Steelers Claim Former Titans and Chargers QB Zach Mettenberger

3 Comments

1. 

   Dave B.

   August 31, 2016 at 6:15 pm

   With the weapons he has available to him in Pittsburgh he has a chance to move ahead of Landry Jones once he learns the offense . He has a much better arm than Jones or Gradkowski , plus he gets to learn behind a future Hall of Famer in Roethlisberger . As far as Gradkowski is concerned , his days as a Steeler are more than likely over .

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2. 

   DrGeorge

   September 2, 2016 at 2:04 pm

   WINNING WITHOUT A STAR QB

   I had hoped the Steelers would take Mettenberger in the draft, since his draft stock was down due to his knee injury at LSU. He needed work on several skill sets, particularly his ability to work from under center and to read defenses properly, but his physical skills warrant the time to develop his game. I have no idea how much he has developed since entering the NFL. This is a step in the right direction, but not the ultimate answer.

   Steelers’ fans should keep an eye on the experiment at QB in Denver. It is relevant to the way the Steelers are managed. I have argued for years that the Steelers would play better football if the roster were more balanced. Denver will soon put that strategy to the test.

   Over the last three seasons,Todd Haley has persuaded Ben R. to play within the offense, make quicker throws, eschew the bomb, and avoid holding the ball. As a result, the offense generally and Ben’s statistics in particular, have improved. But all QBs have flaws, and Ben is not perfect. He still has trouble putting up 7s in the red zone, throwing into double coverage, and trying (with his gambler’s mentality) to make plays that aren’t there. Still, he is among the top eight QBs in the league, and he is paid handsomely for it.

   It is that last point that bothers me, because any extra dollars paid to one position necessarily deprive the team of talent at other positions. During the Ben R. era, the team has repeatedly passed on free agent defensive talent it needs because the budget won’t permit it. As a consequence, the Steelers’ defense and our record has slipped since our last Super Bowl in 2009, while our offense has become one of the most potent in the league – at least potentially. I add that final caveat because our offense, despite our star-studded roster, is not as efficient as some others. In evaluating an offense, scoring efficiency is more meaningful that raw statistics.

   Now consider the sea change in Denver due to the retirement of Peyton Manning, who led the Broncos to the Super Bowl championship last year even though he was something less than the Manning of old. In spite of his limitations, Manning excelled by managing the game and avoiding mistakes, something Cam Newton did not do well, even though his statistics were better. The potent Bronco defense overcame the few mistakes Manning made and proved the difference in the game. For two years, Manning was paid an enormous salary, while Denver pursued a short-term strategy analogous to that of the Steelers since 2004.

   Now, without Manning, the Broncos are adopting a converse strategy. Trevor Siemian (a 2-year veteran) and Paxton Lynch (a rookie) are battling Mark Sanchez for the top two QB slots and seem likely to beat him out. They will be paid a fraction of Manning’s former salary, because they are less talented, at least at this point in their careers. That leaves the Broncos with extra cash to bolster defections from their robust defense. To compensate for the diminished talent and experience at QB, they will play conservatively (run a lot and throw short).

   The question is whether the Broncos can win their division using this strategy. John Elway, who knows a thing or two about winning, is betting they can. Better yet, he is employing an offense that any competent QB can run, an important safeguard against inevitable injuries. Can an NFL team ride an elite defense and an average QB to victory? Sure. It has been done before. But if the Broncos can match or exceed the Steelers’ record this year, with Siemian and Lynch at QB, the Steelers might want to rethink a strategy that hinges on the health and performance of one man.

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3. 

   Jay

   September 4, 2016 at 9:34 pm

   Then why is everyone (else) in the league doing the same thing? If this were to, as you say, work, it would have to happen en masse over a certain period of time (en masse here means numerous teams-perhaps a misnomer but whatever). THEN maybe teams might start going with mediocrity at QB but until multiple teams do it repeatedly over certain lengths of time, GMs, who know more than us, will continue to swing for the fences and try to land the next big elite franchise one hundred million dollar QB.

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