NFL -Big Ben Banished For First Quarter Of NFL Season

The hopes of the Pittsburgh Steelers just took a massive blow to the face with news that Ben Roethlisberger will miss at least 4-6 games due to his lewd behavior in the off-season. In the AFC North, playoff hopes and dreams can die very quickly. If Big Ben isn’t around to bolster the hopes of Pittsburgh’s new-found roster, then their chances of slipping in to the post-season just got that much harder.

Roger Goddell’s decision shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. This guy loves doling out punishments for players who think they can party like rock stars. The Steelers are also an organization that doesn’t tolerate malcontents, which is why they gave Santonio Holmes away for a draft pick they won’t care about.

This also shouldn’t shock the NFL betting public, since the Steelers went out and traded for Byron Leftwich, sending a seventh rounder to the Bucs in return. Leftwich served as the backup in the 2008 Super Bowl winning season, and is familiar with the playbook. He’ll compete with Dennis Dixon for the starting role at the onset of the season.

Speaking of which, Dixon can almost certainly boost his stock if he plays admirably. A former standout for the Oregon Ducks, Dixon has marveled scouts in both the NFL and MLB with his athletic ability. In his only start last season, he completed 12-of-26 for 145 yards and scored two touchdowns while barely losing to the Baltimore Ravens 17-20. With Big Ben out of the way, and Leftwich standing as the only obstacle in his way (Charlie Batch is injured), this could be a prime opportunity for the former college football star.

Yet the high hopes for one player don’t outweigh those of the Steelers or their football betting backers. Not only did they go 9-7 SU, they also lost to all three of their AFC North rivals which caused them to miss the playoffs. The betting public is well aware of what they managed to accomplish last year, after everyone and their grandmother was caught under the bus of their 5-10-1 ATS record.

Suddenly a team that has enjoyed so much triumph after winning two Super Bowls in the past decade, is now embittered in turmoil.

The first quarter of the season pits the Steelers against the Atlanta Falcons, the Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins in that order (they also have a bye in Week 5). Naturally we assume that the game at Miami is going to be horrendously difficult, as will be the test when Baltimore visits Heinz Field in Week 3. The other games? Not sure. The Steelers could be winless in six games, or 4-2 SU just as easily. I for one, am not being so optimistic.

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Aside from the dubious battle between the inexperienced Dixon and Leftwich, Pittsburgh still has to re-integrate Antwaan Randle El back in to an offense he left in 2005. Randle El will join a star cast that includes Hines Ward and the rising star of speedster Mike Wallace. The Steelers finished ninth in passing yards per game with 259.3 thanks to the cagey arm of Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh’s sudden willingness to go airborne.

Therein lies the biggest worry for the Steelers. Rashard Mendenhall inherits the starting role in Pittsburgh now that Willie Parker has been exiled to Washington, and though his numbers are promising (1,108 yards and 7 touchdowns) his game film reveals a guy who is virtually a downhill runner only and can’t break off huge runs.

We know the Pittsburgh Steelers as a workhorse running team. Big Ben Roethlisberger is the face of the franchise, and the most important lynchpin in a machine that focuses more on aerial stealth than bull rushing these days. Suddenly, with Roethlisberger banned for 4-6 games, the Steelers have lost more than a leader and a starting, Pro Bowl quarterback.

They’ve lost their identity. Hopefully they have the same type of resolve as their namesake.

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