Blame Front Office for poor back-up quality?

I think Lefty will do just fine and I believe we will beat the Ravens.

 

Well stated, couldn't agree more especially about a YOUNG QB in the pipeline.

 

I hope your right trust me! nothing would make me happier than to see Leftwich play great!

 

If anyone thinks having a mid-late round QB in the system to groom is going to save the team when Ben is ready to go, they are dillusional. You cannot replace a franchise QB with a mid-rounder sitting in your system. You will be disappointed. The only thing we can do when Ben's time is getting near is to make a trade a year or two early in the draft and grab a good QB in the first round. The Brady 6-round franchise QB is an anomolly, not something that can be expected.

Hasselbeck is a great back-up, but remember he is there because he was the starter and they got a high draftd QB to replace him. I like Lefty and Batch as temporary fill-ins. They can come in and understand how to play, especially against teams like Baltimore. They would really shread a backup youg QB without experience coming in for a first start of a season.

 

Since when does YOUTH = Effective, Capable or better than experience?

 

I honestly do not WANT someone who was hyped in college to be there to back up Ben. What they did in College has no bearing on what they'll do when placed in an NFL situation. Even star quarterbacks have spoken about the difference in the two games. The NFL game is much faster and more complicated, with fewer weaknesses for any team at each position. Even Luck and RGIII have had their struggles coming out and these guys were #1 and #2 in the entire draft. What would make me think that ANY "hyped" quarterback is going to be able to sit on my bench and come in to start on a moment's notice when my franchise quarterback goes down? That would be a nightmare waiting to happen. Why would I want someone as a backup just because he came out of the college ranks with a lot of hype?

When it comes to a backup quarterback, I would much rather have someone who has played the game at a starter level. He knows the speed of the game and what to expect as far as preparation goes. An experienced backup has no one to "impress" or "audition" for. Instead, he knows his role and the rest of the team respects him for that. The cool thing about the Steelers is that we have TWO of this kind of backup. I have no problem with EITHER Leftwich or Batch filling the role until Ben heals.

 

I for one am very glad we're not starting a rookie backup this sunday night: Lefty has been in the wars before, he isnt going out on the field with his heart in his throat, so up tight he forgets the plays and cant read the defenses, we are lucky we have a veteran backup like Byron, and i'm still very up beat about us winning this game, the team effort is going to be as cowher used to say, very strong: Ben is the only starting QB in this league that moves the pocket around to make big plays out of nothing, dont expect to get a backup that can duplicate that style of play, but i'm good with the experience our backup will bring to the field and i'm comfortable with what we have, lefty will be just fine...

 

you guys evidently don't read very well. nobody said anything about a rookie qb fresh out of college is going to take us to the promised land. nobody. i said drafting one next year round 3 maybe, would be the time to bring one into the pipeline to start to groom as a backup. a backup. did you hear a backup. keeping an expierienced guy as the # 2 and have the kid with some upside from college learn as the #3. nobody expects them to step in and replace ben or lefty in year one. charlie and lefty can't play forever and the longer they stay the closer to the end of ben they come. if you don't groom some young talent we end up in the situation we are in on defense, old without playmakers.

by the way how do you guys know a rookie couldn't play at this level with good coaching? they have done it before. 5 of them starting in the league this year. speaking of luck, his team is tied with us for the wildcard. even with our ousted OC at the helm. don't tell me they can't play. hell ben still makes rookie mistakes from time to time. why is it so hard for some of you to accept some young talent on this team? we can't wait til the last moment and expect to draft one the following year to become our new starter some day. why wouldn't you want a guy thats been here for 3-4 years and already know the offense and the players around them, learning from our vets while he's young? bizzare.

 

shorlty after Al Gore invented the Internet.

 

I dont want be thinking about grooming a 3rd round QB to become Bens replacement, when Ben is a year or two away from retiring then we need to get a 1st round QB to be the franchise guy, we need to draft the best available, the 3rd round isnt where we want to be looking for a franchise QB...

