FanHouse CharlieBatch

The union's message to its players as the collective bargaining negotiations begin is coalescing. Union head DeMaurice Smith told FanHouse last month that he believes the owners intend to lock out the players in 2011. And according to Pro Football Talk, citing a "league source," Steelers QB Charlie Batch told rookies at the league's rookie symposium that there's a "100 percent chance" of a lockout that year.

Smith seems to have a solid handle on the media/message part of his job. He wants it made clear, to the players and the public, that any threat of a work stoppage is coming from the owners' end. The owners are the ones who opted out of the current CBA. The owners are the ones refusing to share the finanical information Smith is requesting. And if there's no football in 2011, it will be because the owners decided to lock out the players, NOT because the players went on strike. It is crucial for Smith to communicate this message to the players, because he believes it is crucial for the players to communicate it to the public.

The picture above is me, a lifelong Lions fan, holding the jerseys of former Lions quarterbacks Joey Harrington and Charlie Batch. It's also a cautionary tale for the people thinking of buying Matthew Stafford jerseys, which are on sale now.

Two weeks ago, Byron Leftwich met with the Redskins. It was the first free-agent visit of the offseason for a player most of us thought would be in high demand. Leftwich would also visit the Buccaneers, which prompted the Steelers to step up their efforts to re-sign Ben Roethlsiberger's backup, but Tampa Bay has apparently landed the 2003 first-round pick.

That's the word on the street, anyway: "Free-agent quarterback Byron Leftwich has agreed to a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a source told ESPN's Michael Smith."

Byron Leftwich was supposed to be one of free agency's most sought after players. Instead, the former Jaguars first-round pick is still without a team, and didn't make his first visit of the spring till he talked to the Redskins last week.

Yesterday, Leftwich met with the Bucs -- a club in desperate need of a quarterback -- but left Tampa without signing a contract. And today, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette writes that the Steelers, where Leftwich ably backed up Ben Roethlisberger during last year's Super Bowl run, are moving quickly to re-sign him.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

For the second time in four years, the Steelers hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, which means no matter what happens this offseason, Steelers fans have plenty of reasons to be happy. But with an easier 2009 schedule on the horizon and few big names hitting free agency, Steelers fans are ready to start thinking repeat, even if Mike Tomlin won't use that word.

All season it has been assumed that Byron Leftwich was only making a brief stopover in Pittsburgh. He's using this year as a brief siesta before hitting the free agent market again this offseason, where he'll try to find a team that gives him a shot at starting.

Leftwich's strong showing as the Steelers backup has definitely helped his case for getting a job somewhere. He beat the Redskins with a strong second half after a Ben Roethlisberger injury and looked good in relief of Roethlisberger against Cleveland.

Four days ago, I had no idea who Danny Ware was. Before last weekend, apparently, he was just a running back sequestered on the Giants practice squad. Now he's the guy who was arrested for being drunk while standing in oncoming traffic at two in the morning. No idea what would possess anybody to do that (well, other than to get their mind right for the big game), but at least he wasn't wearing his uniform, so there's that.

Whatever, Ware tells the New York Post that the full story has yet to be told (I mean, there has to be a completely logical explanation for this; 24-year-old professional athletes just don't get drunk and start doing stupid stuff for no reason.)

"The truth is going to come out," said Ware, who was arrested along with a woman for drunken conduct and because they seemed oblivious to traffic that had to steer around them as they stood in the street talking, police told the Athens Banner Herald. His court case is later this month. ... "Everybody sees the comments," Ware said. "You can have your own opinion. But the truth's going to come out, we'll just have to wait."

And wait I will.

Charlie Batch's season is officially over, as reported by Gerry Dulac at the Post-Gazette. The Steelers today made the much anticipated move of placing the veteran on Injured Reserve, and making Byron Leftwich the No. 2 quarterback behind Ben Roethlisberger. This could very well be the end of Batch's career in Pittsburgh.

Batch broke his collarbone in the teams first preseason game while attempting to salvage a busted play in the backfield.

Also, from the same Post-Gazette article, the Steelers will be releasing former third-round pick Willie Reid, as well as veteran return-man Eddie Drummond. Both players were competing for return duties on this years squad.

Reid, the teams second third-round pick during the 2006 draft, never panned out after having his rookie year completely wiped out by injuries.

Pro Football Talk may not know it yet, but there's almost no chance that Charlie Batch will be a Steeler at the end of this weekend.

PFT is reporting that the Steelers could consider keeping four quarterbacks, since Batch should be healthy by week four or five. Because they need an experienced backup for early in the season, they'd keep Byron Leftwich. Because he wouldn't miss much time, they'd keep long-time backup Batch and Dennis Dixon would make the team as the developmental quarterback.

That sounds plausible, but it's not going to happen. With Leftwitch looking good in his preseason stints, there's no compelling reason to keep Batch on the active roster. As Ed Bouchette pointed out, the Steelers could waive him with an injury settlement and run the risk that he'll still be available if Roethlisberger or Leftwich was injured later. While you may think that someone would quickly sign Batch, do remember that the Steelers actually waived him before the first game of the 2005 season, then re-signed him before week two (and released Nate Washington to sign Batch), so it is something Pittsburgh has done before.

I applaud Daunte Culpepper's rosy disposition, even if it's a tad misguided. Unfortunately, his plan to not take any ol' job that comes along, but instead hold out for a starting gig will, barring a catastrophic run on NFL quarterback injuries, result in him watching football this fall from the same vantage point as many of us: the comfort of the couch.

The Steelers, after losing backup Charlie Batch to a broken collarbone for the next two months, were looking for a capable arm behind Ben Roethlisberger. According to ESPN's John Clayton, they had settled on two guys, but ultimately settled on the one not named Daunte:

The reason the Steelers picked Leftwich over Culpepper is because Leftwich felt more comfortable with the role the Steelers were offering. Ben Roethlisberger is the starter and Batch is expected to be the backup when he gets healthy again. Culpepper was hoping for a chance to compete for a starting job.

You know, Culpepper's agent should explain to his client that he's really in no position to be making demands about playing time. Oh, wait...

On the other hand, if Culpepper isn't interested enough to return to football as a clipboard toter, I can respect that. I just hope he's willing to accept that he's effectively retired as a result of his stance.

Hat tip: PFT