Hoyer (#8) could be a solid backup for the Steelers as they settle their Quarterback depth issue. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

Hoyer’s Career (2009-2011)

So who exactly is Brian Hoyer, and where did he come from?  Well for those of you readers unsure or unaware, Hoyer held the clipboard as Tom Brady’s top understudy in New England, and beat out three veteran Quarterbacks as an Undrafted Free Agent to make the team in 2009.  Over his three seasons in New England, Brian saw only a small amount of game-time (27 for 43, 286 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 80.2 QB Rating, 1 Rush TD), but was nevertheless able to work in one of the best environment’s for a young Quarterback.  It is not often that UDFA’s are exposed to the teachings and work-ethic of people like his Quarterbacks Coach/Offensive Coordinator Bill O’Brien and Ugg Spokesman and a Three-time Super Bowl winner like Brady.

Unfortunately for Hoyer, his time in New England ended prematurely and probably had everything to do with the rest of the then-Quarterback-needy teams passing on Ryan Mallett in the 2011 N.F.L. Draft.  Mallett, a guy I believed was the best pure-passer and possessed the best potential N.F.L. skill-set (arm-strength and knowledge of passing game) in that Draft Class lasted until the end of the 3rd Round that season due to some character concerns.  To their credit, the Patriots jumped at the chance to take a 1st-Round talent like Mallett so late in the Draft process, and used the luxury they had with Hoyer and Brady in front of him and allow their 3rd Round selection to develop.  This season however, New England felt like Mallett was their Quarterback of the future.  As the #3 Quarterback and set to make $1.9 million dollars (RFA Tender), Hoyer who became the odd-man-out this past August, and was cut.

How the Steelers & Hoyer Can Benefit

With Hoyer on the roster now, the Steelers can properly gauge how well the 4th year pro picks up the Offense and whether or not he can compete for a roster spot next season with six regular season games and an entire offseason under his belt.  Remember, both Batch (38 years old in 2013) and Leftwich (33 years old in 2013) will be potential Unrestricted Free Agents next season, and I have a hard time believing that the Steelers would bring both if either of them back unless Hoyer is a complete and total flop.  Plus, the former Spartan will have the chance to learn under Coordinator Todd Haley, Quarterbacks Coach Randy Fichtner, as well as Roethlisberger and maybe even one of the elder statesmen over the coming seasons as he continues his development.  If Hoyer eventually succeeds and earns a backup spot with the team, he could definitely help to shore up Pittsburgh’s backup Quarterback position and entrench himself as “The Guy..Behind The Guy” (“Swingers” reference I know) as the #2 Quarterback on Pittsburgh’s Depth Chart.

Final Thoughts

Pittsburgh needed to find some way to bolster their depth at Quarterback in the present and in the future, and I believe this move to sign Hoyer can accomplish both goals.  I simply want the Steelers to have some sort of capable, younger (sorry Charlie), and non-injury prone option to turn to if Roethlisberger ever goes down for a significant period of time in the future.  Although the 6’2″ 215 lb. Hoyer is not an elite athlete, he has learned from some of the best Teachers and Students at the craft (O’Brien & Brady), and has displayed enough of a skill-set to establish himself as a legitimate #2 on an N.F.L. roster.

Whether it is Hoyer or somebody else, the Steelers need to have a non-injury prone/non-elderly backup option behind Big Ben sooner as opposed to later.  This will be especially the case when Big Ben enters his mid-30′s and a decade-plus of hits and injuries begin to really take their toll.  If this situation eventually happens and Roethlisberger goes down again, I earnestly hope that Hoyer, another Free Agent, or another Draft Pick can fill in and play adequately.

Hoyer has a golden opportunity to learn and continue to develop behind and under some of the N.F.L.’s best in Pittsburgh.  With the uncertainty behind Big Ben, Hoyer will likely be given every chance to wrestle the #2 spot away from Batch and Leftwich between now and the beginning of the 2013 season as well.  I am crossing my fingers that this deal works out well for both parties.

Chime in Readers: Will the move to acquire Hoyer help?  What do you think of the move?  Should Leftwich or Batch, or both be allowed to walk after the season?  Should the Steelers sign/draft another Quarterback this offseason?  The floor is yours…

Figures and Stats Courtesy of: Spotrac.com Pro Football Reference.com, Team Rankings.com, and ESPN.com

Are the Steelers truly prepared for a scenario where Big Ben goes down for a significant period in 2012 or in the near future?  Furthermore, will the franchise be fully prepared to replace Big Ben entirely if his career ends unexpectedly, and sooner rather than later?