 

again read what i wrote diamond. the 3rd round qb is not there to replace ben. nowhere did i say he was there to be groomed to replace ben. he's there to be a good backup,and if he is good enough to replace him then so be it. franchise qb's don't just become franchise qb's because they are picked in round 1. if they can win games i don't care if they are drafted at all.

 

I read it - I understand it - and I STILL disagree with it. What makes a YOUNG backup with NO NFL experience better than an older backup with NFL STARTING experience??!! Tell me ONE upside. So - you're saying that you want to draft someone who NEVER plays an NFL down or at least a MEANINGFUL NFL down so that he can EFFECTIVELY backup your starter?? Really? What would make ANYONE think that you can assume that someone like that would be effective.

So, let me get this straight. The guy is a stud in college. You draft him. Maybe he plays a bit in preseason a la Jerrod Johnson. Then, you sit him all year long - maybe MULTIPLE years. He never gets any reps with the starters in practice. He's always practicing with the scout team. Your starter goes down. You're telling me that you trust THIS guy more than you would an experienced starter like Leftwich or Batch?

The Steelers do things the right way. They learn from their mistakes. They TRIED the above rout before. Cliff Stoudt couldn't quarterback a PEEWEE league team by the time he finally got to take some snaps. It doesn't work. Now, we have two guys, either of whom knows the speed and complexity of the game. Both have played in meaningful games. Both are proven NFL quarterbacks - just not proven starters. I'll take THAT anyday over what some in this thread are proposing.

 

OK, I get it, but we have drafted at least 3 later round QBs for backups since Ben has been here, and they are all gone, remember ST Pierre, he hung around here for about 3 years and was cut, and if you want to pick higher in the draft for a backup do you think a QB picked in the second or 3rd round will want to hang around here as a backup unless he gets promised to be Bens replacement, I doubt if you could find 1 QB in the draft 3rd round or higher that would want to come here as a career backup, just my opinion....

 

O.K. Curt Warner, Tom Brady and what other FRANCHISE type STUD quarterbacks are there in the league or recent past who were not taken in the first round? Please - enlighten me on this. How many franchise quarterbacks are "groomed" to do the job?

 

Man have some faith!!!!!! these guys are professionals they know whats at stake and who we are playing they will step it up its the RATBIRDS!!!!! "COMON MAN"

 

I believe we had a winning record when Ben was suspended a couple years ago, no?

 

The Steelers doesnt have a good record on drafting QBs historicly, Johnny Unitas, cut in his rookie year, passed on Dan Marino, and they drafted many, many QB busts, you gotta see this video set to music on all the QB mistakes they have made in the draft over the decades.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJaMtWBMEno

 

yes but we had a better defense

 

And this time, we have a better offense - with or without Ben.

 

Well the 1 win the ref admitted there were two people holding our steelers too

 

Its no secret Baltimore's D has been hurt by injuries along with them playing outside M&T we are the better defense. My main concern is Flakcoo and his deep balls.. Stillers' need to take this dogfight serious and hammer on the following...
Pass rush, getting T/O's and play (tight) pass defense... they will have to rush -hurry his sorry a** all night long maybe even a sack or two and a take away keeping him out of rhythm. Flakcoo had his way last week with the Raiders poorly played pass defense.. not this week not in our house!
( Don't worry Lefty its your night to shine...just don't steer your ball's toward the Hawk )

 

The value of having both Charlie Batch and Lefty on the team is you can cut them to make room for one game and they will be available the next week. Most weeks Charlie doesn't dress, but you can give him a hat and he'll win the next week (think last year). You can't get that combination from a young guy. For as long as we have Ben, we can pick up back up QB's without wasting early round draft picks. Now, should we go 6th or7th round to see if we can find someone promising, so be it, no worse than drafting a punter (Sepulvida).