Tag Archives: Bruce Gradkowski

Attention Steelers Nation: No Need to Let Ben Roethlisberger’s End Mimic Terry Bradhsaw’s Beginning

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I have to admit, I’m starting to understand the Blond Bomber’s beef with the Steel City.

It is no secret that Pittsburgh’s prodigal son, Terry Bradshaw enjoys a tortuous, love-feeling unloved relationship with the Steelers and Steelers Nation. There’s a reason why Tony Defeo’s piece “Wouldn’t It Be Nice If Terry Bradshaw Made Up with the Steelers. For Good…” is one of this site’s top performing inbound articles.

To be clear, I have always and will always defend Terry Bradshaw as a player against those who charge that he was “Dumb” or “just an average quarterback lucky to be on a good team” (if you really believe that, Google “60 Prevent Slot Hook & Go” and tell me an “average” quarterback could make that throw.)

But Bradshaw’s whining about how Chuck Noll or Steelers fans treated him has always fallen flat with me.

  • That is starting to change, a little at least.

And you can thank Ben Roethlisberger for that. Or more precisely, you can thank Steelers Nation’s reaction to Ben Roethlisberger approaching his “Life’s Work” for that.

Ben Roethlisberger, Terry Bradshaw

Image Credit: 274 Sports Pittsburgh

Steelers Nation Turns on Big Ben

There’s no doubt that Ben Roethlisberger is past his prime. Once his signature, he struggles with the long ball. He’s in decline and the only question is can this decline be managed/slowed long enough for the Steelers to squeeze a seventh Lombardi from Number Seven out of his arm?

  • The answer to that could very well be “No.” I get it.

But what I don’t get is the way some fans have turned on him. This tweet provides a perfect taste of what I’m talking about:

So based on his body of work in 2020 Ben Roethlisberger is now “average” or “below average?” Really? Let’s put that hypothesis through a simple exercise.

Can you imagine, Tommy Maddox, Charlie Batch, Byron Leftwich, Dennis Dixon, Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones, Michael Vick, Mason Rudolph or Devlin Hodges – or all the other quarterbacks that have thrown a pass for the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2004 — starting a playoff game by throwing 3 interceptions in one quarter?

I can, particularly if Diontae Johnson is bouncing letting catchable balls off of his hands towards waiting defensive backs.

Now, can you imagine any of those players going 38-51-3-1 for 435 yards for the rest of the game? In his prime, Vick might have, but by the time he became a Steeler? No way. Neither could any of the others.

  • This is a statement of fact.

Moreover, this statement of fact references Ben Roethlisberger’s current capabilities, not Big Ben of yesteryear. That that’s the rub with treatment Ben Roethlisberger is getting from wide-swaths of fans in Steelers Nation.

  • The idea that Ben Roetlisberger has completely lost it, frankly isn’t fair.

Nor are arguments that suggest Ben Roethlisberger has and will continue to sabotage the offense. Here’s a perfect “Ben is hostile to the running game” quote for Steel City Insider’s message board:

As long as he is around they will not have a run game he is the reason why we lost the 2 playoffs game.

Le'Veon Bell, Le'Veon Bell ball security, Le'Veon Bell fumble, Steelers vs Titans

Le’Veon Bell in 2017 vs. the Titans. Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports

True, Ben’s turnovers represented critical mistakes in both playoff losses. But Le’Veon Bell logged 16 rushes against Jacksonville, and the Steelers defense was AWOL at turn-key moments in both defeats. So Ben was hardly “the reason why we lost the 2 playoff games.”

This “Ben hates the run” mentality extends to the regular season as well as evidenced by another comment from the same message board:

I’d only be willing to do this if he agreed to run an offense that DOESN’T throw 600 passes a year with at least 350 of them short of the first down line. I don’t want to watch this ridiculous offense he has insisted on running since 2018.

Objectively, he’s got the numbers going for him. But the key phrase above is “offense he has insisted on running since 2018.” Really? If Ben was “insisting” on running a pass-heavy offense, then why was James Conner was on track to have a 378 touch season until it became clear that the Le’Veon Bell holdout would be permanent?

The Steelers abandonment of the run in 2018, 2018 and 2019 for that matter was driven by necessity not desire. Ben Roethlisberger may not have objected to this, but it certainly wasn’t his decision.

No Need to End Big Ben’s Time the Way Bradshaw Began His

This post began by referencing the rift between Terry Bradshaw and the Steelers. That’s a one sided rift if there ever was one. If Terry Bradshaw ever decided to “come home,” fans in Pittsburgh and Steelers Nation at large would embrace him with enough enthusiasm to put the Prodigal Son’s father to shame.

  • But it is also true that early in his career, the fans were brutal on Bradshaw.

That brutal treatment left a scar on Bradshaw’s soul that he’s unable heal because he’s unwilling to heal it. But the scar never should have been made in the first place.

  • In contrast, the team, the city and the fans embraced Ben Roethlisberger from the moment he arrived.
  • His early career isn’t marred by scars, but adulation.

The cross roads that Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves at is a difficult one. There’s no need to complicate things with criticisms and characterizations that simply aren’t true. Just as there’s no need to end Ben Roethlisberger’s career by adding the type of scars that marked Terry Bradshaw’s beginning.

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Steelers Can’t Get a Break: Jaylen Samuels Knee Surgery Sidelines RB #2 for a Month

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In his weekly press conference Mike Tomlin dropped a bit of a bomb when he announced that running back Jaylen Samuels has his knee scoped and will be out for close to a month. Yes Steelers Nation, we have seen this movie before, only in 2019 it is hitting theaters earlier.