Big Ben starts his 9th season next month. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

Big Ben: 8 Years of Success Plus 8 Years of Pain

Ben Roethlisberger has made his mark as one of the most successful Quarterbacks of the last decade through his career so far.  A 2X Pro Bowler, a 3x AFC Champion, and a 2x Super Bowl champion, only Tom Brady has more rings as a starting Quarterback, and only Eli Manning has as many as Big Ben.  Not too shabby considering the parade of Quarterbacks Big Ben followed since Terry Bradshaw abruptly retired due to injury in 1983.  But Roethlisberger’s success has come at a great cost in terms of what his body has been put through.

From on field injuries which have included his throwing shoulder, head, knee, and foot, to off-field injuries like his motorcycle crash six years ago, it is somehow a miracle that Big Ben has lasted as long as he has, played in as many games as he has, and done so much behind terrible to inexperienced Offensive Lines for most of them.  To me, his performance in 2010 with a broken face and a broken foot against Baltimore to win the division was nothing short of outstanding.  And while football is a team effort and everybody involved in that game deserves a tip of the cap, only a special type of Quarterback with a pair of brass balls could take an illegal swipe to the face from a player like Haloti Ngata and not back down.

Big Ben’s tolerance for pain however is a bit of a double-edged sword, as he might be willing to play though injuries which require rest and time to heal and could be made worse through pushing it.  Take the news of his injured shoulder for instance.  Do you readers not think that with news about his shoulder that the opposition will not be gunning for Big Ben even more every week with this type of information?

I mean, while the Offensive Line has been upgraded by the addition of players like Mike Adams and David DeCastro, the oldest starter on the Offensive Line is Willie Colon who is 29, and Maurkice Pouncey is the second longest tenured starter at three years.  Sure the Line will be improved from a talent standpoint, but a gelling and adjustment period will have to take place, and Big Ben could be the recipient of some nasty hits in the process.  I just hope that new Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley can game plan around this weakness unlike his predecessor who thought that 5 and 7 step drops were just delightful with patch-work Offensive Line in front of his franchise Quarterback.  But until we see this Offense in action in the regular season over an extended period we will just have to wait.

As much as I would like to see Big Ben play another 8+ years in the League though, it probably will not happen.  The older that #7 inevitably gets, combined with the pounding which he has taken and the more hits he will eventually absorb in the future, he will likely not be able to play into his 40′s like a Brett Favre.  Then when you consider the severity of some of the significant injuries and beatings he has taken over the years, it is hard to see Roethlisberger playing well into his mid to late-30′s at a high level if at all.  If this is indeed the case and Big Ben is eventually forced to the sidelines for reasons similar to these in the near future, and the Steelers must look within if “big tree falls and big tree falls hard,” can Pittsburgh still play winning football?

Current Backup Situation 

To their credit, both Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich (the two QB’s which have the #2 and #3 jobs on lockdown) have done a decent job when asked to play during their careers in Pittsburgh.  Batch has a 5-2 record and has gone 120 for 208 for 11 TD’s and 8 INT’s from 2002-2011, while Leftwich has done a decent job (2 TD’s passing 1 rush) in the 6 games which he has played from 2008, 2010-2011.

But while Batch and Leftwich have performed admirably during their few chances with the team, they do have numerous questions surrounding them, and might not be the long-term answers as backups for big Ben.  Health and age might be the biggest issues facing both players as both have experienced injuries of their own, and both are at the end, or nearing the end of their careers.  The soon to be 38-year old Batch missed the entirety of the 2008 season with a bum collarbone, and missed the last half of 2009 with a wrist injury sustained in an Overtime loss to Kansas City.  Leftwich, 32, has been banged up even more than Batch the last two years though.  Byron sat out most of the 2010 season with a knee injury suffered in the preseason when he was believed to step in during Big Ben’s suspension, and did not play at all last year after suffering yet another preseason injury when he broke his arm in a nasty situation.

