Landry Jones, Is He Big Ben’s Eventual Replacement?

Landry Jones, big time college quarterback, no question about it.  In his time at Oklahoma he threw for over 16,000 yards and over 100 touchdowns as a four year starter.  He has the size, 6ft 4, 229lbs and he has a rocket arm.  The Steelers made him a 4^th round pick indicating they saw something they liked in him.  The question everyone has is what will his roll be this year and beyond with this organization?

Charlie Batch thinks he’s the eventual replacement for Ben Roethlisberger.  Is he?  Others say he’s a long term backup behind Big Ben. Is that the case? What is and what will be his role with this team? 

First and foremost I will rule out the future starter of this team as the eventual replacement to Big Ben.  It’s not that Jones can’t be that, but barring a devastating injury to Roethlisberger, it really doesn’t make sense. Big Ben should have another 5 or so years left, meaning Jones, who’s already 24, would be approaching 30 years old when he’d take the reigns as the starter. That’s just not going to occur.

With that ruled out, to me, the answer is actually a more complex and drawn out one. He’s the immediate third string quarterback who will learn and develop behind a future Hall of Famer in Big Ben and a pretty decent veteran backup in Bruce Gradkowski.  Some say Jones will have a dog fight with John Parker Wilson for the third string job in 2013, he won’t. That job is his no matter what. 

Jones will be the third string guy for a couple years before moving up the ladder to be the 2^nd stringer for the back end of his rookie contract. Jones possesses the talent and ability to be a great future backup for this team and a guy I think the Steelers will trust to fill in as a starter if Big Ben has to sit out for one reason or another.

In the future, provided Jones develops nicely, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the team use him as trade bait.  He could be a starter in this league and there are always teams looking for a new QB.  In year 3 or 4 of the Landry Jones era, I expect to see him get a significant amount of pre-season exposure to try to showcase his skills. Assuming he plays well and puts up decent statistics; the team very well could shop him for a high pick with which they may actually draft the eventual replacement to Big Ben.

While that vision is a bit complex and may take 3 or 4 years to develop, it seems like a very real possibility for Jones. Jones is a hard worker and he’ll learn a lot over these next few years, he’ll grow into a solid backup, play well when called upon and eventually he’ll be the piece that brings in the true next generation Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback. So when you watch Jones this preseason you may want to reconsider how you view him. If you’re viewing him as the guy to replace Big Ben, you may want to re think your position. Look at him as the guy who’s going to bring in the guy to replace Big Ben.  

 

In 2013, Which Players Will Lead the Troops?

It’s no secret that last season was deemed by many as a failure. An 8-8 finish in a year that had lofty expectations was a major disappointment for the players, coaches, ownership and of course the fans.  There are many reasons the team underachieved in 2012; one of those reasons was a lack of leadership.  Inside the locker room the team will have you believe that wasn’t the case but it’s hard to say otherwise. The Steelers started off strong and basically fell apart once Ben Roethlisberger was injured.  A team with quality leadership wouldn’t allow that to happen. 

While the players returning to the team last year won’t flat out say they lacked leadership, they have all admitted in their own round about ways that there needs to be a change in the locker room; more of a team first attitude.  The big question is who amongst the players can lead his teammates into battle? Who has the presence, ability and respect in the locker room to do so? 

The answer in the past was obvious, Hines Ward, James Farrior, Joey Porter.  As this team transitions from old to young, the answer isn’t as blatant. 

My first candidate for captain and leader is the easiest of all the picks, it’s Big Ben Roethlisberger. He’s the franchise quarterback and the guy that most players will automatically look to first.  He’s the best player on this team and can lead by example on the field and resource his vast experience of winning big games off of it when he’s working with and talking to the younger guys.  Roethlisberger has matured vastly over the past few years and it’s now time for him to take this team on his back and lead them as far as he can.  He knows he has to do this and I believe he can. 

Sticking with the offensive side of the ball; Maurkice Pouncey seems like another great candidate to lead the guys on the offensive side of the ball. As the Center, he works with just about every unit and player on offense. He’s a hard worker, perennial pro bowler and a guy who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. To me, he’s the perfect guy to teach the guys on the offensive line, both young and old as well as take the running backs under his wing too.  As a guy who is down in the trenches on a down by down basis, he has a lot of respect inside that locker room and if he can step up and take on the responsibility of being a leader, it will help this team go a long way.

On the defensive side of the ball my first pick to lead the guys is Brett Keisel. He’s a man who’s played for many years with great success. He’s acknowledged that he may be retiring after this season and it’s a good bet he’d like to add one more ring to his hardware.  Being the long term veteran on a relatively young defensive line, it only makes sense for him to lead the group. He can still play well and put up some very impressive statistics and much like Big Ben, he can resource his experience in winning the big games to help tutor the youth that’s surrounding him. 

