So I was on ESPN 1250 in Pittsburgh earlier today to discuss with Guy Junker and Stav Savran my position that Steelers quarterback Dennis Dixon deserves some reps with the first-team offense during the preseason, in an effort to determine whether he deserves to be the starter instead of Byron Leftwich when Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension begins.
Savran thinks I’m nuts. (Join the club, Stan; my wife is the treasurer.) Junker was in the middle.
Either way, here’s my take in video form, with Brocato playing his usual role of “guy who will never disagree with me.”
Sounds like you shoulda married Brocato instead.
Savran is old.
What right does a gossip writer who can’t seem to report the truth and makes up 75% of his garbage have to tell the Steeler’s coaching staff who deserves time to play?
The idea that they’re hiding Dixon to avoid controversy when Roethlisberger returns is just plain goofy. If you live up here and pay attention, it’s pretty clear that Mike Tomlin is simply not as infatuated with Dixon as certain rumor mills are.
Nice debate Florio. Stan ate you up…..Kidding.
You’re wrong on Dixon. The reason why Leftwich was named the starter is because of the problems Dixon has had picking up the playbook. He was a 3 for all of last years preseason and until the Ravens game. The gameplan was scaled down to next to nothing for that Ravens game. He did acquit himself well, however, the Big Ben storm has died down to a large degree. I was at training camp last week and he was experiencing no blowback at all. The game on Sat, fans started chanting “we want Ben” as Leftwich was getting pummeled.
If he keeps him ass clean this is a non issue.
Lastly, you know there is no track record for winning a championship with a quarterback the style of Dixon in the NFL. He doesn’t throw the ball well enough. The Steelers know this as well as anyone (see Kordell Stewart) and the last games of the 1997 and 2001 seasons
Thought Dixon looked servicable against the Ravens last year.
If the main knock on Leftwich is that he can’t stay healthy, won’t we end up seeing Dixon anyway?
Look for Leftwich to start with Dixon coming in as a change of pace guy to keep defenses off balance.
Dixon struggles reading def any quarterback that cant read and process a def is not ready 2 play….if your qb cant throw it is impossible 2 hide that no matter how you use him….it cracks me up how people want 2 look at pure athleticism and think that can overcompensate for the fact that they cant read a def
Stan doesn’t have a clue any more and Guy was ripping callers for even suggesting Dennis Dixon playing on Monday.
Florio your right Dixon should be playing
I think Dixon deserves a shot, considering everyone knows what they have in Leftwhich and it aint much thats for sure
German
Guten tag = Good day or even just the informal “tag” is OK too as in …
Karl: “Guten tag.”
Guntar in response: “Tag.”
Also …
Wie gehts? = How’s it going / How are you?
does she think you’re nuts… or does she like your nuts?
Dixon tore it up against 2nd and 3rd teamers on the worst team in the NFL. Big Deal. If you follow training camp closely, Dixon has struggled during much of camp, and has led all QBs in interceptions, by a large margin.
Leftwich as 104 QB rating filling in for Ben. His experience alone, is a good fit for for a short 4 games season. Last season, Dixon was coddled against Baltimore. Every 3rd and long they ran and punted. Amazingly, it was still a close game at the end. When he needed to throw it, interception, game over.
If you are looking for a future QB, Lefty is not your man. However, for a 4 game fill in, my bet is that you’ll see him start all 4 games, with occasional Dixon gadget plays mixed in.
I’ll be wearing my Dennis Dixon jersey in anticipation of his expanded playing time.
Leftwich started here for the Bucs and was mediocre at best…plus he got knocked around quite a bit. Dixon should get some immediate reps with the 1st team bc he gonna be thrust into that role eventually this season.
Not sure about his football skills, but Dixon would be a natural in a cannibal flick. The Human Pirhanna.
The kid has no pocket passing ability. Rewatch the tape from the Lions game. On most of his runs he had wide open receivers down field. Great you got 5 yards rushing on the play. But you could have had a touchdown if you would have sat in the pocket and continued through your progressions. That is why hes not considered for the starting spot. He isn’t ready. Keep him in the pocket and hes got nothing. At least at this point in his young career.