To be fair to Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin, the Steelers did at least attempt to upgrade their number 3 running back slot when they drafted  Benny Snell Jr. in the 2019 NFL Draft. Benny Snell only has 6 rushing attempts to his name, and while his 5 yard average might look impressive, 23 of those came on one run in the Steelers loss to Seattle.

  • Nonetheless, Benny Snell is now Steelers RB number 2 behind James Conner.

The Steelers also have Trey Edmunds, brother of Terrell Edmunds, on their practice squad and will likely activate him before Sunday Night’s game against the Chargers. The Steelers brain trust of course built the roster with Ben Roethlisberger in mind. But now they don’t even have the luxury of Mason Rudolph starting, as Devlin Hodges will get the nod this week.

Sadly, a Steelers Tomlin-era tradition of struggling to keep RB 1 and RB 2 healthy continues.

Jaylen Samuels, Antonio Brown, Steelers vs Patriots

Jaylen Samuels rips off a long 1st quarter run with Antonio Brown blocking. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, via PennLive.com

Steelers Cut Xavier Grimble

The Steelers also made another move prior to Sunday’s loss against the Ravens, when they waived tight end Xavier Grimble with an injury settlement. The move is slightly puzzling. The Steelers rarely wave players on injured reserve, as the last time they did so was when they cut Bruce Gradkowski in the fall of 2016.

Xavier Grimble had entered 2019 as the Steelers number 2 tight end, but that role appeared to be too big for him. Certainly Grimble, unlike Jesse James, wasn’t able to hold his own in Vance McDonald’s absence.

  • On paper the presence of Nick Vannett would appear to make Grimble expendable.

And restricted free agent tenders are not guaranteed, so the move makes salary cap sense for the Steelers. Still, if either McDonald or Vanett were to go down for an extended period, Grimble would have been available for the 2nd half of the season.

No one would have looked to Grimble as a savior in such circumstances, but at least he’d have brought more experience than Zach Gentry. With that said, it is entirely possible that Xavier Grimble asked for his release, as he’ll be free to latch on to another team.

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Early Steelers 2019 Training Camp News: A Primer on Separating Facts from False Flags

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The Pittsburgh Steelers begin arriving at St. Vincents in Latrobe today bringing the tumultuous 2019 off season to an end. And while Steelers Nation will be treated to interviews and photos of players and coaches, they’ll have to wait a bit before real news surfaces.

  • Staff writer Tony Defeo likened this period to breaking through traffic congestion while still needing to drive quite a distance before reaching home.

Nonetheless, they’ll be lots of juicy headlines to feast on, and here’s a primer for separating the real news from the false flags.

Mike Tomlin, Steelers training camp, St. Vincents

Mike Tomlin addresses the men at Steelers training camp. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com

Contract Action vs Contract Talk

The Steelers have opened camp in the past by announcing contract extensions for Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert. Both are due for new deals, but there’s been speculation about whether Art Rooney II will break from tradition this summer.

  • One way or another, fans will have some indication of Art Rooney’s inclinations very soon.

Likewise, with Ben Roethlisberger locked up, Joe Haden, Sean Davis and Javon Hargrave are candidates for extensions, but in recent summers the Steelers have trended towards resigning veterans closer to the end of camp rather than the beginning. Talk you hear on this front over the next several days will likely be just that, “talk.”

Watch Out for Those PUP List Surprises

Every year a certain number of players begin camp on the PUP list. Often times this is simply proactive roster management. But at other times it is a red flag. And there are always surprises in the opening PUP announcements.

Casey Hampton began training camp in 2008 on the PUP, but was in fine form when the season started. Maurkice Pouncey has started camp on the PUP and played in full health throughout the season.

In 2015 Bruce Gradkowski’s name appeared on the PUP much to everyone’s surprise given that he’d played as recently as the playoff loss to the Ravens. Bruce Gradkowski got well enough to get activated and play in one preseason game and then his NFL career was done. Senquez Golson began 2015 on the PUP and literally has never played an NFL down.

Ladarius Green and Mike Adams were also surprise PUP additions. Adams never played for the Steelers again and Ladarius Green saw some mid season action before getting reinjured and has been out of football since.

Keep an eye on the PUP list.

Take Run Test Results with a Gain of Salt

Since Bill Cowher’s days as head coach, the Steelers have begun training camp with an annual run test where players must complete a set number of sprints within a certain time determined by their position.

  • Beyond gauging conditioning, it is often seen as the first test of a player’s mettle.
  • Yet, readers should take the results with a grain of salt.
rod woodson, carnell lake, st. vincents

Rod Woodson and Carnell Lake at St Vincents. via Steelers.com

The 1994 Steelers infamously finished the season 3 yards short of a go ahead touchdown in the AFC Championship loss to the San Diego Chargers. When the group assembled in Latrobe the next summer, every player successfully completed Bill Cowher’s run test. At the time, if memory serves, Steelers Digest editor Bob Labriola remarked that the results indicated the focus and commitment of the players.

  • Now that 1995 squad did of course reach Super Bowl XXX, but that was only after starting 3-4.

Injuries to Neil O’Donnell, Rod Woodson, John Jackson and John L. Williams had a lot to do with that. But a player’s only meeting that resulted in Greg Lloyd threatening to break any player who brought a phone or a pager (remember those??) to a team meeting was necessary to spark a turn around.

A little later in the Cowher era, the summer of 1999 started with 1996 first round draft pick Jamain Stephens failing the run test.

  • Bill Cowher and Tom Donahoe cut him on the spot.

At the time the move was hailed as sending a strong signal on the heels of a 7-9 1998 season that ended with a 5 game losing streak. Signal it might have been, but the 1999 team finished 6-10 with Lee Flowers openly accusing unnamed teammates for quitting.

