In the past few months, much has changed for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Landry Jones.
At one point in training camp back in August, some speculated, including yours truly, that Jones might not even make the team as he struggled through a third straight lackluster performance in Latrobe.
Things have obviously changed for Jones in a season where injuries have been a theme for the Steelers so far this season. Few positions have been more affected by the injury bug than quarterback, and because of it, Jones has gone from not being guaranteed a roster spot to being asked for the second time this season to step in as the Steelers starting quarterback.
In his first start, a road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Jones struggled. His two costly interceptions and fumble helped doom the Steelers against the one-win Chiefs. His 60.8 passer rating was more reminiscent of the Jones that had gained a reputation for being another “system quarterback” whose success in college would not translate to the NFL.
That’s not all we have seen from the former University of Oklahoma standout this season. Although the Chiefs performance left much to be desired, Jones filled in for injured starters Michael Vick and Ben Roethlisberger against the Cardinals and Raiders and looked like a totally different player.
Forced to fill in on the fly, Jones flourished and helped lead the Steelers to wins. Displaying some of the passing skills that made him one of the Sooners all-time career passing leaders, Jones completely nearly 70 percent of his passes in both games while throwing two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Now the question becomes, can Jones bottle up whatever it is that made him successful in relief appearances and have it translate to his duties as the starter against the Cleveland Browns?
One major difference in the performances was Jones spent much of his time running a high tempo, no-huddle offense during his relief appearances, while in his start, he spent the majority of his snaps out of the huddle.
Getting Jones in a position where he’s been most successful both in college and in a limited sample with the Steelers seems like it needs to be a top priority for offensive coordinator Todd Haley and head coach Mike Tomlin.
Tomlin noted that Jones comfort in running the no-huddle offense during this week’s practice sessions would help dictate the offensive game plan during his press conference on Tuesday.
“He’s done a lot of no huddle,” Tomlin noted. “He’s new to playing in regular season games but he’s not new to us or new to our system of football. We’ll let production over the course of the week be our guide in terms of utilization of that and every other aspect of our offense.”
With another full week to prepare and get comfortable with the first-team offense, Jones needs to demonstrate the ability to play well for four quarters, not just on the fly as an emergency fill-in. Talking to reporters yesterday, Jones knows he needs to be himself and play with confidence.
“To be honest with you, I just have to go out there and play,” Jones said. “I can’t play timid, or worry about mistakes and the future … I just have to go out there and cut loose.”
A strong, relatively mistake-free performance by Jones should help the Steelers get a much needed home win before they head into the bye week. Just as importantly, it could give Jones the confidence to believe he’s a capable NFL back up who the Steelers can rely on down the stretch.
Considering all the injuries the team has dealt with this season, that might take on even greater importance.
