The talk before the start of the Pittsburgh Steelers preseason was all about Landry Jones and Dustin Vaughan.
Many thought it was Jones’ job to lose. During the Week 2 preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s clear that Jones is certainly losing the job.
Jones had a night he’ll want to forget, as he threw four interceptions – all coming from the first half. One of his interceptions was taken back for a touchdown by the Eagles’ Nolan Carroll II. Jones finished off the night with a 35.6 percent quarterback rating after only throwing 12/20 completed passes for 111 yards.
Meanwhile, Vaughan did not throw a single interception. He completed only 7/13 passes for 67 yards. Neither quarterback threw a touchdown, or even got the Steelers close enough for a field goal attempt from kicker Chris Boswell.
However, when it comes to numbers, Vaughan had the more successful night in an ugly loss to the Eagles.
The Steelers have tried to mold Jones into a young Ben Roethlisberger, with Big Ben serving as his mentor. However, Jones has proved to be a much more difficult experiment.
The Steelers, after the latest performance from Jones, should give up and move to Vaughan. The Steelers will certainly give Jones the chance to prove himself in the next two preseason games. However, four interceptions speak loudly.
The Steelers should start newly signed quarterback Bryn Renner against the New Orleans Saints for their next preseason game on Aug. 26 to see how he does in a starting role. Renner, or even Vaughan, seems more likely to take on the role as Roethlisberger’s successor than Jones is.
It certainly has been Jones’ job to lose, and frankly, he’s losing it fast.
