Batch thinks Steelers might groom Landry Jones to replace Ben

[hawaiiansteel]

Batch thinks Steelers might groom Jones to replace Roethlisberger

Posted by Mike Florio on April 29, 2013



With the arrival of quarterback Bruce Gradkowski via free agency and quarterback Landry Jones via the fourth round of the 2013 draft, it’s highly unlikely that Charlie Batch’s 11-year run with the team will continue.

So Batch can speak his mind. That’s precisely what he did regarding the team’s decision to draft Jones.

“Ultimately, I think this isn’t about replacing me,” Batch told Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Big picture, maybe they’re thinking, ‘Can we develop Landry Jones to be the starter? Maybe two years from now, he could be our guy for the next 10 years.’ We don’t know. But with the contracts for quarterbacks these days, he’d certainly be a heck of a lot cheaper than Ben at age 34 or 35 or 36.”

Batch has a point, to an extent.. As quarterback cap numbers grow while the salary cap doesn’t, it’s getting harder to build a team around the guy who throws the ball.

Still, G.M. Kevin Colbert didn’t sound like a guy who is thinking about moving on from Roethlisberger during last week’s visit to PFT Live.

“You look at the great quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, they’re in their mid-30s, and Ben’s just 31,” Colbert said. “We think there’s a lot of football and we hope there’s a lot of football left in him, and hopefully it’s even better than he’s been for us. It’s our job to maximize these years that he has left, and we really think that he has a nice stretch in him.”

Of course, no one would expect the Steelers to declare an intention to go cheaper and younger at quarterback without knowing that they have someone who would be as good if not better than Ben. But if Jones shows the organization enough in the next two or three years, maybe Batch’s suspicions will be proven right.

[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/29/batch-thinks-steelers-might-groom-jones-to-replace-roethlisberger/[/URL]

[flippy]

I thought it was weird when they interview Mike T on the NFLN during the draft and someone asked him if he told Ben they were drafting a QB and would Ben be concerned.

It sounded as kooky as Charlie sounds now.

[hawaiiansteel]

not sure how this writer can come to the conclusion that this was a wasted pick no matter what. what about if Landry Jones develops into our next frachise QB?

The Steel Mill

Instant Analysis (LANDRY JONES)

April 27th, 2013



The Steelers haven’t selected a quarterback as high as Landry Jones since they took Ben Roethlisberger with the 11th overall pick in the 2004 draft.

Jones marks just the third quarterback — Omar Jacobs and Dennis Dixon — since the Steelers selected Roethlisberger when they drafted the Oklahoma quarterback with the 115th pick (fourth round) on Saturday.

“I am going to come in and compete as hard as I can and try to win the job,” Jones said. “At the end of the day this is going to be a great opportunity for me whether I play quick or whether I have to sit and wait a couple years.”

The Steelers felt that they needed to get younger at the position and that’s what they accomplished over the past few months. They replaced 33-year-old Byron Leftwich and 38-year-old Charlie Batch with 24-year-old Jones and 30-year-old Bruce Gradkowski (signed as free agent).

“It was just time to start grooming a young player, to freshen up the room, if you will,” quarterback coach Randy Fichtner said. “This now gives Ben an opportunity to share his experiences and that’s an exciting time.”

When it comes to the Jones pick, that’s the only benefit I see in it is that they got younger.

A fourth round pick is a pretty hefty price to pay for a guy that you HOPE never plays. And if he does play, you are probably not going to be a contender for the Super Bowl anyways.

With a team that has so many needs like inside linebacker, tight end, corner and even another receiver, it feels like a wasted opportunity to address one of those needs with a quarterback in the fourth round.

To me, it would’ve made more sense to wait a year on the quarterback and use an influx of possible compensatory picks next year to be able to address a position that isn’t an immediate need.

Instant analysis: Wasted pick even if he does turn out to be good down the road. Other issues needed to be addressed before addressing a backup quarterback.

[URL]http://blog.triblive.com/steel-mill/2013/04/27/instant-analysis-landry-jones/[/URL]

[papillon]

The Steelers are doing what they believe is best for the team and I don't know what all the angst for drafting Jones is all about. If he turns into a franchise quarterback, great, if he's a career backup, that's great as well, because he'll be here for the rest of Ben's HOF career and the Steelers don't have to worry about a backup. If he develops and Ben continues to play HOF caliber football then the Steelers can trade him for a player they need or draft picks.