Those 2 qb’s have their strengths and weaknesses. It really depends on which way the offensive coor. wants to take the team. Being a running team and losing Santonio leads me to believe they would be better off with short pass/running games in Dixon over Leftwich.
The good thing is either would be a solid fill in.. so its a good predicament to be in.
Laxer, the main issue with Leftwich is that he is a terrible starting quarterback.
Stan and Guy two suck up. Does anyone listen to them anymore. They change their minds everyday. Big Ben on there today I know they sucked up to him. lol
I agree that Dixon should be starting over Leftwich. I don’t agree with Florio in that Dixon is going to be a great starting QB. Florio is blinded by his love for the steelers and overrates most of the players on the team.
So I was on ESPN 1250 in Pittsburgh earlier today to discuss with Guy Junker
I can imagine what you were discussing with someone named Guy Junker.
I say Dixson if he cant do it then you can go back to B
The simple reason Dixon should be considered is the same reason why he will get his chance anyway … Poor O-Line protection either requires a quarterback that can respond adequately or will shortly into the season create an injured immobile quarterback. Dixon will be in by game two b/c of a Leftwich injury anyhow!
b033011 says:
August 19, 2010 11:31 AM
What right does a gossip writer who can’t seem to report the truth and makes up 75% of his garbage have to tell the Steeler’s coaching staff who deserves time to play
_________________________________
My thoughts exactly….Florio you are a funny dude!
Give the kid a try. Besides the Baltimorons they aren’t playing anyone that great. Gary Coleman is too slow. I would rather lose with Dixon..
tritan306 says:
August 19, 2010 12:47 PM
Those 2 qb’s have their strengths and weaknesses. It really depends on which way the offensive coor. wants to take the team. Being a running team and losing Santonio leads me to believe they would be better off with short pass/running games in Dixon over Leftwich.
The good thing is either would be a solid fill in.. so its a good predicament to be in.
—————————-
Really? I would say it’s a terrrible predicament to be in as you have a pro bowl quarterback on the bench, at least for the first 4 games.
Don’t know much about Dixon …
But could he be worse than Leftwich?
Florio, you’re wrong as usual. If you’ve ever paid attention to anything that happens in training camp, you’d know that Dixon has struggled with accuracy and the playbook. Who cares about athleticism when a guy can’t throw?
Besides that, your theory is unsound, it would be to the Steelers benefit to find out what they have in Dixon. If Dixon plays extremely well, then they know they have either a bargaining chip in dealing with Ben, or big-time trade bait. Look how the Jaguars fleeced the Bills for Rob Johnson…or the Pats and the Chiefs for Cassel. If Dixon were to perform well, advantage Steelers. If worse came to worse, they could keep Dixon and trade Roethlisberger…he’d fit in great on the Steelers.
With an offensive line that is plain offensive, and a running back (Spin-and-Fall) that avoids contact like it’s poison ivy… it doesn’t really matter who is under center… NO solid line play, and the box is stacked…and the blitz will come…
Taking the snap, staring at one receiver for 3 seconds, then bolting out of the pocket when there is no pressure is not how you play quarterback. That’s how you rack up 100 yds rushing on 11 separate 3-and-outs. Just ask Kordell Stewart.
It might look fancy against Lions 3rd stringers, but try that in a real game when the defense knows what’s coming.
Who cares? It’s the Steelers.
Not to mention that it doesn’t matter *who* plays QB, ’cause it’s pretty clear they’re gonna be a shell of their former selves this year. ZZZZZZZZZZZ
Who says there hasn’t been a competition, Florio? You’re the one who thinks we don’t even need a four-game preseason, that the major decisions are made in camp. Well, this decision is being made in camp–where Dixon can’t learn the playbook. Scrambling QBs are entertaining to watch, but they don’t win championships–even when they know how read defenses and pick up receivers. This one doesn’t. He glances downfield, then takes off running–against the 3rd-string D of the Lions. What’s he going to do against the 1st-string D of the Bengals or Ravens?