  • Enjoy the run test, but don’t read too much into the results.

On the flip side, Steelers fans can give thanks that no one will be arriving at St. Vincents via helicopter this sumer….

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Watch Tower: National Press Declares Open Season on Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger

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The Watch Tower’s lights have been dim for quite some time, but that’s due to lack of time and certainly not for lack of material. Today we shine our lights on the national press piling on Pittsburgh in light of the Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell shake ups, some historical background on those two stories, and more.

Ben Roethlisberger, Myles Garret, Steelers vs Browns, Steelers Browns tie

Myles Garrett sacks Ben Roethlisberger in Steelers tie with Browns. Photo Credit: Barry Reger, PennLive.com

National Media Declares Open Season on the Steelers, Roethlisberger

The Pittsburgh Steelers have taken a pounding from the national press. Certainly, the Steelers bear some responsibility. But much of the heat directed at the Steelers is unfounded.

  • Just how bad is it?

Well, when someone like Mark Madden can take the press to task for sloppy journalism, you know things are bad. The facts of the two stories are well established:

  • Antonio Brown quit with the playoffs on the line and then humiliated his team on social media
  • Le’Veon Bell turned down a 70 million dollar contract from the Steelers, held out, and ended up with a smaller contract from the New York Jets.

But you wouldn’t know that if you’d been following the national press. Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell were victims of the Rooneys, Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin and perhaps worst of all Ben Roethlisberger.

Antonio Brown, Antonio Brown trade, Steelers trade Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Tomlin

Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger & Mike Tomlin in happier times. Photo Credit: Gregory Shamus, Getty Images via BTSC

  • The Watch Tower lacks both time and space to shine its revealing light on each culpable national journalist.

But we will start with what is perhaps the most egregious offender Sport Illustrated’s Robert Klemko. Josh Harris, last seen in the Steelers January 2015 playoff loss to the Ravens, tweeted that Ben Roethlisberger had intentionally fumbled in the 2014 season finale against the Bengals.

Accusing a fellow player of intentionally fumbling is an explosive charge, far more serious than a quarterback calling out a receiver for running the wrong route, but given that Josh Harris’ 9 NFL carry career ended 4 years ago, it likely would have and should have gone unnoticed.

Yet Robert Klemko gave Josh Harris a national platform in a feature length story that included interviews with Harris and Isaac Redman. From a journalistic stand point, that’s a completely ethical story line if you’re objective.

  • But Robert Klemko didn’t even feign objectivity.

Klemko could have requested a response from Roethlisberger, yet gives no indication that he tried. He could have talked to 9 of the other players in the huddle then. He did not. He could have analyzed the video from the play. He did not.

  • When Bruce Gradkowski offered a detailed rebuttal, he could have interviewed Gradkowski and done a follow up story. He did not.

Instead he took the words of Josh Harris, a player whose career doesn’t even merit a footnote in Steelers history, and treated them as if they had come from the Burning Bush. Klemko’s story was so one-sided that Isaac Redman publicly called him out for taking his words out of context.

Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, Steelers vs Colts

Happier Times: Antonio Brown & Le’Veon Bell celebrate a touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune Review

Wolf pack journalism and the use of negative headlines to sell papers er, um, generate clicks are nothing new.

  • But the Watch Tower wonders whether the digital media landscape has exacerbated both tendencies.

Stories from Jenny Vrentas of SI.com and ESPN’s Jeff Darlington perhaps offer examples. For a long time, teams, agents, and players depended on the media to get their message across. Now, thanks to social media, individual actors no longer need third parties to mediate for them.

Yet one of the few ways that independent press outlets can differentiate themselves from the “Content aggregators” is by getting one-on-one access to players.

  • But it seems as if this access is coming at a price.

While it has been normal for agents and PR reps to set ground rules in exchange for interviews, the press still retained leverage. Jenny Vrentas interview with Le’Veon Bell and Jeff Darlington’s interview with Antonio Brown suggest this is changing. Both Bell and Brown made outlandish claims to Vrentas and Darlington, claims that in a serious journalistic context would have been challenged.

Yet neither journalist showed any interest in challenging their subjects in name of finding the truth. If this is indicative of the direction professional sports journalism, then the Watch Tower shudders for its future.

Shout Out for the Good Guys

While the Steelers have largely remained silent against this onslaught of negative news, members of the Pittsburgh press and Steelers-focused bloggers have not.

  • Gerry Dulac, Ed Bouchette, Jim Wexell, Joe Starkey, Mark Kaboly, Mark Madden, Ian Whetstone and Simon Chester, to name just a few, have pushed back.

While their focus has been on the Brown and Bell stories, the national press has seemingly come at the Steelers from every angle. For example, Bill Barnwell (among others) have called out the Steelers for the salary cap of Brown’s 2018 contract re-structure.

Fortunately, scribes like Ian Whetstone have been quick to set the record straight:

Ian Whetstone has been particularly aggressive in this regard, so aggressive that a complete accounting of his efforts could easily fill up an entire column.

  • Ian Whetsonte wins Watch Tower kudos for his effort to promote the truth.

Simon Chester of Behind the Steel Curtain has been a particularly strong voice in the effort to set the record straight. Jesse James free agent defection to Detroit was unfortunate if not unexpected. Jesse James was asked about the situation in Pittsburgh as one might expect.

Jesse James.

Jesse James scores against the Panthers.

  • The national media took a few stray comments from James out of context, and tried to make it sound like his goal was to get out of Pittsburgh as soon as he could.

A full reading of his press conference, reveals a very different attitude. Fortunately, Simon Chester detailed this in a feature length story, which is a welcome benefit to those of us too busy working 10-12 hour days to research the story for ourselves.

