Steelers/NFL
By the process of elimination, it appears fans will get their wish and Charlie Batch will start at quarterback Sunday vs Cleveland and it’s not because of Byron Leftwich’s subpar performance vs the Ravens Sunday night.
Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports Leftwich fractured two ribs in the Steelers 13-10 loss to Baltimore. It’s expected Leftwich will be out a few weeks. Leftwich was 18-for-39 for 201 yards with three sacks, one interception and a 51.3 quarterback rating. His night was highlighted by a 31 yard touchdown run on the Steelers opening possession.
The Steelers are expected to reach out to Jerrod Johnson and Tyler Palko, among others, word coming out of Steelers headquarters is that the staff is still evaluating the situation. If the Steelers believe there’s a chance Ben Roethlisberger could miss the entire season following this week’s checkup, indications are the Steelers might look into David Garrard but that’s a big longshot at this point. They do not view him as a stop-gap option (1-2 weeks) and wouldn’t look into him unless they planned to keep him the entire season.
NOTES: Ravens safety Ed Reed has been suspended one game for his helmet to helmet hit on Emmanuel Sanders last night, the NFL announced. Reed is suspended one game for repeated violations of the rule prohibiting hits to the head and neck area of defenseless players.