Leftwich should start, with Dixon taking a “Slash” role to mix things up. The notion that Dixon could, in four games, become good enough to threaten Roethlisberger is nothing more than your fantasy for a controversy that can be bilked all season. Dream on.
@ Deb
Exactly. It’s what we (they) do against Cinci and Baltimore that counts. Kordell Stewart made a huge mistake in insisting on being the starting quarterback instead of continuing as “Slash”. I hope Dixon doesn’t make the same error. He has tremendous potential, just not as a starting quarterback.
I do not think the schedule should not be ignored when determining who should start for the Steelers while Ben is out. The Steelers have 2 winnable games out of the first 4 with anyone at the helm…..even Kyle Boller could win 2 of those games with the Defense healthy. That said, why not start Lefty? He is less of a liability if he gets hurt. Has some experience that will be needed early on. He can hand off the ball just as good as Dixon can, and he has proven before that he can beat inferior teams with some support from a defense that looks healthy, and early on should be full of energy regardless of their age. So why not give him the reps early? They should beat Tampa with anyone taking the snaps, and if the defense continues to stop the run the way they do when Aaron Smith is playing, then the Titans dont look very scary. The other 2 games are a bit tougher, but Atlanta is the home opener, so thats a plus, and the Ravens are always going to bring the best out. I predict a 2-2 start, and Dixon getting plenty of tricky snaps during those games.
Florio does need his brain examined if he truly thinks for a second that the Steelers do not want to unleash Dixon because of a potential QB controversy. Ben is the best QB on the roster by FAR, and quite frankly, would be the best QB on anyones roster with exception of maybe 4 or 5 teams in the league…..Dixon will never push Ben for his spot barring an Injury or another legal issue.
Just my thoughts…..2-2 after 4, and 10-6 with tie-breakers determining the division Championship…..I just hope the Ravens and Steelers dont kill eachother too much during the season so we can see the rubber match in the AFC Championship game…..I would include Cinci, but their locker room is a ticking time bomb and its gonna blow by week 6
@SeaSteel …
No worries. We didn’t have anyone else when Kordell was around–and at least he could read a defense and hit a receiver. No matter what Dixon insists, he won’t be the starting QB of the Steelers past week four–and I doubt he’ll be in that position prior to week four. Florio’s just trying to stir up the small minority who think panic ‘n’ run = exciting option play.
Its not like Roethlisberger can read a defense either. Lets be frank here. Someone posted a very intriguing analysis of Roethlisberger vs good defenses and it floored me. I double check the information and was amazed at how little Ben does against a good defense.
I’m all for Roethlisberger but in many regards he gets more credit than he deserves. Go ahead and look at his career numbers, they arent stellar. Yes, he has two rings but so does Ike Taylor but that doesnt make him a top corner, he is just on a good team.
Is Dixon the answer? Leftwich? I don’t know. Frankly, with our defense, I think we can win with anyone. In fact, we should have won the Ravens game that Dixon started last season. In laymans terms “we do not need much at the qb position to be successful in the burgh”
Florio,
I’ve been wracking my brain for a while trying to figure out who you look like.
Jackie Cooper!
Check out:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jackie_Cooper_in_Gallant_Sons_trailer.jpg
The difference? He doesn’t know squat about football.
Its not like Roethlisberger can read a defense either. Lets be frank here. Someone posted a very intriguing analysis of Roethlisberger vs good defenses and it floored me. I double check the information and was amazed at how little Ben does against a good defense.
Really?
They didn’t play the Jets last year, which had the #1 defense. They did play Green Bay the #2.
Roethlisberger against GB
29-46 503yds 63% comp pct 3TD, 0 INT 121.9 QB rating
@Scalaid6 …
Yes, I’ve heard over and over again that the Pittsburgh defense can win Super Bowls no matter who plays QB. But I watched great Steeler defenses come and go for 26 years without rings. And during that time, we had great receivers, great RBs, and some of the best offensive lines in football. It’s a team sport that requires a combination of elements for success. The quarterback is an essential piece of that puzzle.
