Dennis Dixon Could Lose Starting QB Gig

Added on Sep 18, 2010 by Jason Kearney in

NFL

Byron Leftwich is back at practice, and current Pittsburgh Steelers’ QB Dennis Dixon is already hearing his footsteps. After a disappointing effort in the team’s opening game win over Atlanta, there’s plenty of speculation that Dixon needs a big game to keep Byron Leftwich from replacing him as the starting QB. Dixon’s numbers weren’t bad, but the bigger concern is the fact that the Steelers scored only 9 points against a rebuilding Falcons’ defense and needed a big run from Rashard Mendenhall in overtime to get the win. Dixon sidestepped the question, and said that he just needs to play well whenever ‘his number is called’:

“I’m going to have to (play better). I’ve got to improve day in and day out, on a week-to-week basis, while my number is called.”

There’s also some question about whether or not the coaching staff is hampering the former Oregon QB. Much like Tennessee’s Vince Young, he’s at his best when he’s able to use his considerable rushing ability. In preseason, however, he was criticized by coach Mike Tomlin for being too quick to run. Dixon was diplomatic when asked if he was playing under any ‘restraints’ set by his coaches:

“I’m just trying to make plays out there, regardless of run or pass. I’m just taking what the defense gives me. … It’s based on instinct pretty much.”

“There’s no real, ‘You go, run.’ You run when you can.”

Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians was fairly complimentary of Dixon’s performance in the opening game:

“He did a great job, I thought, getting better, catching up to the speed of the game. He had some low throws early because he worked too fast. But I’d rather see low than high because high can get intercepted.”

Dixon also has a supporter in Steelers’ receiver Hines Ward:

“The more reps Dennis gets, the more comfortable he is going to become and the more we can expand our playbook. There is no question you can’t replace a Ben Roethlisberger; he is an elite quarterback. Dennis has great talent and it’s him just trying to take advantage of the opportunities that he gets. We are going to ride this thing out with him and see how it goes.”

Despite the concern that he’ll only be the team’s starting quarterback through Sunday’s game, Dixon is keeping a good outlook:

“Going week to week, as opposed to a year waiting for the next opportunity, I’m ready for it. I’m going to have fun in the process.”

Leftwich, in fact, won’t even be on the Steelers’ roster this Sunday. He’s been ‘released’ by the team so they can dress an additional defensive tackle for Sunday’s game. It’s basically a technicality, however, and every indication is that Leftwich will be ‘re-signed’ by the team on Monday.