And while it would be unfair for the Watch Tower to claim that national press as a whole has refused to admit that Le’Veon Bell lost his gamble, there are no shortage of writers who insist that Bell “won.” Again, Simon Chester was ready with a fact-based refutation of the Bell apologists.

Finally, The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly exposed the NFL Network for splicing together two separate Ben Roethlisberger quotes regarding the infamous route running incident in Denver:

Not that the national media had it out for the Steelers, or anything like that….

Pounding the Pavement on the Brown and Bell Stories

None of what has transpired over the last few months occurred in a vacuum, and the Watch Tower would like to shout out a few journalists who’ve earned their salaries as reporters during the time these stories have evolved.

  • Jeremy Fowler of ESPN earns Watch Tower Kudos for his reporting on both the Brown and Bell stories.

Jeremy Fowler got Le’Veon Bell on the record saying he would report to the Steelers during bye week. Bell of course never showed up, but Fowler was the only journalist to get Bell on the record at that time.

Fowler also provided perhaps the most detailed account of Antonio Brown’s conduct and special treatment by the Steelers organization, even unearthing the Brown didn’t stay at St. Vincent’s during training camp. That was an incredible story that took a lot of diligent reporting to write, and Jeremy Fowler deserves praise for putting it together.

Finally, Jim Wexell also offered an important detail that added important depth to the Bell story by reporting that Le’Veon Bell insisted offered to report late in the season before the deadline but only if the Steelers paid him the full 14.5 million.

Suffice to say, there’s a lot going on, much more than can be contained in this single column. Hopefully the Watch Tower will be back with more much sooner.

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One Positive for Steelers 2018 Training Camp Thus Far? A Short PUP List

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Steelers 2018 training camp only two days old, but already there’s a piece of positive news: Pittsburgh’s PUP list is short. That’s something that is easy to take for granted and injuries can alter an entire team’s fortune in a blink of an eye. But for now it is a good thing.

  • The only player who begins training camp on the PUP list is Eli Rogers.
Artie Burns, Antonio Brown, Steelers 2018 Training Camp

Artie Burns intercepts a pass intended for Antonio Brown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune Review

The Steelers of course signed Eli Rogers Wednesday and will keep him on the PUP list until he’s fully recovered from the torn ACL he suffered in the Steelers playoff loss to the Jaguars. But other than that, there’s no injury of note.

Too often in recent past, training camp has arrived with surprise injury announcements.

In 2008, Casey Hampton began on the PUP list, although that was more tied to conditioning issues than injury. Back in 2015 the Steelers started training camp with 5 players on the PUP list: Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Adams, Bruce Gradkowski, Shawn Lemon and Senquez Golson.

  • To fans at least, each of these announcements was a surprise, and all of them turned out to be ominous.

Maurkice Pouncey’s stint on the PUP list was short, but he fell injured in the Steelers preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. Mike Adams injury hadn’t been known, and he stayed on the PUP list all season and never returned to Pittsburgh.

Bruce Gradkowski’s injury came as a total surprise, as he’d last been seen playing very well in brief relief of Ben Roethlisberger in the Steelers 2014 playoff loss to the Ravens. Like Pouncey, Gradkowski earned his PUP activation, only to injure himself in preseason leading to Mike Vick’s signing. Shawn Lemon was of course the CFL pass rusher the Steelers signed earlier. He made it of PUP only to get cut.

  • And then of course there’s Senquez Golson, whom the coaching staff had known was nursing an injured shoulder.

Senquez Golson went on IR, then got injured in both 2016 and 2017 training camp, and the second round pick has never spent a day on an active NFL roster.

  • In 2016 the Steelers PUP list was short, but made up for “quality” for what it lacked in quantity.

Ladarius Green headlined the list, as he was both nursing an ankle injury and still fighting lingering effects of a concussion from the previous season. People will forget, but Ladarius Green actually did prove to be a fairly effective weapon in his limited action, but he suffered concussion against in December, and has never played since.

As noted at the outset, a short PUP offers no guarantee. Last year the Steelers began training camp with a relative clean bill of health, but ended up seeing Joe Haden, Antonio Brown and Ryan Shazier suffer injuries at the worst possible moment.

But I’ll take the Steelers starting the summer at St. Vincents at close to full health any time I can!

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Excellent Mike Tomlin Clock Management Skills (yep, just “went there”) Displayed in Steelers Win Over Titans

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The Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday Night trashing of the Tennessee Titans offered Steelers Nation a lot to like and a lot of what the fan base has been waiting for. Among those highlights include:

  • Ben Roethlisberger in rhythm with his receivers
  • 5 sacks for the defensive line and linebacking corps
  • 4 interceptions from a secondary (albeit with a long TD given up)
  • A booming special teams field goal block
  • Another example of excellent Mike Tomlin clock management

Say what? Yep, now that you’ve had time to do your double take on the final bullet point, let’s get this out of the way, yes we went there.

Mike Tomlin, Mike Tomlin clock management

Mike Tomlin’s clock management is ALWAYS under fire from fans. But is the criticism justified? Photo Credit: AP, via Yahoo Sports

The “Poor Mike Tomlin clock management” mantra has become an article of a faith that it is so ingrained that it is so rote that even Tomlin defenders repeat it just as drivers in the Northeast must automatically condemn the conditions on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Is Mike Tomlin the NFL’s best clock manager? Probably not. Are there times when the Steelers inexplicably take time outs (see the two point conversion against the Colts) or perhaps fail to get plays off before the two minute warning? Yep.

But Mike Tomlin isn’t nearly as poor as a clock manager as his reputation would suggest, and the Titans game is a perfect example of it, which we discuss below along with other examples.