I just don't see the downside to this draft pick at all.

Pappy

[ikestops85]

I think all the hubbub about us drafting a QB in the 4th to be just stupid. The Giants did the exact same thing in the exact same round. Do you really think they would replace Eli? Hell no! It is just a smart football decision. We need a reliable backup for Ben so we went out and got one. End of story.

[phillyesq]

The QB is the most important position on the field, and given the amount of games that Ben misses, an investment in a backup is wise. I don't question the use of a 4th round pick on a QB, but I do question the Steelers selection a bit. I was not a big fan of Jones as a QB, but I wish him the best.

Best case is he either turns into a really good backup or a Matt Schaub type situation presents itself, and the Steelers trade him for a healthy return. Worst case is that he's a bust, but he wouldn't be the first fourth round bust selected by the Steelers (Fred Gibson and Orien Harris spring to mind).

[Oviedo]

The QB is the most important position on the field, and given the amount of games that Ben misses, an investment in a backup is wise. I don't question the use of a 4th round pick on a QB, but I do question the Steelers selection a bit. I was not a big fan of Jones as a QB, but I wish him the best.

Best case is he either turns into a really good backup or a Matt Schaub type situation presents itself, and the Steelers trade him for a healthy return. Worst case is that he's a bust, but he wouldn't be the first fourth round bust selected by the Steelers (Fred Gibson and Orien Harris spring to mind).

Jones is going to surpise you. Plan to be happy. I think we got the best QB in the draft. Oklahoma didn't help him the last couple of seasons forcing the ball down the field. Haley can groom him for the offense and he is going to thrive.

[Dee Dub]

Jones is going to surpise you. Plan to be happy. I think we got the best QB in the draft. Oklahoma didn't help him the last couple of seasons forcing the ball down the field. Haley can groom him for the offense and he is going to thrive.

Bill Polian agrees with you. I think he is going to be an above average QB in the NFL. and one way or the other he is going to net a great return for the Steelers.

[phillyesq]

Jones is going to surpise you. Plan to be happy. I think we got the best QB in the draft. Oklahoma didn't help him the last couple of seasons forcing the ball down the field. Haley can groom him for the offense and he is going to thrive.

I would love nothing more than to be wrong about my initial assessment of Jones.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Jones is going to surpise you. Plan to be happy. I think we got the best QB in the draft. Oklahoma didn't help him the last couple of seasons forcing the ball down the field. Haley can groom him for the offense and he is going to thrive.

Ovi, I agree completely, 100%. I also think we got the best QB in the draft - albiet an average class compared the the last few. What we hope happens is we don't have to use him any time soon and he has a couple of seasons to sit, learn and eliminate any bad habits. Ideally, he becomes our Aaron Rodgers who sits, is groomed and in 3 or 4 seasons, he's seen it all.

On the other article, why a guy would say a 4th round QB is a waste apparently doesn't remember the Pats taking Brady to sit behind Bledsoe... I get that it's a guy you hope doesn't play, but, if you believe his talent is worth it, you spend the 4th. Can't imagine the guy saying "#3 TE is more important than having a potential heir apparent at QB... Who allows these idiots to put this crap out there...

Honestly, I hope manny sanders outperforms anything Wallace ever did and Markus "Chuck E" Wheaton doesn't have to play. But, the reality is, you want good players behind starters, so you can continue the next man up philosophy.

He said, "And if he does play, you are probably not going to be a contender for the Super Bowl anyways." Again, was Tom Brady replacing Bledsoe that long ago that we all forget that it IS possible for a mid-to-late round QB to actually succeed in this league? He must be like 12.

Am I calling Landry the next Tom Brady? Nope. Just saying "that's why they play the game". Let's see the kid play before we cut him...

[BigRob]

The reality is that our season was de-railed by injuries to Big Ben last year. Leftwich Ravens game, Batch's Browns game. Big Ben misses too many games not to have a young up and coming QB behind him.

Gradkowski will fill the role of a veteran that can win a game for you, but the next year (hopefully) it will be Landry Jones stepping in to get some exposure and win a game or two.

3 or 4 years down the line, hopefully he shows enough to warrant keeping for the long haul.

[feltdizz]

Jones is going to surpise you. Plan to be happy. I think we got the best QB in the draft.

What the hell is wrong with you Ovi?

Matt Barkley is the best QB in this draft

[hawaiiansteel]

What the hell is wrong with you Ovi?