While both veterans will be on board for the 2012 season, and should hopefully be healthy, both players are not guarantees to stick around past this year due to their contract situations.  Batch and Leftwich will be Unrestricted Free Agents before the 2013 season begins, and are thus only signed through 2012.  Thus, if salary cap issues befall Pittsburgh yet again (they likely will) and veteran roster purges eventually take place, either Batch, Leftwich, or both could be on their way out of town if the team cannot afford to keep them.

If one or both of these veteran backups is gone or is injured again, Colbert & Co. in my opinion have to at least consider drafting a Quarterback to develop behind Big Ben next April or at least in the following one.  While they do not have to go after one on Day 1, the thought of finding an adequate backup for Randy Fichtner and Todd Haley to mold over the next few seasons, and possibly play in case Roethlisberger gets hurt should at least cross the Steelers brass’ minds.

Final Thoughts

This franchise made arguably its worst mistake (outside cutting Johnny Unitas) when it passed on Dan Marino in 1983 and did not consider the consequences of ignoring the team’s future at the most important position on the field.  Whether the franchise thought Terry Bradshaw had a lot left in the tank, the combo. of Mark Malone and Cliff Stoudt was good enough, or they just really needed a Defensive Tackle, they passed on Marino and the 80′s eventually became a decade of purgatory for the franchise.

As I stated before, I am not saying that the Steelers should use their First Round pick in next April’s draft on a Quarterback.  There are enough holes on this roster with either zero players at the position (tall, field-stretching WR), or do not have significant depth with any experience (Safety, Outside Linebacker) behind them.  This is a team in a transitional phase which for the next couple of seasons must address holes being left by veterans at important spots and those holes should be addressed as the Front Office sees fit.

I do however believe that the Steelers led by Colbert & Co. should seriously consider adding a Quarterback to groom to the roster next season or in 2014 which can challenge Batch, Leftwich, or both for the #3 job during his first Training Camp and the #2 job the following season.  There is no telling what can happen on “Any Given Sunday,” and if Big Ben is unable to answer the bell at some point during this season and beyond, the Steelers would be best served to cover all of their bases.  Overall, I just hope the Steelers are at least mulling over and adequately preparing for “Life after Ben,” and can act accordingly over the next few seasons just in case.

Time to chime in:  Should the Steelers take a QB at some point in 2013 and 2014?  Should they sign a veteran instead?  How long do you think Big Ben will play until career-wise?  Will he finish the 2012 season un-injured?  What happens if he goes down?

Statistics Provided By: ESPN.com and Pro Football Reference.com

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After last year’s Bengals anomaly, sanity has been restored to the AFC North.  The Pittsburgh Steelers face their first rematch of the season Sunday night with division supremacy hanging in the balance.  Across the field will be our bitter rivals, the Baltimore Ravens.

Since I already wrote a comprehensive Know Thy Enemy post earlier this season, I figured we’d change things up the second time around.  Conoon Kim over The Purple Chaos agreed to answer some questions about his beloved Ratbirds.  Just like last week, my questions in bold, his answers in italics.

STEELERS DEFENSE vs. RAVENS OFFENSE

When last we left Pitt reject Joe Flacco, he had thrown more picks (5) than touchdowns (4).  Since then, our pal Joey has gotten his act together enough to bring his ratio up to a fairly impressive 18/8.  Of course, Flacco always seems struggle against the Steelers and, until Bryan McFadden decided to let TJ Housyourdaddy sprint right past him, did so once again earlier this year.

So, Conoon, how would you assess the progress of your third year QB?

Flacco certainly didn’t meet the expectations that I had for him at the beginning of the season, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t progressed well. From a stand point of seeing how Flacco was a no-name quarterback from Delaware less than 3 years ago, I think he’s progressed tremendously well. The greatest thing is that he’s still young, so there is many years for him to continue improving. Yes, he has struggled against the Steelers, but I think it’s a little hump he will eventually get over.

Flacco will have a full complement of weapons at his disposal, including frequent nemesis Ray Rice. With the addition of so many talented receivers, Rice is having a bit of an off year with only 3 TDs (all rushing) to his credit.   He was terrible in our first meeting, mustering only one catch (where he usually does his damage) and a measly 20 rushing yards.

