Posts tagged CharlieBatch at FanHouse

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

Pro Football Talk had it half right. The Steelers did sign Byron Leftwich on Sunday, but they left Daunte Culpepper sitting out on the free agent market.

The two veterans had a throw-off to compete for the spot, with the Steelers coaching staff choosing the younger Leftwich over Culpepper.

It wasn't that long ago that Leftwich was giving Pittsburgh all kinds of problems. Talent-wise, he could end up being an upgrade over Charlie Batch (who should be back after six to eight weeks), but Batch is credited for being a player who serves a coaching role as well. And while Batch is injured now, Leftwich also has some injury issues--he's never been healthy for a full season.

But he is one of the better backup quarterbacks you could ever find during the preseason. Normally teams are left trolling for the Vinny Testaverde's and Kelly Holcomb's of the world. In Leftwich, Pittsburgh has a quarterback that you could believe in if Roethlisberger suffered a long-term injury (so is Batch for that matter).

The Steelers also reinstated Casey Hampton from the physically unable to perform list, having decided that the mammoth nose tackle has lost enough weight to put on pads.

If Pro Football Talk's report is accurate, the Steelers couldn't decide between Byron Leftwitch and Daunte Culpepper, so they signed them both. (Update: The PFT story now says that a league source says they will add, but the Sporting News story based on PFT's report--Mike Florio works for both sites--still says that they have signed both).

Talk about your baffling decisions, especially for the two veteran quarterbacks. Both of them entered the offseason hoping to land a starting job. Now they'll be facing off for one spot as a backup. What it means is that one of them will be released when the preseason ends, which is not a great endorsement when they're trying to find that next job. And while no terms are mentioned, neither of them could have gotten much money, since the Steelers don't have a whole lot of cap room.

But it does seem to signify that the Steelers are more concerned about Charlie Batch's injury that it would have appeared at first report on Friday night. If Batch is back in four-to-six weeks as Mike Tomlin said, the Steelers just spent a decent amount of money for a veteran backup for just a couple of games.

I'm guessing this has no bearing on Ben Roethlisberger's impending contract extension, but it is a sign that the third-string quarterback Brian St. Pierre won't be back with the Steelers in 2008. (Time to update the "Steelers to impersonate" list, Brian Jackson.)

The team is expected to sign former Boise St. quarterback Jared Zabransky on Monday. The plan, apparently, is to have Zabransky and a rookie compete for the third-team job. Charlie Batch will hold down the backup job, while Big Ben will again take his life into his own hands by playing behind the Steelers offensive line.

Whatever, Zabransky, who was 33-5 at Boise State, including two undefeated regular seasons, is excited about the opportunity:

"I feel like this is an organization that knows how to win with all the championships they've had through there," Zabransky said of the five-time Super Bowl champions. "I think they're going to give me a legitimate chance to be able to prove myself. I heard through the grapevine that coach (Mike) Tomlin is a no-politics kind of guy, which is exactly what you want in my situation."

That Pittsburgh has signed Zabransky signifies nothing, really. The team has gone with two quarterbacks on the game-day roster in the past, and there's no reason to think they won't do it again. Still, if Zabransky shows the Steelers something in training camp, he could also be with the team when the season starts. If nothing else, he could be Batch's heir apparent when his contract expires after '08.

Hat tip: SteelCityInsider.com

Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch has another job, besides just holding the clipboard and wondering if Ben Roethlisberger is going to crash his motorcycle again.

It turns out that Batch also serves as an adviser to Terrelle Pryor, a quarterback from Jeannette, Pennsylvania, who is widely recognized as the top high school football player in the country. Pryor writes in an online diary at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette web site:

I've known Charlie for a couple years. His brother dates my aunt. Charlie is kind of part of my family now. We talk. I asked him if he would want to go on my visits, and he said sure.

He'll just help me because he's been through this recruiting process before. Just from talking to him, I trust him a lot. When I go on these visits, I think he'll know who's telling the truth just by sitting there and listening.

Batch is a smart guy who knows the football business, and I think it's great that Batch is able to help Pryor through the process, since football recruits often have people hanging around who don't have their best interests in mind. But I feel pretty confident in saying that Batch won't be steering Pryor to his own alma mater. Eastern Michigan isn't quite the kind of program that gets players like Pryor.

The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't act as if finishing fourth in the AFC bothered them in the least. That could turn out to be a curious decision after their B team failed to beat the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The game leaves them hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars, the same team that smacked them in the mouth at Heinz Field a few weeks ago.

Things went wrong for Pittsburgh right from the get go. Willie Reid, subbing for injured returner Allan Rossum, coughed up the opening kickoff and set up a Musa Smith touchdown run. With Charlie Batch offering the defense little worry, the Ravens keyed on Najeh Davenport and slowed the offense down to a crawl for most of the first half. Batch was intercepted once and his biggest play came courtesy of a pass interference on Corey Ivy. The Ravens led 20-7 at the half and appeared to be in charge of the game.

They appeared to be pulling a Billick, as its come to be known this season, by losing that control late. Batch found Santonio Holmes and Cedrick Wilson for touchdowns to cut the margin to six but when David Pittman picked him off for the second time late in the fourth, a return date with the Jags was in place.