If there’s anything we learned from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ performance without the suspended Ben Roethlisberger, it is this: Whoever is the quarterback of this team won’t ever be the franchise’s most important player. Does that mean Pittsburgh can win a Super Bowl with Charlie Batch or Dennis Dixon under center? Well, no. Those guys aren’t any good. This team has 544 passing yards, after all, through four games — dead last in the NFL by a wide margin.
Yet that hasn’t made any difference. The Steelers run the ball well enough; they rank eighth in the NFL at 133.5 yards a game. They’ve yet to lose a fumble, and Batch and Dixon combined to throw four interceptions. After a bye week, the Steelers welcome back Roethlisberger with a 3-1 record. Why? The same reason they always win with this group. Defense. Pittsburgh has yet to allow more than 17 points in a game — and that’s while playing a slate of opponents who are a combined 14-5 entering Week 6.
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Roethlisberger’s return will eventually help. He’s a two-time Super Bowl winner who knows how to make plays. But will the Steelers take a step back initially thanks to a rusty quarterback? It doesn’t hurt that they can ease Roethlisberger back with a game at home against the 1-4 Browns.
“Ben is not one of those guys who is a real disciplined, three or five-drop passer,” ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski said on “Pardon the Interruption” on Thursday. “He’s more of an extend-the-play quarterback. If he misses a few games, I don’t think it affects him as much as it would other quarterbacks. I don’t think you’ll see the rust.”
Roethlisberger threw for a career-high 4,328 yards along with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2009. He was a Pro Bowl alternate but declined to attend because of an injured shoulder. But don’t expect the Steelers to start chucking the ball. Even with their star quarterback back in place, there’s no need to change. The formula is working.