@Runtheball,
You forgot to mention that THREE of the Packers starting Dbs were hurt that game. That certainly affected their performance that day. Its funny you didnt mention our games vs other top defenses. So I will -
Ravens #2 in Total Defense – Ben was 17-33 259 1 TD 1 int
Vikings #4- 14-26 175 1 Td.
#5 Bengals (2) Game 1- 22-31- 276 1 TD 1int
#5 Bengals Game 2. 20-40- 171 1 INT
As you see, he got his lofty stats vs inferior defenses. If you look at 2008 when we played that killer schedule, you will see that Ben had a terrible statistical season. In fact he had 23 turnovers and we still won the Super Bowl. That cements my point. That is also a refutation to you Mrs Deb.
I fully understand that we had good defenses (not great). None of those defenses had a Polamalu, Smith, Harrison, Woodley or Taylor. I will give you Woodson, Lake, Lloyd and Maybe Greene but only Woodson an Lake start on our team today.
We won SB 40 with little contribution from the qb and were ahead 20-7 in SB 43 without a peep from our Qb.
Please dont get me wrong. I am not saying that Ben Roethlisberger sucks at all. I’m merely saying that he is a good qb but some Steeler fans put him at the elite status and that is not a correct assessment. Ben is in his prime on an elite team and has missed the playoffs two times in that prime following Super Bowl wins. Elite qbs dont do that.
In my opinion, the Elite qbs are Favre, Peyton, Brees and Brady. They win no matter where they are at and they are the primary reasons that their teams are winning. Take them off of their respective teams and they wouldnt be the same. You will see in Ben’s 4 game absence we will still be a winnng team.
And then your next arguement will be. “Well Ben wins championships, those 4 games are fine but Ben gives us the best chance to win championships”. To that I will say. I agree
@Scalaid6 …
Agree Ben is not all he could be. Hall of Fame potential, but so far no work ethic to develop it. He makes too many mistakes and takes too many sacks. If he studied more and practiced a quicker release, he could be phenomenal.
But some things defy statistics: The Immaculate Reception. Namath and SBIII. Rod Woodson coming back from a torn ACL and beating Michael Irvin on a pass play in SBXXX. The Manning to Tyree play in SBXLII. Ben’s “Tackle” in the 08 Colts playoff game. None of those things should have happened–that’s where magic comes in. On paper, Roethlisberger’s contribution may not seem significant. But he brings an indefinable something that’s helped us go from winning team to championship team.
STRONGLY disagree w/your assessment of the defenses. You must not have watched the 95 defense play. They defined the Zone Blitz. Love Polamalu, but you’re out of your mind if you think he’s better than Woodson. That’s Rod Woodson … Olympic-class hurdler, All Pro, Pro Bowler at THREE positions, one of only FIVE then-active players named to the NFL’s 75th anniversary team of the best EVER to play the game at his position, first-ballot Hall of Famer.
For the five years leading to SBXXX before his injury (1990-1994), Rod had 12 sacks, 24 INTs, and 12 fumble recoveries. From 2004-2008, Troy had 5 sacks, 17 INTs, and no fumble recoveries. Even mentioning Ike Taylor in the same breath with Woodson is nuts.
Linebackers
J. Harrison 08 16 sacks (5yrs – 37.5)
L. Woodley 08 11 sacks (3yrs – 29)
K. Green 95 9 sacks (5yrs – 48.5)
G. Lloyd 95 6.5 sacks (5yrs – 37 sks, 6INTs)
C. Brown 95 5.5 sacks (3yrs – 17)
L. Timmons 08 5 sacks (3yrs -12)
J. Farrior 08 3.5 sacks (5yrs – 19)
Defensive Ends
DE R. Seals 95 8.5 sacks (2 yrs – 15.5 sacks)
DE A. Smith 08 5.5 sacks (5 yrs – 16.6 sacks)
DE B. Buckner 95 3 sacks
DE B. Kiesel 08 1 sack
PLEASE don’t tell me our 95 backers and linemen couldn’t hang with our 08 backers and linemen. Not true.
