Leftwich setting sights on top QB spot

[hawaiiansteel]

Setting sights on top spot

By Teresa Varley – Steelers.com
5-18-2010





The Steelers OTAs picked up where they left off at the end of mini-camp, with quarterback Byron Leftwich working with the first team over Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch. And Leftwich is seizing every opportunity he gets to show the coaches why he should open the season as the starter while Ben Roethlisberger serves a six-game suspension.

“It’s our job to go out there and execute the plays the way they are supposed to be executed,” said Leftwich. “We all understand that. Ben has been in that huddle a long time now. But with the circumstances that exist somebody has to be in there. I am going to work my tail off and try to be the guy.”

He got a late start on the competition for the job, coming to the Steelers via trade on April 20, but is using the OTAs to catch up.

“We all have to get ready,” said Leftwich. “Bottom line he is going to miss those games and somebody is going to have to play. My mindset is if I am the guy then make sure we don’t miss a beat. That is the only thing I think about every day, make sure I pick up everything they put in when I wasn’t here last year and try to learn as fast as I can. That is going smoothly. Now it’s getting acclimated to the guys. That’s what I am trying to do now.”

Leftwich played with the Steelers in 2008 when the team won Super Bowl XLIII, but signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following offseason. While he is familiar with most of the Steelers offense, he still needs to work on some of the intricacies as well as his timing with the receivers.

“I believe they have confidence in me,” said Leftwich of his teammates. “I am not new to these guys. I have been around these guys. They have seen the work I put in. Now it’s our job to work our butts off to make sure we get our timing down, make sure we understand each other. When you look at all of the teams that are good, especially offensively, they have been together a long time. That is where they establish chemistry. We just have to speed it up and see what happens.”

The Steelers have 11 OTAs left before they get a break prior to training camp, so this is a key time for the quarterbacks to step their game up and show why they should get the majority of the snaps during training camp.

“Coach Tomlin is going to make a decision,” said Leftwich, who has slimmed down but declined to say what he weighs now. “I try to every time I step on the field be the best quarterback out there. I am quite sure that is all Charlie and Dennis do too. We are all competing to try to play. We all want to be the guy.

“When they make the decision, we all have so much respect for Coach Tomlin and this organization we all know it’s the right decision, the best decision for the team. From that standpoint we are just working our tails off and we’ll see what happens.”

Leftwich completed 21 of 36 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns with the Steelers in 2008 as a back-up to Roethlisberger, a role he never took for granted and approached as if the job were his.

“I understand what it takes,” said Leftwich. “Last time I was here we won the Super Bowl. It takes a lot of guys to do that. I wasn’t a starter, but I came in every day and prepared myself as if I was a starter. You never know what is going to happen, especially in this league. You always have to be ready. That is my mindset.”

[url="http://www.steelers.com/news/article...e-e1eee23f9267"]http://www.steelers.com/news/article...e-e1eee23f9267[/url]

[fezziwig]

Lefty should eye the spot and I'm sure the Steelers know already he is the go to guy at the start of the season.

[hawaiiansteel]

On the Steelers: Will Leftwich rule the roost?

Wednesday, May 19, 2010
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette





The chickens don't come home to roost for another 31/2 months when the NFL season opens, and Mike Tomlin says he's nowhere near ready to declare who will be the Steelers' starting quarterback for the first quarter-season.

But there is a pecking order, even with the big bird not around.

The arrangement remains Byron Leftwich No. 1, Dennis Dixon No. 2, Charlie Batch No. 3 and Ben Roethlisberger in limbo.

That's the way it was in minicamp 21/2 weeks ago, and how they lined up again when spring practice resumed Tuesday.

Tomlin has said he'd know his new starter as training camp opened, but Monday referred to it differently.

"We'll go in with a pecking order, if you will, and the opportunities to show what you're capable of will be based on that pecking order," the coach said after practice. "All guys will be given an opportunity, not an equal opportunity, that's just the nature of this game, the nature of this business. I will make those judgments based on intuition and knowledge I have of the men at an appropriate time and we'll proceed. They'll understand that and move forward."

Roethlisberger still has not taken those forward steps because NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has not cleared him to rejoin his teammates. The starting quarterback will miss at least the first four games of the 16-game NFL season, a suspension Goodell levied for incidents involving Roethlisberger March 4-5 in Georgia. Goodell presumably is reviewing the behavior evaluation Roethlisberger underwent before he allows him to return to the team.