Matt Barkley is the best QB in this draft

Matt Barkley's selection shook up the entire 3rd day of the draft...

[hawaiiansteel]

Ed: NFL History Shows Rookie QB Won't Succeed Ben

WEDNESDAY, 01 MAY 2013 WRITTEN BY ED BOUCHETTE

Good May Day morning,

So Charlie Batch believes the Steelers drafted Landry Jones to ultimately replace Ben Roethlisberger. If that were the case, the Steelers should try the lottery instead because they’d have a better chance finding Roethlisberger's successor with the $20 scratch-offs.

Here is a list of quarterbacks who were drafted in the fourth round or later through 2009 who were still in the NFL in 2012: Josh Johnson, Matt Flynn, Isaiah Stanback, Tyler Thigpen, Brad Smith, Bruce Gradkowski, Kyle Orton, Dan Orlovsky, Derek Anderson, Matt Cassel, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Luke McCown, Matt Hasselbeck, Tom Brady.

Hasselbeck and Brady, both sixth-round draft picks, were the best. Hasselbeck, drafted by Green Bay, made three Pro Bowls with Seattle and Brady is going to the Hall of Fame.

Cassel, drafted in the seventh round by New England, played one season for the Patriots when Brady was hurt, was traded to Kansas City and has since been replaced. He made one Pro Bowl.

Fitzpatrick, drafted by St. Louis in the seventh round in 2005, finally became a starter with his third team, the Buffalo Bills, who just drafted his replacement in the first round.

Anderson, drafted by Baltimore in the sixth round in 2005, actually became a starter for the Browns in his second season, but that didn’t last and he was with his third team last year.

Orton, drafted in the fourth round by Chicago in 2005, started as a rookie, was hurt, started again in 2008, and then was traded to Denver, where he started 2 1/2 seasons before they brought in Peyton Manning. Last year, Orton was on his fourth team, appearing in one game with the Cowboys.

Gradkowski, drafted in the sixth round by Tampa Bay in 2006, started 11 games for the Bucs as a rookie, started none in his second season and never became a regular again. He is a backup with his fifth team, the Steelers.

Thigpen, drafted by Minnesota in the seventh round in 2007, started 11 games for Kansas City in 2008 and has started one game since and was with his fourth team, counting the Vikings, last season, the Bills.

Flynn, drafted by Green Bay in the seventh round in 2008, started two games for the Packers in four seasons and was supposed to be the 2012 starter in Seattle until rookie Russell Wilson came along. Flynn is now with his third team, the Oakland Raiders.

Johnson, drafted in the fifth round by Tampa Bay in 2008, was with the Browns last season and has started five games in four seasons.

What that tells you is this: Brady, really, became the only quarterback drafted by the team he would go on to lead for a number of years as their starting quarterback. Hasselbeck, the only other true success story still in the league, had to go to another team after starting 0 games in two years with the Packers.

That history is not a bad one for Landry Jones. It shows that quarterbacks drafted in the fourth round or later can make it in the NFL and stick around for awhile. All he has to do is ask his new teammate, Bruce Gradkowski. But that history also shows if he does make it, it’s not likely to occur with the Steelers, the team that drafted him. That’s rare.

What history does show is that the Steelers used their fourth-round pick on a quarterback to, at best, prepare him for life in the NFL with another team.

We turn now to our Reader Research corner, where we received an email from Gerard Sepe of Liberty University, who delves a little further into the history of quarterbacks drafted in the fourth round and beyond. I’m presenting his research here, not authenticating it:

Writes Sepe:

“To think that Landry Jones will become anything more than a backup QB would be foolish. To even become a quality backup will be an accomplishment for a fourth round QB. If I'm not mistaken roughly 125 QB have been taken from round 4 on in the past 25 years and so few have made it as starters.

Top 10:
Tom Brady - as rare as hitting mega millions lottery
Matt Hasselbeck
Brad Johnson
Stan Humphries
Jeff Blake
Marc Bulger
Scott Mitchell
Trent Green
David Garrard”

Thank you, Gerard, even though that’s a top 9, we get the point. And the point is, if you want to find a young, backup quarterback, go ahead and draft one in the fourth round or later. If you want to find one who will succeed Ben Roethlisberger, wait until his career ends, then go get one.

[URL]http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/pro-sports/steelers/121005-ed-nfl-history-shows-rookie-qb-wont-succeed-ben[/URL]

[BigRob]

The one big azz assumption of this story. That the Steelers selected Landry Jones to be anything other than a back-up. If they hit on this pick, good for them. If he is nothing more than a good back-up, it was still a good pick considering Ben's injury history.

