The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a tough spot entering the 2010 season. The team has a top end franchise quarterback to rely on, but he will not be leading the team for the first several games of the season.
Ben Roethlisberger has made some mistakes and finds himself suspended to start the season. Depending on his behavior and the decisions of Roger Goodell the quarterback could be back on the field long before the halfway point of the season.
The Steelers will rely on the arms Dennis Dixon and Byron Leftwich until Roethlisberger returns. Dixon is an interesting choice at quarterback for the Steelers. He has the speed and agility to get yards on the run and may be able to sneak away a few victories while Roethlisberger is away. He cannot be expected to take over games week in and week out though. The team will need their running game to carry a lot of the load in the mean time.
Rashard Mendenhall is a young back out of Illinois. He is a promising talent that could carry the load early in the season for the Steelers. He wore down as the season progressed in 2009, but he will not be required to have the same amount of pressure on him after Roethlisberger returns to the lineup. Expect Mendenhall to carry the ball 30 times per game until Roethlisberger returns.
The Steelers have an outside shot at the playoffs in 2010, they’ll just need to start solid without Roethlisberger on the field.
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