"I'm just going to wait for word from New York just like everyone else," Tomlin said, "and I'm not going to speculate until I get that word."

While Tomlin said Roethlisberger's absence from practices is less critical than it might be for others, he's not confident his quarterback can get work he needs while being away from the team.

"It would be unintelligent of me to say that him [not] being here is not significant when I'm in the process of recruiting others to be here," Tomlin said. "So I'm not stupid. ... It is important to work, that's why we work."

Confidence is not something lacking in Leftwich, who has had his ups and downs in the NFL since he was Jacksonville's starter. He relieved Roethlisberger in two games in 2008 and the Steelers won both on the way to a Super Bowl championship. After one down 2009 season in Tampa, he's back and has the look of the favorite in the quarter-season quarterback derby.

"We all understand that Ben has been in that huddle for a long time now," Leftwich said. "He's been their guy for a long time, but the circumstances that exist, somebody's got to be in there, so I'm going to work my tail off and try to be the guy."

Leftwich said he does not see the job as his to lose.

"I don't have to do that. The way I approach it doesn't really matter. Coach Tomlin will make that decision. I try every time I step on this field to be the best quarterback out there. I'm sure that's all Charlie does and that's all Dennis does."

Quick hits

Troy Polamalu was not among those who practiced Tuesday and is presumably back in California working out. Polamalu had been through the first two practices April 19-20 and then the three-day minicamp. Said Tomlin, "I tend to focus on the guys who are here. ... As I coach you can be a miserable person worried about the ones who aren't." ... Rookie defensive lineman Doug Worthington cannot attend until his Ohio State classwork is finished in June.

[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10139/1059147-66.stm"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10139/1059147-66.stm[/url]

[hawaiiansteel]

Planned uncertainty ... the QB strategy

Who do Tomlin and Arians ready and what do they get him ready for?

Sunday, May 23, 2010
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette





Byron Leftwich, right, took most of the snaps during the team's three days of organized team activities at their South Side practice facility last week.


The ongoing state of affairs at quarterback for the Steelers not only remains captivating in a provincial Pittsburgh sense, it may be unique to the history of the National Football League.

If another pro team ever had to prepare for a season under these conditions with its quarterback, those who have been around for a while cannot remember one. Not even Bill Nunn, the longtime Steelers scout who goes back to the 1950s as a newspaper man covering the sport before he joined the Steelers, could remember a situation quite like this.

The Steelers must prepare a quarterback to start the first four games of the season knowing he will be benched as soon as their regular quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, returns presumably for the fifth game. Coach Mike Tomlin has not even decided which quarterback will play those first four games. At least he says he has not. At the same time, Tomlin wants to avoid having a flat-out competition for that job in training camp.

And what will he do with Roethlisberger once he returns for spring practices, never mind the larger issue of how he will use him in training camp and preseason games? Does he run him with the third team, get him work with the first? And when does he play in the preseason? Once the season begins, Roethlisberger must leave the Steelers entirely for the first month, so the training he gets in August could be lost by the time he returns in October.

Other teams have experienced similar circumstances at other positions such as wide receiver, but not quarterback.

Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians says they have to proceed "the same as when they're injured." Yet, they will have Roethlisberger during camp and presumably he won't be sitting on the water cooler every practice. Also, there is the difference in styles among the various quarterbacks that include Byron Leftwich, Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch.

"You have an offense that you hope is broad enough that can fit each guy's style, what he does best, and you don't ask guys to do things they can't do," Arians said as to how his offense might take advantage of each quarterback's strengths. "That's the key to all offenses; you take your personnel, you find out what we can do and it's broad enough if an injury occurs here or there, which always happens -- like Dennis in Baltimore, being the [No. 3], having something where he has a chance to win the game. This is the process of going through all that."

Dixon performed well enough in Baltimore even though the coaches tried to limit his ability to run because they feared an injury with only a concussed Roethlisberger and inexperienced Tyler Palko behind him.

During this spring, Arians is not adapting his offense for any quarterback but trying to determine what their strengths and weaknesses are in that offense.

"This time of year you find out what they can do," Arians said. "You keep stretching the envelope and say, 'OK, this is the offense, everybody's doing it,' and then you just make mental notes as you go along: 'He really struggles with that throw or he really struggles with that footwork, or this type of read' or letting him change protections. So if and when the time comes to call on one you can tailor your game plan to fit him."

There is no blueprint for this type of situation because there has never been this kind of situation.