Tomlin Manages the Clock to Win

Coty Sensabaugh’s interception set up the Steelers with the ball at Tennessee’s 20 yard line with 3:11 left. Lost in the sound and fury of Pittsburgh’s 40 point explosion is that the Steelers were inept on this visit to the Red Zone, which included a series of incomplete Ben Roethlisberger passes to Le’Veon Bell, a sack, a penalty on David DeCastro and a 10 yard run that set up Chris Boswell’s field goal.

  • But Titans coach Mike Mularkey was playing to win, buruing his 2nd & 3rd time outs at the 1:48 and 1:39 marks.

After the field goal and ensuing kickoff the Titans got the ball back at their 25 with 1:32 left to go in the half. Mike Hilton dropped DeMarco Murray for a 5 yard loss on the Titan’s first play. The Titans had no timeouts left, and the safe money in that situation is to let the clock continue to tick and get into the locker room as fast as you can.

  • Mike Tomlin called a time out.

Tomlin in fact aggressively used the Steelers remaining time outs, so that when all was said and done, the Titans had only bleed 14 seconds off of the clock. 1:11 is not a lot of time to work with when you get the ball at your own 33, but passes to Jesse James and Antonio Brown (with an assist from Martavis Bryant) set up a 50 yard field goal, which while no gimmie at Heinz Field, was enough.

  • At the end of the night those 3 points were little more than the chocolate jimmies on the sundae, but that hasn’t always been the case.

Against the Colts, Mike Tomlin found himself in somewhat of a similar situation. Bud Dupree sacked Jacoby Brissett for a 13 yard loss, bringing up 3rd down with 1:48 left to play. Again, after an atrocious 1st half, it would have been easy to let the Colts bleed the clock, take a knee and head into the locker room.

Tomlin instead took a time out, and with 1:39 and 2 timeouts left, Ben Roethlisberger was able to connect with Vance McDonald, JuJu Smith-Schuster as well as Brown and Bryant to set up another end of first half field goal, this one coming in a game that was decided by 3.

Looking Further Back for Examples of Tomlin’s Aggressive Clock Management

Mike Tomiln’s aggressive clock management didn’t suddenly start in 2017. Think back to opening day 2014 when the Steelers hosted the Browns on Chuck Noll Day. When the Steelers got the ball at their 20 with 1:44 remaining, Pittsburgh was holding on to a 24-3 lead.

  • The only question at that point wasn’t whether Bruce Gradkowski would play in the 2nd half, but how soon he would enter the game.

Mike Tomlin declined to take a series of knees, and Ben Roethlisberger methodically moved the ball down to the 3 yard line, where Shaun Suisham kicked a field goal. The extra 3 points seemed academic, but the Browns roared back in the 2nd half, and the Steelers ultimately won the game with a field goal at the buzzer.

Le'Veon Bell, Le'Veon Bell touchdown, Steelers vs Falcons

Le’Veon Bell runs for 1 of 2 touchdowns in the Steelers 2014 win over the Falcons. Photo Credit: Scott Cunningham, Getty Images via NY Daily News

You could also argue that Mike Tomlin’s clock management at the end of both halves in the Steelers 2014 win over the Atlanta Falcons was nothing short of impeccable.

In the afterglow of Super Bowl XLIII, fans tend to forget just how many come from behind, 4th quarter and/or 2 minute comebacks the 2008 Steelers needed. Their December 7th 2008 win against the Cowboys provides a perfect example.

After trailing for much of the day, the Steelers finally pulled even with the Cowboys as Ben Roethlisberger connected with Heath Miller in the End Zone with just over 2 minutes left to play.

Dallas got the ball back, ran one play that James Farrior stuffed for a 2 yard gain. Again, the safe money says let the clock run and play for overtime.

  • Instead, Mike Tomlin called a time out.

By his own account, Tomlin’s aggressive posture rattled Tony Romo as he was heard saying heading back to the huddle, “What, they called a time out?” although given that they’d just played Renegade at Heinz Field, perhaps he should have known better. If your memory is fuzzy, here’s how things unfolded, starting with Renegade:

Notice, no one was complaining about Tomlin’s clock management after that game.

Which is part of the point. As Rebecca Rollett as pointed out on Going Deep with the Steelers, clock management is something that generally only comes up after a team loses. In fact, Rollett set up to find examples of good clock management, and while she came up with a few, most were hard to find.

So while Mike Tomlin does make clock management mistakes, he does a lot better than most fans give him credit for.

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Speculation Ends: Landry Jones 2 Year Contract Settles Steelers Backup Quarterback Question

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The Pittsburgh Steelers capped off the first day of the 2017 NFL Free Agency signing period by ending speculation about their backup quarterback position by signing Landry Jones to a 2 year contract. So there you have it, for the next two years, Landry Jones will serve as the proverbial “next man up” behind Ben Roethlisberger until 2018’s conclusion.

  • While the move doesn’t come as much of a surprise, some had interpreted Art Rooney II’s words as an indication that the Steelers were ready to move on.

Instead, the Steelers have doubled down on the investment they made into developing Landry Jones after drafting him in the 4th round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Behind Jones the Steelers also have Zach Mettenberger, whom they picked up off of waivers after Bruce Gradkowski went on injured reserve.

Landry Jones, Ben Roethlisberger, Landry Jones contract, Ben Roethlisberger and Landry Jones, Martavis Bryant, Steelers 2017 free agents

Landry Jones’ 2 year contract ensures he’ll be backing up Ben Roethlisberger through 2018. Photo Credit: Gene J. Puskar, AP via PennLive

Speaking with Teresa Varley of Steelers.com, Landry Jones explained his decision to stay in Pittsburgh this way:

It was really just wanting to be back here. It wasn’t a tough decision. This place is familiar to me and I am thankful I have an opportunity again to have a job and have a spot to come back to.
It was the best decision for me and (my wife) Whitney and our family. If all things were equal, I wasn’t going to go anywhere. That was where my mindset was.
I think it is the way people treat you around here. It is a business, but at the same time the Rooneys treat you great, all of our coaches treat you great. It’s just a great place to be.