Ed: NFL History Shows Rookie QB Won't Succeed Ben

WEDNESDAY, 01 MAY 2013 WRITTEN BY ED BOUCHETTE

Good May Day morning,

So Charlie Batch believes the Steelers drafted Landry Jones to ultimately replace Ben Roethlisberger. If that were the case, the Steelers should try the lottery instead because they’d have a better chance finding Roethlisberger's successor with the $20 scratch-offs.

Here is a list of quarterbacks who were drafted in the fourth round or later through 2009 who were still in the NFL in 2012: Josh Johnson, Matt Flynn, Isaiah Stanback, Tyler Thigpen, Brad Smith, Bruce Gradkowski, Kyle Orton, Dan Orlovsky, Derek Anderson, Matt Cassel, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Luke McCown, Matt Hasselbeck, Tom Brady.

Hasselbeck and Brady, both sixth-round draft picks, were the best. Hasselbeck, drafted by Green Bay, made three Pro Bowls with Seattle and Brady is going to the Hall of Fame.

Cassel, drafted in the seventh round by New England, played one season for the Patriots when Brady was hurt, was traded to Kansas City and has since been replaced. He made one Pro Bowl.

Fitzpatrick, drafted by St. Louis in the seventh round in 2005, finally became a starter with his third team, the Buffalo Bills, who just drafted his replacement in the first round.

Anderson, drafted by Baltimore in the sixth round in 2005, actually became a starter for the Browns in his second season, but that didn’t last and he was with his third team last year.

Orton, drafted in the fourth round by Chicago in 2005, started as a rookie, was hurt, started again in 2008, and then was traded to Denver, where he started 2 1/2 seasons before they brought in Peyton Manning. Last year, Orton was on his fourth team, appearing in one game with the Cowboys.

Gradkowski, drafted in the sixth round by Tampa Bay in 2006, started 11 games for the Bucs as a rookie, started none in his second season and never became a regular again. He is a backup with his fifth team, the Steelers.

Thigpen, drafted by Minnesota in the seventh round in 2007, started 11 games for Kansas City in 2008 and has started one game since and was with his fourth team, counting the Vikings, last season, the Bills.

Flynn, drafted by Green Bay in the seventh round in 2008, started two games for the Packers in four seasons and was supposed to be the 2012 starter in Seattle until rookie Russell Wilson came along. Flynn is now with his third team, the Oakland Raiders.

Johnson, drafted in the fifth round by Tampa Bay in 2008, was with the Browns last season and has started five games in four seasons.

What that tells you is this: Brady, really, became the only quarterback drafted by the team he would go on to lead for a number of years as their starting quarterback. Hasselbeck, the only other true success story still in the league, had to go to another team after starting 0 games in two years with the Packers.

That history is not a bad one for Landry Jones. It shows that quarterbacks drafted in the fourth round or later can make it in the NFL and stick around for awhile. All he has to do is ask his new teammate, Bruce Gradkowski. But that history also shows if he does make it, it’s not likely to occur with the Steelers, the team that drafted him. That’s rare.

What history does show is that the Steelers used their fourth-round pick on a quarterback to, at best, prepare him for life in the NFL with another team.

We turn now to our Reader Research corner, where we received an email from Gerard Sepe of Liberty University, who delves a little further into the history of quarterbacks drafted in the fourth round and beyond. I’m presenting his research here, not authenticating it:

Writes Sepe:

“To think that Landry Jones will become anything more than a backup QB would be foolish. To even become a quality backup will be an accomplishment for a fourth round QB. If I'm not mistaken roughly 125 QB have been taken from round 4 on in the past 25 years and so few have made it as starters.

Top 10:
Tom Brady - as rare as hitting mega millions lottery
Matt Hasselbeck
Brad Johnson
Stan Humphries
Jeff Blake
Marc Bulger
Scott Mitchell
Trent Green
David Garrard”

Thank you, Gerard, even though that’s a top 9, we get the point. And the point is, if you want to find a young, backup quarterback, go ahead and draft one in the fourth round or later. If you want to find one who will succeed Ben Roethlisberger, wait until his career ends, then go get one.

[URL]http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/pro-sports/steelers/121005-ed-nfl-history-shows-rookie-qb-wont-succeed-ben[/URL]