With Ben Roethlisberger constantly being injured, whether it is small or large, when is it time to get a backup to sit behind him and learn?
At the age of 30, Ben is still in the prime of his career. He will eventually hold all Steeler records for a quarterback, all except maybe Super Bowl victories. His toughness is unquestioned and his leadership is seen both on and off the field. Obviously no one wants him to have any career ending injuries or start to play terrible, but football teams always need to be thinking about the future.
Over the past few weeks, Steelers nation has witnessed what the team looks like without Roethlisberger, and honestly it is an average offense at best with a good defense. Byron Leftwich looked out of sorts during the Kansas City game, a game in which they were lucky to escape with a win. The next game the Ravens held Leftwich in check, injured him, and made the offense look bad. And just like that, the Steelers had to rely on their third string quarterback, Charlie Batch. Batch played the Browns and looked pretty terrible, albeit the whole offense did. But Batch had a gut check bounce back game against the Ravens. Batch looked good, made great reads, and took hits to complete passes. Ben is going to be back versus the Chargers. Batch is no Ben, but he has filled in nicely, at least this year.
Since Batch is 38 and seeing how emotional he was after the Ravens game, a lot of people, including my wife, think it could be his last season. Batch has proved he can win games and lead the team to victory, but is he worth keeping if he wants to stay? I say no just based of the risk of him being injured if he’s asked to play. The other option the Steelers have right now is Leftwich. He always seems to get hurt and it doesn’t seem he can win any games. He also has a very slow delivery and knows only how to throw the ball one way, as hard as he can. What other options does the team have?
Since it is very possible the Steelers will not have a backup quarterback for Roethlisberger in the off-season, how should they approach it? Should they draft a player in the later rounds that has some upside but is just a little rough around the edges. Or should they sign a veteran who is willing to sit behind Ben and be what he will be brought in for, a backup.
The free agent market is not that strong this up coming year. The biggest names that could possibly be behind Ben are Jason Campbell and Matt Moore. Either one of those players would be a great backup, but how expensive would they be and would the Steelers be willing to spend a little extra for a quality quarterback?
The other option is of course the draft. There are a few names that are projected in the later rounds and might be a good investment. Collin Klein is by far one of the best college players right now. He is projected so low due to poor throwing mechanics and a weaker arm. But, a few years sitting behind Ben and learning the game at a faster pace and he could be an excellent backup for low risk. Another possible player is Tino Sunseri from Pitt. His 18-2 touchdown to interception ratio is really good. He is inconsistent and sometimes needs to just throw the ball away. Again, sitting on a bench and learning the game behind one of the best in the league could make him a possible good backup.
Ideally the Steelers get an above average veteran backup quarterback for cheap, and then draft a high upside talent that is willing to sit on the bench and learn from his peers. If that were to happen, the team would have a player willing and able to step right in and take Ben’s place, but also a player learning weekly. If the Steelers were able to get both, it would protect the team in case Roethlisberger got hurt again, but it would also help to stabilize the questions about the future.
Photo Credits: Rob Carr/Getty Images