Doubtlessly the move is being panned by a large swath of Steelers Nation who watched Landry Jones struggle during his first two preseason outings and have seen the hit or miss nature of regular season performances.

And if it is true that he doesn’t offer the ex-starter pedigree that his predecessors Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich brought to the huddle, Landry Jones has developed into a competent, confident backup quarterback.

Struggling to keep up with Steelers free agency? Click here for our Steelers 2017 Steelers Free Agent tracker and/or click here for all Steelers 2017 free agency focus articles.

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Steelers Free Agent Landry Jones Should Be Back in Pittsburgh as Backup Quarterback

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Who was the most popular player in Pittsburgh from 1984 to 2003? The answer is simple, “the backup quarterback.”

OK, that’s not quite true, but it is no secret that fans often showed a lot more love for the understudies of Mark Malone, Bubby Brister, Neil O’Donnell and Kordell Stewart than they did for those starting quarterbacks.

The same could not be said during Terry Bradshaw’s (latter) days as a starter, nor for Ben Roethlisberger. Such was the cross that Landry Jones inherited when the Steelers took Jones in the 4th round of the 2013 NFL Draft, a cross which he continues to carry into free agency.

Landry Jones, Steelers vs Cardinals, Landry Jones free agent, Markus Wheaton

Landry Jones celebrates during his first NFL game against the Cardinals. Photo Credit: Pittsburghblitz.com

Capsule Profile of Landry Jones Steelers Career

As regular readers of this site know, living down in Buenos Aires deprives me of the ability to watch preseason football. Which is a shame because preseason gives fans their one and only shot at getting an unfiltered look at rookies and backup players.

  • But friends of mine assured me during the 2013 preseason that the Steelers should consider bringing Charlie Batch back.

And these were not reactionary, “Fire everyone” types. Their estimation of Landry Jones didn’t change after the 2014 season, and a quick look at the stats confirmed that Landry Jones had under performed Brian St. Pierre in his first two preseason outings.

The Steelers took note and moved to challenge Jones during the 2015 preseason, bringing in Tajh Boyd, Devin Gardner, and Tyler Murphy but Jones held off those challenges. And even though the Steelers signed in Mike Vick when Bruce Gradkowski went down, Jones looked like he belonged, much to the consternation of fans who felt Landry Jones represented a wasted roster spot.

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Landry Jones in the Steelers 2017 finale against the Cleveland Browns. Photo Credit: Archie Carpenter, UPI

Jones got his first action in 2015, coming off the bench to lead victories against the Arizona Cardinals and Oakland Raiders while struggling in his first start against the Chiefs. Jones also looked lost in relief of Roethlisberger in the Steelers playoff win over the Bengals.

In 2016 Landry Jones looked solid, although far from spectacular in a loss against the Patriots, while looking sharp in leading the Steelers backups to a New Year’s Day overtime comeback against the Browns.

The Case for the Steelers Resigning Landry Jones

Ever since the Steelers traded for Todd Blackledge in 1988, the franchise’s policy, with a few exceptions, has been to staff a veteran backup quarterback. But injuries to Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich in limited play caused the Steelers to reevaluate that philosophy, leading them to draft Landry Jones, who made a commitment to developing him Jones as a backup.

The Steelers invested a lot of time and effort Landry Jones’ development, while hedging their bets. In 2016 Landry Jones showed that he’s matured into a competent, confident NFL backup quarterback. He knows Todd Haley’s offense, and looks comfortable in the huddle leading superstars like Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell.

Landry Jones is a legitimate NFL backup quarterback and, assuming his salary demands are reasonable, there’s every reason why the Steelers should keep him in Pittsburgh.

The Case Against the Steelers Resigning Landry Jones

After Charlie Batch got hurt in 2008 early in preseason, Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert had Byron Leftwich and Daunte Culpepper on the field in Western Pennsylvania trying out within a day. When he explained his decision, Mike Tomlin insisted that the Steelers were a Super Bowl team and that both players had been franchise quarterbacks. Should something happen to Ben Roethlisberger, he wanted a quarterback capable of taking the Steelers all the way.

  • Can anyone suggest that Landry Jones is that caliber of a quarterback and keep a straight face?

The reality is that after taking every snap in 2013 and nearly every snap in 2014, Ben Roethlisberger has had to miss or leave games due to injuries on 5 separate occasions in 2015 and 2016. Landry Jones might be a game manager, but it is all but impossible to see him leading the Steelers on a Jeff Hostetlerque run through the playoffs (Google 1990 New York Giants if you’re unfamiliar and/or read our obituary of former Steelers offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt.)

Given that reality, the Steelers shouldn’t invest a valuable roster spot and valuable salary cap dollars in Landry Jones, and should instead look to the 2017 NFL Draft and/or Zach Mettenberger as their “Next Man Up” for the next time Ben Roethlisberger gets injured.

Curtain’s Call on the Steelers and Landry Jones

Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert made no bones about the fact that the Steelers would love to have Landry Jones back. This will not sit well with a large segment of Steelers Nation nor with a good chunk of writers who cover the team.

  • So be it. Although it is painful for a Steelers site to quote Buddy Ryan, but if you think like the fans, you’ll be one.

