Football fans are all aware by now of the suspension levied by the league Commissioner Roger Goodell that will sideline Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for at least the first four games of the 2010 season. The implications of that punishment could be devastating for the Steelers campaign in the upcoming year however; as they face two difficult home opponents in the opening contest with the Atlanta Falcons and in week 4 against the division rival Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh also has two road tilts stuffed in between those games at the Tennessee Titans in week two and then at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week three.

What does all of this mean for the black and gold? The team had two backup quarterbacks on its roster in veteran Charlie Batch and upstart Dennis Dixon prior to the NFL Draft. Even though they were already well stocked at the position, Pittsburgh chose to trade for Byron Leftwich just prior to the suspension being handed down for a 7th round draft pick. There has been much debate among the Steelers fans who will actually start the season, but there seems to be one clear cut choice.

Batch has been with the team for a long time, but he is admittedly over the hill and ready to assume his second career calling as a coach in the league sooner rather than later. Dixon certainly has all of the tools to be a successful player at the NFL level, but his track record is still relatively unproven. He has one strong outing for the team last season, but he ultimately committed a costly turnover against the Ravens to lose that ball game for the Steelers. Leftwich has to be the odds on favorite to start the first four games of the season as he is familiar with the offense having played there in 2008 and actually won some games for the team. He has a ridiculously strong arm and although he may not be as mobile as Big Ben, he is one of the toughest guys around and will stare down the gun barrel to complete passes.

There are contingencies of black and gold supporters in favor of the other candidates on the roster, but it seems highly unlikely that management would trade for Leftwich with the pending suspension just to be a backup. It may just be a general feeling at the moment, but by the time training camp rolls around and the decision has to be made, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin will likely give the nod to the strong armed veteran Leftwich under center for the first four weeks of the season.



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