The coaching staff gave Dennis Dixon another series after a disastrous first half, which I suppose speaks to their willingness to let the young quarterback audition for the starting job. Or maybe they wanted to see how Dixon would respond to adversity: he completed passes to Mewelde Moore and Hines Ward, then went on a 29 yard scamper when there was nothing down the field. (Just for comparison, Byron Leftwich has exactly zero runs over 20 yards in his seven-year career.)
Later on the drive, Dixon hit Tyler Grisham in the numbers on an absolute strike, threading the needle between two Broncos defenders. It was a true NFL throw. The following play was a 4th & 1 deep in Denver territory, exactly the kind of situation in which the Steelers floundered last year. Rather than running it straight ahead -- which admittedly didn't work too well last year -- the Steelers got cute and ran a bootleg right with Dixon, a play the Broncos sniffed out immediately for a six-yard loss.
I am already sick of hearing about Tim Tebow. And it's preseason in his rookie year. This is not a good sign. Also, his release is still hideous.
Leftwich relieved Dixon midway through the third quarter, promptly leading the unit to a three-and-out. He attempted two passes, both of which were off the mark. We'll see what Leftwich does with his remaining playing time and whether or not Dixon's slight third quarter rebound will be enough to keep him in the quarterback conversation. Could this all come down to the fourth preseason game?
