Big Ben is testing a sore groin, the offensive line is all "????", is Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed legit? And finally...what do they do now about Charlie Batch?
Let's start with the first question. Roethlisberger seemed to do well as the Steelers marched down the field 80 yards while Ben threw only 2 passes. One counted for 19 yards, the other counted for 19 more for a Santonio Holmes TD. It was all running from the get go and Willie Parker showed that a broken leg ain't gonna slow him down. Which brings up to the next topic, the offensive line. No one knew what to think after Alan Faneca leaped to, now, the Brett Farve Jets (no longer New York). Parker ran the ball 3 times for 20 yards, peeling off an 11 yard run at one point. This however, was just a warm up for Rashard Mendenhall. By the way, the Steelers have been accused of highway robbery for picking Mendenhall up that late in the draft. Mendenhall, ran the ball 7 times for 34 yards and added a 15 yard run at one point and applauded the offensive line for the holes they opened up. Good chemistry is never a bad thing, is it?
Limas Sweed, had his chance to shine also. He got to see extra playing time and showed up for it. 3 catches for 23 yards showed that the Steelers have some faith in Sweed as a target. Don't forget, the Steelers have slowly but surly put together a solid WR core like back in the days of Yancey Thig
pen and Charles Johnson. Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Nate Washington, and now Limas Sweed. It is only pre-season, but it's nice to see the Steelers start of solidly with all their question mark pieces work out. Then again, these games don't count and the first string plays about 38 seconds out of the game.
pen and Charles Johnson. Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Nate Washington, and now Limas Sweed. It is only pre-season, but it's nice to see the Steelers start of solidly with all their question mark pieces work out. Then again, these games don't count and the first string plays about 38 seconds out of the game. Charlie, Charlie, Charlie. A miscommunication on a hand off led to Charlie Batch making a dash for it and ending up with a broken collar bone. Now, that leaves the Steelers (and HC Mike Tomlin) looking for a quality, veteran back-up QB. Hey, is Chad Pennington on the market now? I'm sure Tommy Maddox is still looking for work. How fast did that guy's fame fall? Dennis Dixon, on the other hand, stepped in and did a fine job. But, the experience isn't there in case, god forbid, Roethlisberger should come up lame on a play. Charlie Batch did a fine job, if you remember, filling in for Ben after that fateful summer to forget. It's gonna be pretty exciting to see what Pittsburgh does about this void. Batch is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks and I'm not exactly sure what kind of product is out on the market as of pre-season week 1.
Note: Jeff Reed nailed 3 FG, one going for 50 yards. How clutch and consistent has that guy been since he was given an open tryout, after Todd Peterson couldn't hit the side of a barn from 30 in the open end zone. Plus, this guy is no wuss, he sports sweatbands, a mouth guard, some muscles, and some legs that need tailored jeans. If there was such a thing as a bad ass kicker, this guy would rank #1.
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