One thing of note, LT Michael Oher left last week’s game against Tampa after having his knee grotesquely contorted while caught up in a play.  He practiced with it heavily taped although is expected to play.  The Ravens did a good job keeping Flacco clean during the first meeting so a gimpy tackle protecting his blind side could be a break for the Black and Gold.  As we saw in that heartbreaking final drive, when the Steelers can’t get to the QB, bad things happen.

If by some unfortunate turn of events the Ratbirds manage to pull another win out of their ass, who on offense needs to come up big?

Offensively, it will be on the shoulders of Joe Flacco. As you mentioned above, Flacco has struggled against the Steelers. So he needs to step up, analyze the defense, recognize the blitz, quickly go through his progressions, and most importantly, not turn the ball over.

Defensively, the Steelers appear to be all hands on deck.  For three weeks now I’ve been saying Bret Keisel is ready to return and I’m pretty sure he’s going to give it a go this week.  He may have to since his replacement, Nick Eason, sprained his MCL against Buffalo.  B-Mac is nursing a sore hamstring which isn’t exactly the ideal injury for a pitifully slow corner.  He already provides comfy 5 yard cushions to everybody so slightly hobbled he may start backpedaling before the snap.

If for some reason he can’t go or is ineffective, Willie Gay will take his place with Anthony Madison taking over in the nickel.  We saw how well that worked out last week.  Although if Dick LeBeau decides to roll out his dime package again, I’d rather see Troy or Ryan Mundy line up as the fifth DB than the inept Kennan Lewis.

STEELERS OFFENSE vs. RAVENS DEFENSE

Since week 4, the Ravens have also lost twice.  Once to the Falcons and once to the hated Patriots.  In both cases, they held leads only to see them vanish thanks to stunning defensive breakdowns.  Against Atlanta, Matty Ice took his team 80 yards in less than a minute, capped by a 33 yard TD to Rowdy Roddy White.  Naturally, Ratbird fans whined about a push off that didn’t occur because they can never lose with dignity.  Meanwhile, the Patriots made up a 10 point deficit in the 4th quarter as Brady-to-Branch hooked up seven times, including twice in OT to set up the game winning field goal.

What aspect of your team has been the biggest disappointment this season?

The biggest disappointment about the Ravens is their lack of shut-down ability in the defensive backfield. Our corners are a huge weak link of the team, and it’s no secret. Luckily, Ed Reed has returned to give the corners some much-needed support. Still, even with Reed and the signing of CB Josh Wilson, the big pass plays have killed the Ravens all season long.

Good to know the Steelers aren’t the only ones with that problem.

How about what part of the team/player has been the most pleasant surprise?

The biggest surprise has been the dominant play by Ray Lewis. This season, he was a part of 4 different plays that sealed a “W” in 4 different games. Yeah, Lewis is a future Hall of Famer, but the guy is 35 years old and still making plays today. Just a couple weeks ago, he caught an interception and returned it for a touchdown. I never expected him to do what he’s done this season. 15 seasons in the NFL, and he’s still doing things that never fails to amaze me.

The fact that Ratbird fans love to call the never tried, never charged, never convicted Ben Roethlisberger a rapist yet refer to convicted murderer Ray Lewis as “God’s Linebacker” never fails to amaze me.

The Steelers have been getting crushed by zebras since the NFL’s crackdown on vicious hits.  As painful as it is to admit, the Ravens play a similar brand of smash mouth hard-hitting football.  How has your team fared?

I think the NFL has targeted a single player on the Steelers rather than the entire team itself. And it’s pretty obvious I’m referring to LB James Harrison. I think the biggest thing the NFL is concerned with is trying to avoid helmet-to-helmet collisions, which Harrison has been a part of on numerous occasions. So it’s not too much of a surprise that the NFL is after the player that tends to frequently lead with his helmet. Not many Ravens lead with their helmet, so it hasn’t been too much of a concern on our side.

Uh-huh.

Wonder how much he was fined for that… *Fires up the Google* Ngata, er, Nada.  Shocking.

Hmm…  I’m sensing a pattern.  Fine?  *Fires up the Google*  $10,000.  Yep, sounds about right.

If by some unfortunate series of events, the Ravens are to win, who on defense do you expect to have a big game?

Terrell Suggs. It’s going to come down to the pass rush, and Suggs needs to get to the QB. Even if he can’t get sacks, putting the pressure on Roethlisberger and keeping him in the pocket will be key to winning this game.