Lastly another grizzled veteran; Larry Foote.  Foote put up one of the best years he’s ever had in 2012 and he too can lead on the field with his play as well as off with his experience. Foote has a lot of respect in the locker room and is a guy that won’t let things get out of hand if a guy or two starts to become individually focuses vs. looking at the teams’ long term aspirations. Look for Foote to step up and quite frankly he may be the best leader this team has by the time the season rolls around.

Leaders however are not picked by me, you or even the coaches. Leaders step up on their own and other players begin to gravitate towards them. If the 2013 version of the Steelers has any of the four above players step up as leaders, they’ll be well on their way. If it’s not these guys, it will need to be another set of guys or else this team will find itself right where they were in 2012, disappointed, frustrated and looking for answers.

 

2013 May Be The Last Year in The Black and Gold For These Stalwarts

Over the past few seasons we’ve seen several Steeler stalwarts play their final game in the black and gold uniform as the team elected to move on due to age, salary or both. 2013 will follow that same pattern as we will likely see some of the following players end their Steeler careers after this season.

Brett Keisel is the most likely candidate as he’s 34 years old, he’ll be 35 in September and he’s in the final year of his contract. Keisel has been a rock at Right Defensive End for this team for several years and was a huge part of the Super Bowl teams. He still has some good football left and will likely put up a solid statistical season once again. However, the team is waiting for young buck Cam Heyward to step up and take Keisels job. They invested a first round pick in Heyward and can’t wait much longer to see what he can do as a full time starter.  The fact that Keisel is a free agent makes the decision pretty simple for the team. While it’s not a 100% chance Keisel won’t be back in 2014, the possibilities are slim.

Ryan Clark may follow Keisel out the door after 2013 as well.  He too is a free agent after this season and at 33 years old; he’s no spring chicken either. Clark has put up very solid seasons since joining the team via free agency in 2006 and has been part of an all pro duo alongside Troy Polamalu. However, with his age being what it is and the fact the team traded up to draft safety Shamarko Thomas in this year’s draft, his odds of returning beyond 2013 don’t look great. Unlike Keisel, Clark probably could play a few more seasons at a very high level and if the team were to let him walk, he’d probably be able to land elsewhere. That, however, is not what Clark would like to happen; he has stated publicly he’d like to finish his career in Pittsburgh. If Shamarko Thomas doesn’t develop as quickly as the team likes, Clark will have a better shot of coming back in 2014.

The third candidate on this list is Ike Taylor. Over the last 8 seasons he’s been the Steelers unquestioned top corner and has consistently been assigned the opposition’s top receiver.  More often than not, Taylor has delivered when called upon. He’s never been one to gain the interception as he seems to have hands made of rocks, but he can cover just about anyone on the field. He was a huge part of the Steelers super bowl runs and has been a very consistent cog on a defense that continues to finish at the top of the league in pass defense.  He’s coming off of a season ending injury and how he performs off of that injury will be pivotal for his potential return beyond this season. He’ll be 34 in 2014 and his contract will be worth 10 million against the salary cap.  The team will likely draft at least one corner in the 2014 draft and they may want to clear some cap room as they continue to transition to the younger generation and try to keep some of their up and coming young stars. 

Lastly, and probably the most unlikely due strictly to who he is, Troy Polamalu. Yes, it’s almost sacrilegious to even discuss the possibility of the team moving on without Polamalu without him calling his own shots but we saw it happen with Hines Ward and it could happen to Troy too.  Of this group of players, Polamalu has been the most banged up from head to toe. His playing style, while Hall of Fame caliber, has caught up to him and may have finally slowed him down a bit. He’s still a factor on the field, but not on the same level he once was. His final year of his contract is 2014 and in that year his cap hit will also be over 10 million dollars. The team very well could elect to let Polamalu go early to save the cap space.  The odds of this are 50/50. It would be a very hard decision to let one of the best players in team history walk and it’s a decision the team would much rather have Troy make on his own. However, if Troy thinks he can play in 2014 and wants to do so and the Steelers feel otherwise, we could have a re peat of the Hines Ward situation and that would be a shame.

We still have a long way to go before any of these possibilities every have a chance of resonating however as we approach the start of the 2013 training camp it’s worth looking at these players and appreciating all they have done for the black and gold over the years. Some may be back in 2014 and some may go but one thing is guaranteed, this will be the last year that all of these guys will play together and try to get ring number seven.