Might Landry Jones find a team that wants to pay him several million dollars above what he can get in Pittsburgh to wear the backup quarterback cap? Perhaps. If he does then more power to him. But Landry Jones is a viable number 2 quarterback that the Steelers have invested a lot in, and the Steelers should keep in Pittsburgh.
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6 Take Aways for the Playoffs from Steelers Comeback Win Over the Browns

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The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Cleveland Browns for yet another regular season finale at Heinz Field in a game that had zero impact on the Black and Gold’s post-season fortunes. With Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and Maurkice Pouncey out and James Harrison not playing, this figured to be an exam of sorts for the Steelers backups.

  • The Cleveland Browns, not having won a game in Pittsburgh since 2003, showed themselves as willing examiners.

The Steelers prevailed in a teeter-totter style game and, while the 7th straight win only adds window dressing to the 2016 regular season record, the comeback win over the Browns does reveal 6 key take aways that tell us something important about these Steelers as we head to the playoffs.

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Cobi Hamilton catches the game winning pass in overtime as the Steelers comeback to beat the Browns. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune Review

1. Landry Jones Has Grown into a Legit Backup

Going into this game, the pundits who weren’t labeling this “Landry Jones’ last game with the Steelers” instead suggested Mike Tomlin start Zach Mettenberger.

  • Landry Jones showed them how foolish they were.
  • Let’s be clear: If Ben Roethlisberger goes down, he takes the 2016 Steelers Super Bowl hopes with him.

If all goes well, the last image we have of Landry Jones during the 2016 season (other than him holding a clipboard) will be of him hitting Cobi Hamilton from 26 yards out in overtime to give the Steelers the win. Contrast that with his deer-in-the-headlight performance in the Steelers playoff win a year ago vs. the Bengals.

Landry Jones, Jesse James, Steelers vs. Browns

Landry Jones throws a pass as Jesse James blocks during Steelers 2016 season finale win over the Browns. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

The Steelers drafted Landry Jones to grow into a competent NFL backup quarterback. The only thing that his 2013 and 2014 preseason performances inspired was job security for Bruce Gradkowski. Landry Jones made strides in closing out wins vs. the Raiders and Cardinals in 2015, and looked respectable in the Steelers loss to the Patriots.

  • Against the Browns, Jones showed he could overcome a costly interception, rally his team in the 4th quarter, and lead it to victory in overtime.

That marks and important step for the signal caller. Granted, Landry Jones wasn’t playing against the 85 Bears defense, but Steelers best offensive lineman and skill players were in street clothes. Salary cap math might prevent the Steelers from bringing Jones back in 2017, but he’s proven he’s a capable backup.

2. Darrius Heyward-Bey Is Back

It is no secret that Antonio Brown had to scratch and claw for his catches as the season wore on. And while Eli Rogers has stepped up his play late in the season, as had Hamilton, the Steelers still haven’t had a reliable deep threat to take heat off of Brown. Darrius Heyward-Bey may have only had one catch, but he brought it down for 46 yards.

If this is any indication of what he is capable of, the Steelers offense can be lethal in the playoffs.

3. Steelers Can’t Survive without Stephon Tuitt

When the Steelers lost Stephon Tuitt in the first series against the Bengals, things did not look good. Cincinnati ran the ball well against the Steelers in the first half, punctuated by Jeremy Hill’s powering his way into the end zone in the second quarter. Yet the Steelers run defense clapped down, and held Hill to negative yards in the second half.

  • Against the Ravens, the Steelers performance against the run was mixed.

The Steelers run defense held its own in the first half, but it struggled to stop the run at times during the second half. To be blunt about it, Isaiah Crowell looked like the Jim Brown running against the Steelers defense.

L.T. Walton has played well, as has Ricardo Mathews when healthy. Johnny Maxey has looked good as for a practice squader. But the Browns game clarified a that healthy Stephon Tuitt is essential to a successful Steelers Super Bowl run.

4. Sean Davis is Simply a Stud

When was the last time a rookie Steelers defender excelled to the level that Sean Davis has reached?

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Sean Davis sacks Robert Griffin III in Steelers 2016 win over Browns at Heinz Field. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune Review

Like Sean Davis, Troy Polamalu and Bud Dupree both won Joe Greene Great Performance awards, but neither of them made the type of impact plays that Sean Davis is making. You’d arguably have to go back to Kendrell Bell to find a rookie Steelers defender who made the type of impact that Sean Davis made.

  • Did someone tell Sean Davis the Browns game was supposed to be “meaningless?”

Apparently not. Davis dominated leading the team in tackles, sacking the quarterback, and recovering a bad snap to set up the Steelers first touchdown. It is usually a sign of desperation for a team to go into training camp counting on draftees to make a difference.

However, as Pittsburgh pivots to the playoffs, the Steelers can be confident that their 2016 draft class can contribute to a Super Bowl run with Sean Davis leading the way.

5.  DeAngelo Williams Isn’t Showing Any Rust

The Steelers haven’t seen much of DeAngelo Williams since his injury against Miami. Indeed, journalist David Todd went so far as to suggest that he might have made his last carry for the Steelers. On the surface, Williams numbers of 67 for 23 do not look good.

  • Numbers do not lie, but often times they fail to tell the full story and such was the case of DeAngelo Williams.
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David DeCastro leads DeAngelo Williams into the end zone as Steelers comeback against Browns.

Williams, like the rest of the Steelers offense started sluggishly, but he picked up steam as the game wore on. And it was DeAngelo Williams who got the Steelers on board to close the second half and who tied the game in the 4th quarter. Moreover, DeAngelo Williams used every ounce of his skill as a runner to save the Steelers from taking a safety on several occasions.

Injuries have forced the Steelers to start their 4th and 5th string running backs in their last two post season appearances. Pittsburgh’s offensive backfield will look a little bit different on this playoff trip.