As for the secondary, Woodson and Polamalu are in a class to themselves. Otherwise, no one on today’s secondary comes CLOSE to Carnell Lake, Darren Perry, and Willie Williams.
Playing in Woodson’s absence in 95, Willie Williams picked up 7INTs and one TD. Only Polamalu had 7INTs on our 08 squad. The next closest were Townsend and McFadden with 2 each. Perry had 4 in 95 and 21 over a four-year period.
The reason we could lose a Rod Woodson and still make the Super Bowl is because we had STELLAR people surrounding him. (That makes his stats even more impressive because he had to compete with other great players to get them.) We lost Polamalu and discovered he IS the secondary.
@ Deb,
Where did I say Polamalu was better than Woodson? One is a corner and one is a SS, who compares the two? I dont and didnt. Dont know why you would. Kevin Green only played 3 years with us so I dont know why you would put in 5 years of stats when he only played three with us. What he did with other teams and other schemes isnt relevant. Fact is he would not beat out Woodley nor Harrison. Neither would Lloyd.
Harrison, Woodley, Farrior and Timmons are better than Lloyd, Green,Kirkland and Chad Brown. Pityful corners like Chad Scott, Dwayne Washington, Colcolough, Deion Figures etc hurt that team. Nor did they have a DE like Aaron Smith or a HITTER Like Ryan Clark (Ask Wes Welker and Willis Mcgahee).
Aaron Smith’s value (Nor any DE in a 3-4 scheme) is not measured by the sacks. It is measured in anchoring the run stopping defense. Dick Lebeau coached both of those teams and he mentions Smith as one of the best DE’s he has coached. They couldnt “hang” as you say. As I stated yesterday, only Woodson and Lake crack the starting lineup. Darren Perry was a bum and was in no mans land in coverage. Willie Williams? You mean the guy that had his best years with the Seahawks? Ike Taylor is far superior. Ike just needs to borrow some hands. Ike runs a low 4.2. Willie sucks, come on now, you are losing credibility here.
Let me explain something to you. Lots of interceptions are not a sign of a good corner. Its a sign of being picked on. How many picks did Reavis have last season? He must suck according to your standard because Willie Williams surpassed him in half the playing time. Good corners have a low int count because they are AVOIDED. Besides we play ZONE BLITZ and the operative word is ZONE. So when Willie gets a pick, its a case of the coach putting him in a position to make plays, rather than him actually making a good one. Willie Williams? WOW
Lastly, Woodson didnt have as big of a role in the secondary as a SAFETY (Polamalu). In our defense the corner covers the flats (Cover 2), a third of the field (Cover 3), that fades in comparison to the ground Polamalu is asked to cover. Again, we play zone in the burgh, remember Carnell came over and played some corner in Rods absence. That lets you know how little the corner does in Lebeaus defense. Carnell Lake was slow, short but still did a good job in his absence. Let Carnell play Polamalus position and you will see him get eaten alive. Again, Lebeau coached both defenses and he says the 08 Defense was his best ever. Remember that schedule? Had the 95 Steelers played that schedule there would have been no Super Bowl appearance. In fact the Comeback kid (Harbaugh) almost beat us in the AFCCG that year. WHEW!
For you to say that that defense was better than the current one, just lets me know that you like to argue just to argue.
WOW
Where did I say the 95 defense is better than today’s?
You said: “I fully understand that we had good defenses (not great). None of those defenses had a Polamalu, Smith, Harrison, Woodley or Taylor. I will give you Woodson, Lake, Lloyd and Maybe Greene but only Woodson an Lake start on our team today.”
That sounded disrespectful, so I demonstrated that the 95 defense was statistically comparable to (or in slang terms “able to hang with”) our current DL and LBs. I never said the 95 squad was better nor that their players would beat out today’s for a place on the roster. I only demonstrated that their numbers were COMPARABLE–which means the 95 D was a great defense in its time.