"I wouldn't say it's weird, but it is different," Batch said. "I think how we handle it, maybe other teams will look at how it works. But it may never happen again but because it's a first."

Going fullback in time

There are strong opinions when the topic of a Steelers fullback is broached, and what that position means to the team's running game. Many call the use of a pure blocking fullback "Steelers football," as if that is how they've played the game for years.

That style of offense, however, is only of more recent Steelers vintage.

It was not until Tim Lester joined the team in 1995 that they began using a pure lead blocker at fullback, and Lester did not play much that Super Bowl season. John L. Williams was used more at fullback in '95; he was not a pure blocker but more of the type of fullback who caught passes and ran with the ball. Williams actually led the team in '94 with 51 receptions, a year in which he also ran for 317 yards on 68 carries.

Chuck Noll's teams rarely used someone in the backfield merely to block. Under his split-back offense, Noll's fullbacks were the lead runners, not blockers. Franco Harris was the fullback in Noll's offenses. Merrill Hoge led the Steelers three times in rushing by '90 yet by '92 he was used as the "fullback" by Bill Cowher's offensive coordinator, Ron Erhardt, and not their lead runner. Hoge remained in that role until Williams joined them in '94.

So it was only in '96 that the Steelers began adopting the idea of using a true blocker at fullback, starting with Lester, moving on to Jon Witman and then to Dan Kreider. The position morphed to the point that the coaches rarely considered their fullback for anything other than to block. In 2004 when the Steelers rediscovered their ground game and averaged 154 yards rushing, Kreider ran four times for 18 yards.

[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10143/1060189-66.stm"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10143/1060189-66.stm[/url]

[fezziwig]

On the Steelers: Will Leftwich rule the roost?

Wednesday, May 19, 2010
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette





The chickens don't come home to roost for another 31/2 months when the NFL season opens, and Mike Tomlin says he's nowhere near ready to declare who will be the Steelers' starting quarterback for the first quarter-season.

But there is a pecking order, even with the big bird not around.

The arrangement remains Byron Leftwich No. 1, Dennis Dixon No. 2, Charlie Batch No. 3 and Ben Roethlisberger in limbo.

That's the way it was in minicamp 21/2 weeks ago, and how they lined up again when spring practice resumed Tuesday.

Tomlin has said he'd know his new starter as training camp opened, but Monday referred to it differently.

"We'll go in with a pecking order, if you will, and the opportunities to show what you're capable of will be based on that pecking order," the coach said after practice. "All guys will be given an opportunity, not an equal opportunity, that's just the nature of this game, the nature of this business. I will make those judgments based on intuition and knowledge I have of the men at an appropriate time and we'll proceed. They'll understand that and move forward."

Roethlisberger still has not taken those forward steps because NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has not cleared him to rejoin his teammates. The starting quarterback will miss at least the first four games of the 16-game NFL season, a suspension Goodell levied for incidents involving Roethlisberger March 4-5 in Georgia. Goodell presumably is reviewing the behavior evaluation Roethlisberger underwent before he allows him to return to the team.

"I'm just going to wait for word from New York just like everyone else," Tomlin said, "and I'm not going to speculate until I get that word."

While Tomlin said Roethlisberger's absence from practices is less critical than it might be for others, he's not confident his quarterback can get work he needs while being away from the team.

"It would be unintelligent of me to say that him [not] being here is not significant when I'm in the process of recruiting others to be here," Tomlin said. "So I'm not stupid. ... It is important to work, that's why we work."

Confidence is not something lacking in Leftwich, who has had his ups and downs in the NFL since he was Jacksonville's starter. He relieved Roethlisberger in two games in 2008 and the Steelers won both on the way to a Super Bowl championship. After one down 2009 season in Tampa, he's back and has the look of the favorite in the quarter-season quarterback derby.

"We all understand that Ben has been in that huddle for a long time now," Leftwich said. "He's been their guy for a long time, but the circumstances that exist, somebody's got to be in there, so I'm going to work my tail off and try to be the guy."

Leftwich said he does not see the job as his to lose.

"I don't have to do that. The way I approach it doesn't really matter. Coach Tomlin will make that decision. I try every time I step on this field to be the best quarterback out there. I'm sure that's all Charlie does and that's all Dennis does."

