First thing’s first: KDKA broke the Steelers’ 2010 schedule.
(I did have a nice table here all worked out, but Firefox shat itself and I lost it, so you can just go click the link. Now jump.)First, there are three games in a row in primetime against certifiable playoff teams, two on the road. We learned last year that no game is a gimme, but the Browns, Bills, and Raiders shouldn’t be problematic games. Unless Jake Delhomme turns out to be good at throwing footballs or the coaching staff figures out that Peyton Hillis is a beast or something. In any case, the Steelers should be able to get wins in these games with little trouble and compete against the playoff teams as well.
Of course, “should” failed us last year, so we can’t take anything for granted, even against the hapless Bills. We, as fans, have to be ready for anything. Especially with the idea of a Ben Roethlisberger suspension looming over Steeler Nation. Assuming Ben gets four games (which is more or less what I am personally expecting), Dennis Dixon or Chuck Batch or Byron Leftwich (more on that shortly) is going to be going up against the Falcons, Titans, Bucs, and Ravens. Could be a lot worse, especially considering Dixon led the team into a tight overtime game against the Ravens in Baltimore last season, and would now get them at home.
Which brings us to Byron Leftwich. The Steelers have reportedly sent a 7th round draft pick to the Bucs for the athletic QB. Now there’s something of a cluster at quarterback. There are four on the roster, and I’m pretty close to certain Ben isn’t actually going anywhere. A guy as promising as Dixon can’t be on his way out, so the other backup job is between Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich. (ESPN apparently thinks Leftwich has an advantage because he’s familiar with the Steelers’ offense, as opposed to Charlie Batch who has been around for like 35 years).
Batch is freshly re-signed, but the team wouldn’t trade for Leftwich if that were good enough. I’d guess that Batch’s age and his paper-mache bones will get him cut at the end of the preseason. Hopefully it’ll be a moot point though, if Dixon has matured enough to take the #2 spot officially. Although you can put either Leftwich or Dixon under center and I don’t think most of the fanbase would be too upset.
Draft is in like 3 minutes. Here We Go.
UPDATE: Some possibly big news from the Post-Gazette…the Steelers aren’t ruling out trading Roethlisberger, which makes the signing of Leftwich a little bit more complicated. It could be the Steelers shoring up the QB position for the suspension period or it could be Colbert positioning the team to trade Roethlisberger. I personally think the Steelers are shopping Big Ben, otherwise they would just say that he will not be traded and that they stand by him. As it is now, they aren’t seeing either but are admitting they are listening to some offers. This is the first moment that I actually think there is a solid chance that Roethlisberger will be dealt and it is likely to happen before Thursday night’s draft. Buckle up. – Bam
