Byron Leftwich Hurt, Pittsburgh Steelers Poised to Start Charlie Batch in Week 1

The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered another blow at the quarterback position Thursday night when Byron Leftwich was knocked out of the game with an apparent knee injury.

The results of an MRI taken after the game revealed that Leftwich has torn the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. The results confirmed the worst for the Steelers and mean that Leftwich will be out indefinitely, and will likely miss all of the games he was expected to start in the absence of Ben Roethlisberger.

Depending on the final determination on the length of Roethlisberger's suspension, the Steelers could be without their top two quarterbacks during this entire period.

The No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart is the third-year player out of Oregon, Dennis Dixon. Dixon has been competing with Leftwich throughout the course of the preseason for the replacement job, so it would seem reasonable to assume that he would be the next in line to start at quarterback.

Not so fast.

The Steelers like Dennis Dixon and are intrigued by his athleticism, but they still do not have much trust in the young quarterback's decision-making. Dixon may provide the Steelers with the best opportunity for big plays, but he also provides the best opportunity for mistakes and turnovers.

Now, enter Charlie Batch.

Batch is no stranger to the quarterback position in Pittsburgh. In fact, he has been sporting the black and gold for the past six seasons, playing in a total of 23 games during that span.

Yet, despite his experience, Batch had been viewed as the odd-man-out prior to Leftwich's injury. The Steelers preferred the physical tool set of Leftwich and the upside of Dixon. Couple that with Batch's history of injuries, and he was poised to soon be a roster-cut casualty. Leftwich's injury, however, gives the 35-year-old new life.

In his limited amount of time as an NFL player, Dixon has a passer rating of 60.6. On the other hand, Batch has a career passer rating of 77.9. Batch may not have eye-popping statistics, but he is disciplined enough to keep his team in games.

With a defense like the Steelers have, Roethlisberger's replacement won't have to go out and win games; he will simply have to ensure that he doesn't lose them. This means minimizing turnovers and making smart decisions. Batch has proven over the years that he is capable of this task, while Dixon still has a lot to learn.

If the Pittsburgh Steelers want to win in the absence of Ben Roethlisberger, expect to see Charlie Batch under center in Week 1.