Quick hits

Troy Polamalu was not among those who practiced Tuesday and is presumably back in California working out. Polamalu had been through the first two practices April 19-20 and then the three-day minicamp. Said Tomlin, "I tend to focus on the guys who are here. ... As I coach you can be a miserable person worried about the ones who aren't." ... Rookie defensive lineman Doug Worthington cannot attend until his Ohio State classwork is finished in June.

[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10139/1059147-66.stm"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10139/1059147-66.stm[/url]

I'm serious when I ask this, is that really Leftwich or did someone slap Gary Colemans head on his body ? I thought I knew what Leftwich looked like but right there, he looks like Gary. I know, I know what, you talken about Willis ?

[hawaiiansteel]

On the Steelers: Will Leftwich rule the roost?

Wednesday, May 19, 2010
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette





The chickens don't come home to roost for another 31/2 months when the NFL season opens, and Mike Tomlin says he's nowhere near ready to declare who will be the Steelers' starting quarterback for the first quarter-season.

But there is a pecking order, even with the big bird not around.

The arrangement remains Byron Leftwich No. 1, Dennis Dixon No. 2, Charlie Batch No. 3 and Ben Roethlisberger in limbo.

That's the way it was in minicamp 21/2 weeks ago, and how they lined up again when spring practice resumed Tuesday.

Tomlin has said he'd know his new starter as training camp opened, but Monday referred to it differently.

"We'll go in with a pecking order, if you will, and the opportunities to show what you're capable of will be based on that pecking order," the coach said after practice. "All guys will be given an opportunity, not an equal opportunity, that's just the nature of this game, the nature of this business. I will make those judgments based on intuition and knowledge I have of the men at an appropriate time and we'll proceed. They'll understand that and move forward."

Roethlisberger still has not taken those forward steps because NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has not cleared him to rejoin his teammates. The starting quarterback will miss at least the first four games of the 16-game NFL season, a suspension Goodell levied for incidents involving Roethlisberger March 4-5 in Georgia. Goodell presumably is reviewing the behavior evaluation Roethlisberger underwent before he allows him to return to the team.

"I'm just going to wait for word from New York just like everyone else," Tomlin said, "and I'm not going to speculate until I get that word."

While Tomlin said Roethlisberger's absence from practices is less critical than it might be for others, he's not confident his quarterback can get work he needs while being away from the team.

"It would be unintelligent of me to say that him [not] being here is not significant when I'm in the process of recruiting others to be here," Tomlin said. "So I'm not stupid. ... It is important to work, that's why we work."

Confidence is not something lacking in Leftwich, who has had his ups and downs in the NFL since he was Jacksonville's starter. He relieved Roethlisberger in two games in 2008 and the Steelers won both on the way to a Super Bowl championship. After one down 2009 season in Tampa, he's back and has the look of the favorite in the quarter-season quarterback derby.

"We all understand that Ben has been in that huddle for a long time now," Leftwich said. "He's been their guy for a long time, but the circumstances that exist, somebody's got to be in there, so I'm going to work my tail off and try to be the guy."

Leftwich said he does not see the job as his to lose.

"I don't have to do that. The way I approach it doesn't really matter. Coach Tomlin will make that decision. I try every time I step on this field to be the best quarterback out there. I'm sure that's all Charlie does and that's all Dennis does."

Quick hits

Troy Polamalu was not among those who practiced Tuesday and is presumably back in California working out. Polamalu had been through the first two practices April 19-20 and then the three-day minicamp. Said Tomlin, "I tend to focus on the guys who are here. ... As I coach you can be a miserable person worried about the ones who aren't." ... Rookie defensive lineman Doug Worthington cannot attend until his Ohio State classwork is finished in June.

[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10139/1059147-66.stm"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10139/1059147-66.stm[/url]

I'm serious when I ask this, is that really Leftwich or did someone slap Gary Colemans head on his body ? I thought I knew what Leftwich looked like but right there, he looks like Gary. I know, I know what, you talken about Willis ?

[LordVile]

On the Steelers: Will Leftwich rule the roost?

Wednesday, May 19, 2010
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette





The chickens don't come home to roost for another 31/2 months when the NFL season opens, and Mike Tomlin says he's nowhere near ready to declare who will be the Steelers' starting quarterback for the first quarter-season.

But there is a pecking order, even with the big bird not around.

The arrangement remains Byron Leftwich No. 1, Dennis Dixon No. 2, Charlie Batch No. 3 and Ben Roethlisberger in limbo.

That's the way it was in minicamp 21/2 weeks ago, and how they lined up again when spring practice resumed Tuesday.