Of course, the big news on Big Ben is his foot injury.  News media are saying it’s broken.  The Steelers, who would never ever lie, say it’s not.  They claim it WAS broken some time in the past and he just broke some scar tissue.  The bottom line is he’s spent the week walking around in a boot and has a super duper steel plated reinforced shoe he’s going to wear on Sunday.

Ben is saying he will play and the Steelers are saying he will play.  Then again, his symptoms may magically worsen 48 hours before kickoff like they did last year when he bailed on a crucial season-altering Sunday night game with some phony made-up concussion.  Although I wouldn’t be surprised if his vagina foot injury became crippling hours before game time, I think the Big Drama Queen realizes he owes it to his team to man up after what he’s put them through the past two off-seasons.

The story of the first meeting was missed chances.  The Ravens turned it over twice and both drives ended when brand new 49er Skippy Reed missed FGs.  If the Steelers convert either of those, the outcome is radically different.  With Rashard Mendenhall and Hines Ward coming off their best games of the season and the Ravens giving up big pass plays (Hello, Mike Wallace), all we need is a QB capable of taking advantage of those opportunities.

According to the annoying ticker which runs along the bottom of ESPN’s screen, the winner of this game has almost a 90% chance of winning the AFC North.  So unlike in past weeks when I’ve said a game is big, this game really is BIG.  With only one tough game on the horizon (Jets), the Steelers would have the inside track to a division title and possible first round bye with a victory.  A loss and they’d need to basically run the table and hope for a Baltimore stumble just to win the division.

While Steeler Nation holds their collective breath awaiting the verdict on Ben Roethlisberger‘s head injury, yet more quarterbacking issues have cropped up for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Backup Charlie Batch somehow broke his wrist during his brief stint on Sunday. He’s undergoing surgery and is basically lost for the season. This is yet another unfortunate setback for Charlie, who broke his clavicle in a preseason game causing him to miss all of last year.  At 34 years of age, this may be the end of his days as an active player.  If so, I’m sure we’ll still see him patrolling the sidelines on Sunday in some coaching capacity.

In the meantime, the backup spot now falls to second year man Dennis Dixon. A fifth round draft pick out of Oregon in 2008, Dixon has completed one pass in his NFL career. Still, Dix is an amazing athlete who many thought would be a 1st round draft pick until he tore his ACL in the middle of his senior season. He made some incredible plays last preseason to where I was giddy over having Slash 2.0 on our hands.  Then this year he regressed, looking confused, erratic, and showing poor mechanics.

I guess that’s one way to get Bruce Arians to call more running plays.

Batch evidently isn’t being placed on IR, which would prevent him from coming back should the Steelers advance in the playoffs. It also means the team can’t add a third QB without cutting somebody from the active roster. So it seems they will be going with only two quarterbacks for the time being. This means if separate calamities should strike down both Ben and Dix, the man behind center for the Black and Gold will be none other than Hines Ward.

The Steelers will be signing a third QB to their practice squad.   Teams need three QBs because somebody has to lead the third stringers against the first team defense in practice.  You don’t want to waste time by having your top two QBs throwing balls right at Ike Taylor so he can perfect dropping sure interceptions.  The man charged with this difficult task will be familiar to Pittsburgh football fans.

Tyler Palko has returned.   Palko, a state champion at West Allegheny High, quarterbacked Pitt for three seasons.  While at the University of Pittsburgh, he beat out current Ratbirds star Joe Flacco for the starting job in The Stache’s first season.  Palko went undrafted but managed to hook on with the Saints in 2007 and spent most of the year on their  practice squad.  I didn’t care for Palko when he was here but I always like to see a local boy sign with the hometown team.  And to be fair, he did show flashes of brilliance although he was frustratingly inconsistent.

Finally, there’s still been no official word on Ben.  Speculation abounds that he’ll be cleared to play on Sunday night. We all know Ben thinks he’s Unbreakable but I hope the Steelers are wise enough to sit him down if there’s even the slightest hint of a lingering affect from this latest head injury. Between the motorcycle accident, Bill Cowher rushing him back that year to take a vicious beating, the 90-something sacks over the past three seasons, and now this “concussion oriented thing,” I fear his brain may be rapidly approaching the consistency of rice pudding.

Tune in tomorrow for the next episode of “As The Quarterback Turns…”