6. These Pittsburgh Steelers WANT It

How many opportunities did this Steelers team have to mail it in against the Browns? Make no mistake about it, football is a brutal sport, and if your heart is not in it, that will show pretty quickly? How many times have we seen the Browns fold against the Steelers in a season ender after Pittsburgh puts up a two score lead?

  • The Browns went up by two touchdowns, but the Steelers fought back
  • Late in the 4th, Cleveland tied the game,and threatened to score at the Steelers 5, but the Jarvis Jones forced a fumble
  • The Browns won the toss in OT and marched to the Steelers two, but Ryan Shazier helped force a 14 yard loss

When the Steelers finally got the ball they came up to a 4th and 2 at their own 32-yard line. It would have been so easy for Mike Tomlin to send in Chris Boswell for a 49-yard field goal attempt, figuring Cleveland could not score in 3 minutes.

Instead, he went for it and Demarcus Ayers converted the third down. One play later, Cobi Hamilton was sealing the Steelers win in OT.
As Mike Tomlin said, fight won’t bring home a seventh Lombardi trophy, and some of the sloppiness the Steelers displayed vs. the Browns will doom them. But overall, the Steelers win over the Browns offers a lot of promise as Pittsburgh head to the playoffs.

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Landry Jones Haters Need to Chill – It’s Time for some R-E-S-P-E-C-T

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The Steelers loss to the Patriots, frustrating and disappointing as it was, highlighted something that’s been building for a while: Landry Jones critics need to chill. Cue Aretha Franklin because it’s time to give the beleaguered Steelers backup quarterback some R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

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Landry Jones proved something important against the Patriots. Photo Credit: Christopher Horner, Tribune-Review

What’s this? Didn’t the Patriots loss precisely highlight, as Steeler Addicts suggests, Landry Jone’s deficiencies as a backup?

  • No it doesn’t and these numbers illustrate the point: 14, 3, 21, 24, 7 and 13.

Since entering the league in 2004, Ben Roethlisberger has faced off against Tom Brady 8 times, including the playoffs. The Steelers record in those contests is 2-6. The numbers you see above represent the margin of the Steelers loss in each of those games. Mathematically, they work out to an average of 13 points per game.

  • For those of you taking notes at home, the last week the Steelers lost 27-16 or by 11 points.

So measured purely by point total, the Steelers lose less badly to the Patriots with Landry Jones under center than Ben Roethlisberger. Ah, but the Steelers 16 points was the lowest point total of all the Steelers losses to Tom Brady’s Patriots, save for the ’07 infamous “Anthony Smith Game.” True, but the Steelers offensive output vs. the Patriots in 2010, 2013 and 2015 benefited from some garbage time glory.

  • None of this remotely suggests that the Steelers are better off against the Patriots with Landry Jones than with Ben Roethlisberger.

Trying to argue that would be like trying to say that Neil O’Donnell or Kordell Stewart was a better quarterback than Terry Bradshaw based on passer rating. But if Steelers low point total with Landry Jones under center vs. the Patriots shows us some of his limitations, the fact that the Steelers stayed in the game as long as they did reveals some of his strengths.

What Landry Jones Did Well Against the Patriots

The first thing responsibility of any backup quarterback is to not lose the game for his team. Fans who can remember Kent Graham immediately throwing a pick-six upon entering the 2000 matchup vs. Raiders remember what I’m talking about. Yes, Landry Jones interception in the end zone cost the Steelers, but it was hardly a game-ender.

Landry did a lot of things right against the Patriots including:

  • Protecting the ball – other than the interception, Jones didn’t try to force it
  • Getting rid of the ball – OK, Jones enjoyed EXCELLENT pass protection, but he shares credit for zero sacks
  • Finding receivers – Coverage was tight, but Jones avoided leaning on Antonio Brown or Le’Veon Bell, hitting
  • Running the two minute drill – Jones played competent, confident football during the final drive of the ½ half

Aside from early interception one very legitimate critique of Landry Jones’ performance vs. the Patriots is on his play at the end of the game, particularly on the Steelers second to last drive when a quick score could have gotten them back into the game. Unquestionably, Jones wasn’t playing with same level of comfort that he’d had at the end of the first half and it showed.

But when you’re playing the New England Patriots, you generally don’t expect to win when you ask your backup quarterback to win the game for you.

Welcome to the New NFL Order of Backup Quarterbacks

While the criticism of Landry Jones late play against the Patriots is legitimate, it also highlights the fact that Landry Jones is a different breed of backup quarterback than has been seen in Pittsburgh for close to two generations.

Bruce Gradkowski had 20 games of starting experience before arriving in Pittsburgh in 2013 and his experience is likely why the Steelers brought him back this summer.

Would the Steelers have been better suited by a ‘94’s Tomzack, ‘08’s Lefwich, ‘10’s Batch or even ‘14’s Gradkowski than Landry Jones late in the Patriots game? Of course they would have, but for whatever reason, ex-starting quarterbacks don’t see second acts as backups in the NFL as much as they used to. The trend began in the early in the 00’s and seems to have picked up steam.

  • What you see is what you get with Landry Jones.

And in real action, when the games count, Landry Jones has shown he can play fairly well as he did vs. the Cardinals and Raiders last year, he’s also capable of looking clueless as he did vs. the Bengals in the playoffs, or he can play as a workman like game manager as he did vs. the Patriots.

And that’s fine. The Steelers didn’t draft Landry Jones to become a franchise quarterback. They drafted Landry Jones to develop into backup quarterback, and Landry Jones has proven he’s capable of fulfilling that role.

So Landry Jones critics should chill, and give him the respect he’s earned.

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