Tomlin has said he'd know his new starter as training camp opened, but Monday referred to it differently.

"We'll go in with a pecking order, if you will, and the opportunities to show what you're capable of will be based on that pecking order," the coach said after practice. "All guys will be given an opportunity, not an equal opportunity, that's just the nature of this game, the nature of this business. I will make those judgments based on intuition and knowledge I have of the men at an appropriate time and we'll proceed. They'll understand that and move forward."

Roethlisberger still has not taken those forward steps because NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has not cleared him to rejoin his teammates. The starting quarterback will miss at least the first four games of the 16-game NFL season, a suspension Goodell levied for incidents involving Roethlisberger March 4-5 in Georgia. Goodell presumably is reviewing the behavior evaluation Roethlisberger underwent before he allows him to return to the team.

"I'm just going to wait for word from New York just like everyone else," Tomlin said, "and I'm not going to speculate until I get that word."

While Tomlin said Roethlisberger's absence from practices is less critical than it might be for others, he's not confident his quarterback can get work he needs while being away from the team.

"It would be unintelligent of me to say that him [not] being here is not significant when I'm in the process of recruiting others to be here," Tomlin said. "So I'm not stupid. ... It is important to work, that's why we work."

Confidence is not something lacking in Leftwich, who has had his ups and downs in the NFL since he was Jacksonville's starter. He relieved Roethlisberger in two games in 2008 and the Steelers won both on the way to a Super Bowl championship. After one down 2009 season in Tampa, he's back and has the look of the favorite in the quarter-season quarterback derby.

"We all understand that Ben has been in that huddle for a long time now," Leftwich said. "He's been their guy for a long time, but the circumstances that exist, somebody's got to be in there, so I'm going to work my tail off and try to be the guy."

Leftwich said he does not see the job as his to lose.

"I don't have to do that. The way I approach it doesn't really matter. Coach Tomlin will make that decision. I try every time I step on this field to be the best quarterback out there. I'm sure that's all Charlie does and that's all Dennis does."

Quick hits

Troy Polamalu was not among those who practiced Tuesday and is presumably back in California working out. Polamalu had been through the first two practices April 19-20 and then the three-day minicamp. Said Tomlin, "I tend to focus on the guys who are here. ... As I coach you can be a miserable person worried about the ones who aren't." ... Rookie defensive lineman Doug Worthington cannot attend until his Ohio State classwork is finished in June.

[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10139/1059147-66.stm"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10139/1059147-66.stm[/url]

I'm serious when I ask this, is that really Leftwich or did someone slap Gary Colemans head on his body ? I thought I knew what Leftwich looked like but right there, he looks like Gary. I know, I know what, you talken about Willis ?

HAHA, me and my buddy always have called him Gary Coleman.

[fordfixer]

Gary Coleman Arrested for Domestic Violence
[url="http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/24/gary-coleman-arrested-domestic-violence/"]http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/24/gary-cole ... -violence/[/url]
Originally posted Jan 24th 2010 2:44 PM PST by TMZ Staff


Law enforcement in Santaquin, UT says they were called to Coleman's house for a domestic disturbance. They found no crime was committed, but he was was picked up because of a warrant stemming from a prior incident.

The jailer told TMZ the warrant for which Coleman was arrested was for domestic violence incident in 2009. Coleman was cited, but never showed up for court, thus the warrant.

He is currently being held on $1,725 bail.

Monday morning update -- Gary Coleman is still in custody. On Sunday night, he had a hot dog, chili, and some vegetables for dinner.

[HeHateMe]

I would Rather be known as a Gary Coleman Look alike than a RAPIST

[RuthlessBurgher]

Gary Coleman Arrested for Domestic Violence
[url="http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/24/gary-coleman-arrested-domestic-violence/"]http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/24/gary-cole ... -violence/[/url]
Originally posted Jan 24th 2010 2:44 PM PST by TMZ Staff


Law enforcement in Santaquin, UT says they were called to Coleman's house for a domestic disturbance. They found no crime was committed, but he was was picked up because of a warrant stemming from a prior incident.

The jailer told TMZ the warrant for which Coleman was arrested was for domestic violence incident in 2009. Coleman was cited, but never showed up for court, thus the warrant.

He is currently being held on $1,725 bail.

Monday morning update -- Gary Coleman is still in custody. On Sunday night, he had a hot dog, chili, and some vegetables for dinner.

I love the Monday morning update letting us know what Gary Coleman had for dinner on Sunday night!