Once upon a time, the Pittsburgh Steelers thought long and hard about adding to the team a quarterback who had become a star at Pitt.
But with the 21st overall pick in the 1983 draft, they opted instead for nose tackle Gabe Rivera. Six picks later, Dan Marino became a Miami Dolphins.
But now they’ve added another former Pitt quarterback whose last name ends with a vowel.
The Steelers are expected to sign Tyler Palko to the practice squad, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The only problem? He ain’t no Dan Marino. Even though the powers-that-be at Pitt opted for Palko over yet another Italian who tosses footballs better than pizza dough (I can say that because I’m Italian, and because I like pizza dough, preferably after being cooked), Joe Flacco.
The Steelers needed an extra arm because Charlie Batch injured his wrist during a cameo appearance in overtime of Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs. Dennis Dixon will be the No. 2 quarterback behind Ben Roethlisberger.
If the Steelers move Batch to injured reserve, Palko could be moved to the active roster.