When you said none of those defenses had a Polamalu or Taylor, the implication was that none had a defensive back as good as those two–and that’s a ridiculous assertion given that Woodson was one of the best DBs ever to play the game.
No, Willie Williams was not a great corner–but he was as good as our current group of revolving corners who looked pretty sorry last season.
Your response tells me that instead of paying attention to what people actually say, you label them argumentative and dismiss them … which reminds me of Unifan, another PFT commenter.
Oh I dont know maybe your statement
“STRONGLY disagree w/your assessment of the defenses. You must not have watched the 95 defense play.”
Its obvious I watched them play and Lebeau nor Cowher will say it was better than the 08 Defense (That defense by the way was compared to the 78 and 76 Steeler Defenses. 95 has never been. Burn)
I think I gave Mr. Woodson props by saying that he would start on that defense. As I said in another thread you just like to argue. All you did your whole last post is backpedal like Woodson and Ike Taylor. I thouroughly destroyed you on this one hunh, so instead of comparing me to another poster just extend a hand or curtsey and have a good day. Oh by the way you can go to ANY reputable Steeler sight and see that there is only one and only SCALAID6. I have been on major Steelers sights for over 10 years. Do the research, I am no imposter. He is I and I am him.
You just can’t help but give yourself away Unifan. Your irrational hatred for Roethlisberger comes through, as does your need to dominate everyone and everything around you. As always with me, you’ve invented an argument I never made, rebutted it, and declared yourself the winner. Don’t know why you’ve singled me out for your attention, but you probably hate Ben so much because he’s the star of the team. Wish you hadn’t asked me to check out your posts on other forums. It made me sad. You’ve alienated everyone else with your Ben obsession. Guess that’s what brought you here. Sorry but I don’t have time for your bizarre games. I have a busy life.
You went and did it Scabies. Now we wont see you anymore around here. Dont you know Deb is staff? My buddy got into it with her/him and next thing you know, he’s gone. So we baited her again, with another guy, same thing.
Anywhoo, Steelers suck, they roided over my rams in 79.
SAM BRADFORD BABY!!!
As most of the commenters know, Unifan, I don’t work for the site. But the purpose of the site is commenting on football, not stalking. From the first time you logged on, you’ve done nothing but harass me under multiple names and PFT’s moderators don’t like harassment. It’s sick. And you don’t have any buddies. You’re just a sad, lonely person with nothing else to do. I feel sorry for you.
I told you bud, didnt that sound like she was in the KNOW lol
Touche
Hehateme
RealisticSteelerfan
Shesaidno
LvSteelersH8Ben
Scalaid6
RageagainstMachine
I’ve left off a few but it’s getting late. It might be flattering to have sooooo many obsessive stalkers … if they weren’t all the same person. Guess the Xbox has gotten boring. You really should try therapy. I realize you’ll have to pay for it–though with your problems you could probably get someone to take you on for free as a research project–but at least you’ll have the attention of someone who’s actually interested.
Scalaid6 — you forget to mention that the Steelers never SNIFF Super Bowl XL if not for Ben. You know, when the run game disappeared along with Parker and Bettis. When they couldn’t break a stinking 3 yards a carry, while Ben somehow managed to put up those 125 rating games.
How did Brady do in the playoffs last year when he was asked to carry the team? Hmm? Oh and as if he contributed so much to his first Super Bowl ring — if not for the Pats defense scoring a TD, the Rams win the ring. And it was Bledsoe who took them through the Championship Game that year. Might want to re-evaluate your thinking.
So now Brees is elite because his team won it all — yeah he so dominated the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl, right? Please. Brees is one Peyton Manning (oh your other holy elite!) choke pick away from keeping his playoff choke rep intact.
Or one Favre (oh another elite!) choke pick away from gagging in the playoffs yet again. Brees was beyond awful and got bailed out vs. Favre. Deal with reality.
Any list of elite QBs that doesn’t include Ben is… toilet paper worthy.