move on. Johnson is the guy who forced Ryan Tannehill to play WR his first year and a half at Texas A&M. He’s big and strong but never impressed me as an advanced passer and will have an uphill battle to make the roster.
SUMMARY: I can’t really figure out what the Steelers are thinking. Dennis Dixon showed some exciting playmaking potential, but the team chose not to re-sign him and he’s still a free agent. They haven’t invested any draft picks in the position recently. They seem to think Roethlisberger’s insane willingness and ability to play through pain and injury renders the backup position irrelevant, but if I were a Steeler fan I wouldn’t have much confidence in any of these guys if Big Ben were to go down early in the season. Remember what Matt Cassell did for New England when Tom Brady blew his knew in the season opener in 2008? Anyone think any of the guys listed above could win ten games? I’m skeptical. I’m a firm believer that contending teams should invest in, and groom, young, capable backup QB’s on a consistent basis a ‘la the Patriots and Packers. The Steelers failure to do so could be an Achilles’s Heel if their franchise QB should go down.
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